Alabama White Sauce

Recipe by Catherine Neville

As you move west into Tennessee and Alabama, barbecue sauces continue to change, reflecting generations of adaptation by local pitmasters. Parts of Alabama favor vinegary sauces akin to those from the Carolinas, or the tomato-tinged sauces found in Memphis, but in the northern part of the state, creamy mayonnaise-based sauces reign. There’s some debate as to the recipe’s origins: The general consensus is that Big Bob Gibson, who was a pitmaster in Decatur, Alabama, created the sauce in 1925, although there are some skeptics. Yet ’cue-lovers agree that this style of sauce was created to maintain optimal juiciness and enhance the flavor of smoky barbecued chicken. Today, people drizzle it on pulled pork shoulder as well, but back in the day, chicken legs, thighs and breasts were “baptized” in a bath of the stuff.

Alabama-style white sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 1 Tbsp prepared horseradish

• 4 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tsp yellow or stone-ground mustard

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ tsp granulated sugar

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• hot sauce, to taste

| Preparation | In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Taste, adjust seasoning if desired and serve.