Alabama White Sauce

Unlike sticky ketchup and molasses-smothered ribs in Kansas City and spicy vinegar-mopped hog in Eastern Carolina, the signature sauce in Alabama is a white sauce with a tangy, peppery bite. While it’s unlike any other barbecue sauce in the nation, it’s hard to imagine a plate of smoked chicken, pickles, and white bread without it. Here’s how to make your own Alabama white sauce — no road trip required.

Bob Gibson popularized the creamy, peppery sauce known nationwide as Alabama white sauce. When he opened his barbecue restaurant in northern Alabama in 1925, the white sauce was on the menu. It quickly proved to be the perfect poultry pairing, with mayo to keep the meat moist and vinegar and spice to balance the fat.

Chris Lilly, the fourth-generation pitmaster at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama, says, “White sauce does have mayonnaise as an ingredient, but it’s a vinegar-base barbecue sauce with course-ground black pepper, providing a tangy, peppery flavor.”

To make our version of Alabama white sauce, you’ll need mayonnaise (like most Southerners, I opt for Duke’s), spicy brown mustard, prepared horseradish, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, cayenne, and lots of black pepper.

Alabama white sauce is ideal for drizzling onto smoked chicken or turkey, but Lilly adds, “It’s great for all types of grilled meats, vegetables, and salads.”