What You Need to Know About Alabama White Sauce (2024)

You could probably tell where someone grew up based on the first thing that comes to mind when they think of barbecue. A tangy, vinegar-based sauce? North Carolina. More of a mustard-based style? Fine, South Carolina then. Love brisket and smoked turkey? Texas.

And if you answered "white sauce," we could probably pinpoint your hometown—or, at least, the BBQ joint you ate at during that one road trip and couldn't get out of your head ever since. Decatur, AL, has a population of less than 56,000, and its known as the birthplace of Alabama White Sauce. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q is credited with inventing the peppery, mayo-based condiment, which the restaurant first slathered on pork and chicken at weekend cookouts in the late 1920s.

A mayonnaise-based sauce may sound off-putting—until you try it. The tangy flavor is kind of like ranch dressing, and just as dangerously addictive. It's also every bit as versatile: Big Bob's recommends pouring it on chicken, pork, seafood and turkey, and using it as the secret ingredient in homemade cole slaw and potato salad.

The sauce isn't confined to Big Bob Gibson. Other companies have bottled up their own blends, like Full Moon Bar-B-Que in Birmingham, AL, and Firebud Brands in Atlanta, GA. The trend stretches as far North as New York: Manhattan-based Blue Smoke slathers its chicken wings with its own take on the sauce.

Chef Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson shared the restaurant's recipe with us, which features a mix of mayo, white vinegar, apple juice, lemon juice, horseradish and cayenne.

Get the recipe here.

Not into making your own sauce from scratch? Many brands sell their take on the sauce online.

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