BBQ Lingo

Mop Sauce

A thin basting liquid (vinegar, beer, broth) brushed onto meat during long cooks to add moisture and flavor.

Named for the cotton 'mop' used to apply it on whole hogs, a mop sauce is a thin baste — usually built around vinegar or beer — applied to meat every 30-60 minutes during a long smoke. Unlike thick BBQ sauce, mop sauce won't burn at low temps. It adds moisture, layers flavor, and helps build bark.

Related Terms

Bark

The deeply flavored, almost crusty exterior layer that forms on slow-smoked meats from rub, smoke, and rendered fat.

Low and Slow

Cooking large, tough cuts at 225-275°F for many hours to break down collagen into tender, jiggly meat.