Vinegar and Pepper

• Vinegar- and pepper-based sauces are associated with the Carolina region of the U.S. Vinegar varieties penetrate the meat to provide rich flavor, while vinegar sauces are typically used as marinades before cooking, as a baste during cooking or as the basis of a covering sauce for after cooking. Apple-cider vinegar is typically used, and other common ingredients include brown sugar, cayenne, molasses and red pepper. Vinegar-based sauces are usually thin in texture.
  
  

Mustard

• Mustard-based sauces are a feature of South Carolina and the main ingredients are usually vinegar, yellow mustard, brown sugar and spices. The sauces can be used as a baste or as a table sauce after cooking. Mustard-based sauces are particularly good for pork and chicken, and can be sweetened with the addition of more sugar; with less sugar, the mustard and vinegar tang are dominant.
  
  

Light Tomato

• Tomato-based sauces are the most popular style in America, and are typically made using tomato purees combined with vinegar and brown sugar. Light tomato sauces also originated in South Carolina and became popular from the 1900s onward as tomato ketchup became more readily available.
  
  

Heavy Tomato

• Heavy tomato sauce is popular in the U.S., along with many countries throughout the world. It's probably the type of sauce most readily associated with barbecue and is much heavier and thicker than most varieties due to the addition of sugar or some other type of sweetener. Because sugar burns, heavy tomato sauce is not used as a marinade or baste, but primarily as a meat covering after cooking.