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Alabama White BBQ Sauce is a tangy, creamy twist on traditional barbecue sauce recipe. It's delicious on grilled chicken, pulled pork, fish, burgers, and lots more!
When grilling season rolls around, we do most of our cooking outdoors! Some of our other favorites are Grilled Pork Chops, Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip, and Beef Kabobs!
Alabama White BBQ Sauce
This is my second post in my American Eats series where I'm cooking my way across America, one state at a time. We are in Alabama, and yesterday I shared a tasty, savory Southern Tomato Pie.
Today I've got another iconic Alabama recipe for you that might make you scratch your head at first: Alabama White BBQ Sauce.
If you love barbecue, you probably know that there are lots of regional variations of bbq sauces to enjoy, depending on what part of the country you are from. Kansas City BBQ is known for it's thick, sweet sauce, North Carolina has a thin vinegar based sauce, and South Carolina barbecue sauce is mustard based.
But chances are, you've never heard of this tangy white barbecue sauce unless you've been to Alabama.
Alabama white BBQ sauce was created in 1925 in Decatur, Alabama by a man named Bob Gibson, who started a restaurant that is an institution today called Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.
What is Alabama white barbeque sauce made of?
This sauce starts with a mayo base that is thinned out with a little vinegar, then gets a flavor kick from mustard, horseradish, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
It's ridiculously easy to make. You just whisk everything together in a bowl until smooth, then pour into a jar and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. It's so simple, but so, so good.
Use the Alabama white barbecue sauce just like you would any other barbecue sauce - on smoked or grilled meats for basting or as a dipping sauce. We brush it on grilled meat or fish during the last few minutes of cooking on the grill and serve with extra sauce on the side.
How to grill bone-in chicken breasts
When I was testing Alabama recipes, I used this white bbq sauce on bone-in grilled chicken breasts, which we served with tomato pie.
While you can absolutely grill boneless, skinless chicken breasts and have them turn out super juicy and delicious (check out my recipe for grilled cajun chicken sandwiches to see how), I find that when we are doing bbq, I way prefer to go slower and use bone-in chicken.
Here is how we grill bone-in chicken breasts:
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Turn on all the burners if using a gas grill, or get the briquettes going if using charcoal, and close the lid. When the grill is hot (between 400-450 degrees), make sure the grates are clean and brush them with a little oil, then create an area of indirect heat by pushing turning off the burners on side side of the grill or pushing the charcoal over.
- While the grill is heating, season the chicken with a little salt. This is also a good time to gather the tools you will need to grill the chicken, like tongs, a basting brush, and a clean tray for when the chicken is done.
- Grill the chicken skin side down over indirect heat. Don't set the chicken directly over the flames (i.e., direct heat) because the fat from the skin will drip down and create flare-ups. Grill the bone-in chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes on the first side (7-10 minutes if cooking smaller cuts like chicken legs and thighs), then flip and grill for another 7-10 minutes over indirect heat.
- Finish the chicken by grilling over direct heat on the other side of the grill directly over the flame or charcoal. Grill skin-side down, just until the skin is well browned and crisp, about 3-5 minutes, watching carefully for flare-ups, then flip and baste with Alabama white BBQ sauce during the last few minutes of cooking, until the breasts reach 165 degrees F. when tested with an instant read meat thermometer. Move the meat back over indirect heat if it needs more time to finish cooking.
- Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, then serve with extra white BBQ sauce on the side.
How long does white barbeque sauce last?
You can store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to five days. After that, you would get better results by making a fresh batch. But whenever we make it at our house, it doesn't last very long!
What to serve with barbecued chicken
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Alabama White BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayo
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons cream style horseradish
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Transfer to a jar with a tight lid and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 week. Brush on chicken while grilling, or use with fish or other meat, or as a salad dressing or dip for fries.
Video
Notes
- I have subbed up to half of the mayo with Greek yogurt with good results.
Nutrition
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Montana • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin
Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids says
Yum! I can't wait to try this the next time I make ribs or shredded pork!
Kitty says
I have never seen anything like this before, but I do love horseradish, almost as much as I love BBQ. I will totally have to pull this out for a twist on Memorial Day grilling.
Tamara Andersen says
I'm a huge fan of Carolina BBQ (all the vinegar!), so this BBQ sauce is very appealing to me... I love the addition of horseradish! I also love your idea of an America Eats series. Fun!
prasanna hede says
This sauce looks like a keeper,will definitely save this for when i will make bbq!
Jenni LeBaron says
White BBQ sauce is one of my favorite things to make in the summer because it goes so well on so many things we grill. Your recipe looks fantastic!
Leslie Haasch says
Giiiiiiiiiirl, yes! I already have an entire meal planned out in my head to use this on - so excited to try it out!
Amy says
Yay! Ha, I'm the same way where I will see one recipe and immediately think of all the others I want to make to go with it!
Jessica (Swanky Recipes) says
A few years ago I visited the Southern Living test kitchen studio in Birmingham, Alabama. They took us to a restaurant nearby called Jukes BBQ Joint and it had the best white bbq sauce I've ever tried! We always order this with our barbecue when we pass through on our way to the Gulf Shores every year and I'm excited I can make this at home now!
Amy says
That's so cool that you got to visit the Southern Living test kitchen studio! I'm glad you tried the white bbq sauce while you were there in Alabama!
Carol Borchardt says
So, I live in Memphis and it's all about the bark, the wet mop, etc. I've heard about white barbecue sauces but never tried them and by the looks of this recipe, I clearly need to!
Amy says
It's so interesting how each region has it's own emphasis when it comes to BBQ!
Jason Conway says
Follow Zagat on YouTube. They go to each area and you get to learn about the differences
Marcin says
So good👍
Anne Murphy says
White barbecue sauce? Intriguing! No added sugar? OK, I need this! For the first time I live in a house with a patio - and am looking at getting a small grill and learning to use it, so this recipe (and the directions for the chicken breast) come just at the right time!
Amy says
How fun that you get to start grilling in your new place! We used to live in a little condo and had a tabletop grill that we cooked on often on our tiny patio. So many good food memories with that thing!
lauren says
This looks awesome! We love BBQ but I've never had white sauce before. It sounds positively amazing and such a good addition to bbq comfort food. We will definitely be trying it this week!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
You had me at BBQ! Can't believe the sauce is white, so creative!! Can't wait to use this next time I fire up the grill, yum!
Julie says
I'm so used to BBQ sauce being some shade of red or brown that I'm having a hard time mentally classifying this as BBQ sauce! But I really love horseradish, so I bet I would love this as a great way to spice up normally bland grilled chicken!
Amy says
Yes, it's definitely a bit of a shocker to use a white sauce instead of a red one! But if you think of BBQ as a cooking technique and sauce used to baste meat cooked using that technique, then it makes sense why this would be called BBQ sauce even though it's not tomato based.
Michelle Blackwood says
I have never had white barbecue sauce before, the ingredients sound very flavorful and I love mayo so much that I believe this will be a huge hit
Kushi says
Such a lovely combonation of ingredients. Looks amazing. Can't wait to try this out
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
This barbecue sauce just makes me so happy! While a white BBQ sauce isn't traditional in Memphis or Texas, I cannot wait to give this a try because I know it's gonna be yummy.
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating! says
As a South Carolinian, I've been a diehard fan of mustard-based BBQ sauce my whole life - but I have never made Alabama white BBQ sauce! I will have to give it a shot - it certainly looks delicious! And thanks for the tips on grilling chicken too — I am not yet a grilling pro so that will definitely help!
Amy says
Lol - I know your love of mustard-based BBQ sauce runs deep!
Amber says
Been waiting on Arkansas for a while now. Can't wait to see what you post!
Amy says
I'm so glad you are enjoying this series! I meant to do Arkansas earlier but got a little behind with school starting back up again! The first Arkansas post is up now though and I will be sharing more throughout the week! 🙂
Jessica says
I made this today, but I found the flavor of mayo and vinegar to be overwhelming so, I added 1/2 cup sour cream, then I ended up doubling everything except the mayo and vinegar. By the time I was done I had added 1 tsp. Onion powder, 1/4 tsp. Worcentershire sauce, and since I remember the white sauce I had in Alabama growing up, having a bit of heat outside of the horseradish, and I was out of cayenne pepper, I added a few dashes of habanero sauce I got from my trip to Mexico. THEN, it became the sauce my family used to make. Not that this isn't good for some, but for me, it was just lacking and tasted like it belonged used as coleslaw dressing not a BBQ sauce. I used it as a dipping sauce/sauce for my smoked wings and pulled pork at a big bbq I did, my sauce was gone before I new it with people asking for more. I didn't expect it to go over as well as it did, but they killed it! Note to self: make more of this! I still have plenty of traditional bbq sauce if anyone needs any. Lol! Enjoy!!!
Ashley says
I agree with Jessica above. The taste of mayonnaise was very overwhelming so I followed her recipe and it became a lot better but I will not make this again.
PatriciaRN says
Wonderful 5 Star recipe! Alabama White BBQ Sauce is the bomb! Thank you for clarifying the mystery of tender, juicy, golden and crispy grilled chicken. This recipe is a keeper! My only changes included adding 1 tsp raw sugar to the BBQ sauce and 1 clove crushed garlic. Again, many thanks!
Bob says
Old grouchy guy here. Why can't I just get the recipe at the top so I don't have to endure pages and pages of flowery b.s. before I get to it and find that its not what I want?
Amy says
I understand your frustration, Bob. If you look at the top of the recipes on my blog (and many other food blogs), you will notice a button that says "Jump to Recipe". It's right under the title. If you just click on that it will immediately take you straight to the recipe, skipping everything else. I hope that helps in the future.
Miranda says
This looks incredible! I might have to use the extra hot horseradish I have in the kitchen.... Can't wait to try!
Lisa says
This was great, tried with brisket and pulled pork.
Shawn M says
Never heard of this until visiting the one horse town of fall brook Ca for lunch, they served this drizzled over fried green tomatoes! Amazing to say the least, this recipe is spot on.
Amy says
Oh yes! It's amazing with fried green tomatoes!
Mark says
Absolutely delicious sauce! Thank you so much.
Darcie says
I made this with part mayo and part crema; it lent a nice tang. Lemon, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion salt, celery seed, dill and creole mustard. I don’t see a reason to add sugar as most recipes say.
I’m marinating on chicken thighs (which I hate) but I think this will be fantastic in my air fryer. I need suggestions for sides.
Lucas says
I've never had this! It looks so good, I'll definitely have to try it, thank you so much for sharing!
Tanya says
Thanks for the recipe. I was looking for something different for grilled cajun chicken. Was thinking about a cucumber dip but then came across your recipe. I love horseradish so had to try it! I loved it! Thanks again!
Dotzie says
This was an easy and excellent recipe we had it on chicken breast and the sauce gave it an amazing flavor, this is now a favorite of mine and i cant thank you enough for sharing your recipe 😊
Wedding Shoot says
This recipe is fantastic!
swadkrang says
this site is very intersting,and usfully...
Jenn says
its* thick, sweet sauce
Patricia Strahan says
I grew up eating Big Bob Gibson Bar B Que. Love their chicken with the white sauce. Just mixed it up for my husband to use it when he grills tonight.
Carey says
I made this per the recipe but it had too much bite so I looked at some other recipes for Alabama white sauce. One of them said to add 2 T brown sugar. Once I did it tasted much better.
Ron McNeal says
Since all the ingredients in white BBQ sauce have a long shelf life, and vinegar is even a preservative, why does it only last a few days in the refrigerator? I've made it often, living in Alabama, and kept it much longer. ??
YumSauce says
Very good, I do prefer the recipes without sugar, and this was exactly the flavor I was looking for with a few drops of lemon juice added and extra pepper. Bookmarking this recipe to comeback again.