Alabama White BBQ Sauce

This northern Alabama Barbecue Sauce uses mayonnaise as its base rather than the tomato sauce used for many traditional barbecue sauces. Bob Gibson is credited with concocting white sauce back in 1925. In 1972 Bob's grandson, Don McLemore, joined the family business. Big Bob died a year later. Today, Don and his son-in-law, Chris Lilly, have made it their mission to not only carry the torch of good barbecue in Decatur, but carry it all over the country. Together, they take Big Bob Gibson's brand of 'cue on the competition circuit and national TV.

As for the ingredients, well, purists such as Myra Grissom, owner of Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, insists there are only four: mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. The Food Network had a show claiming Big Bob Gibson's barbecue was one of the top five in the US. On that show they said the sauce was made of mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, horseradish, and salt & pepper. They showed them smoking the chicken, wings up, for about 1 hour, dipping it in chicken fat and putting back in the smoker, wings down to crisp the skin. Pepper was then spinkled all over the chicken. I think this is one of the key flavors. When it was taken out of the smoker, the chickens were dipped in the white sauce and served with more white sauce on the side. The sauce was not that thick because you could only see a bit of white on the chickens.

Like many barbecue sauces you want to apply this only at the very end of your grilling or smoking. It will breakdown and separate if it is heated too long. Use this sauce on chicken and turkey. Alabama White Barbecue Sauce has a tangy, peppery flavor that is a great addition to grilled foods.

Big Bob Gibson's Bama Birds With White Barbecue Sauce
from Meathead at http://amazingribs.com/

A few years after I wrote this recipe, Lilly published a damn fine cookbook, and there is a white sauce recipe in it. But he is coy. He says "There is now a large number of 'authentic' versions of Big Bob's original secret recipe and cooking method - all different from one another. This is one of my favorites."

You can bet I immediately made the recipe in his book. Then I cut a chicken cut in half. Half got my recipe half got his book's recipe, and damned if his wasn't better. So I went back to the drawing board and blended the two together. I did another tasting, and damned if the new version wasn't better than both the parents. So I revised my recipe. The new one is pictured above, and the recipe is below.

Just a note of caution: This is not what everyone thinks of when they think of barbecue sauce. It is white, first of all. And it is not sweet. Not everyone likes it, and it doesn't work well on pork or beef. But it's very nice on chicken, an American classic, and worth a try if you love barbecue. If you don't like it on chicken, it's just fine on coleslaw.

Makes. 1.5 cups of sauce, enough for 2 large chickens or 3 Cornish game hens, which serves 4 to 6 people
Takes. 10 minutes for the sauce, about 45 minutes to cook the meat

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon powdered garlic
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish from a jar (either in vinegar or creamy)
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground cayenne pepper

1) Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate in a jar for at least 2 hours, if possible, to allow the flavors to meld.

2) Lilly butterflies his chickens, which makes sense in a high production environment, but I prefer to quarter them so I can make sure no part is overcooked since breasts and thighs cook at a different rate. I recommend you cut the bird into quarters: Two drumstick and thigh combos, two breasts, and remove the wings from the breasts. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper on both sides

3) Crank up your smoker or prepare the grill for 2-zone indirect cooking. Shoot for 325°F in the indirect side. Place the chicken skin side up on the indirect side of the grill. Put a handful of wood chips, chunks, or pellets on the heat source. Use a foil packet with wood on a gas grill and on a charcoal grill put the wood right on the coals (no need to soak the wood). Just a handful of wood. Don't overdo it. Nothing will ruin chicken faster than too much smoke.

4) Check the temp of each piece independently because they will cook at different rates. Place your probe in the thickest part of each chunk but don't touch the bones. The wings will finish much faster than the other parts so put them on late and be prepared to remove them early. When all parts hit about 155°F, flip the bird and put the skin face down on the hot side. When they reach 165°F, paint them generously on all sides with the sauce (at Big Bob's they dunk the birds in a vat of sauce). Serve.