Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Most people have never heard of a white bbq sauce. White bbq sauce became famous in Decatur, Alabama by Big Bob Gibson's BBQ. I am not sure what the true origins of this sauce are, but it is very regional to North Alabama. I first came across this sauce at the 2005 Jack Daniels World Championship Barbecue Competition (the most prestigious contest in the country). Chris Lilly, of Big Bob Gibson fame, was competing in Lynchburg that year and his team was giving out samples of their sauces.

There are several variations of this recipe on the internet. I have had the most success with this one:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.



This sauce is primarily used on chicken and other poultry. I do not recommend this sauce on brisket, ribs, or pork. Most competition cooks out there would never think to try this sauce on chicken at a contest. When I was competing in Lawrenceburg, TN last year, the team that won the chicken category (Fire in the Hole BBQ from Huntsville, AL) used a white sauce on their chicken. The only reason I know that is because they were cooking across from us and as they were saucing their chicken, I thought that they were making cinnamon rolls on their cooker. Of course, I also thought that using a white sauce in a competition was one hell of a risk...but wouldn't you know, they got 1st place. Congrats to them, that must have been one hell of a white bbq sauce.

While I probably wouldn't use this sauce in a competition, it's fun to experiment with different sauces.