Alabama White BBQ Sauce

This post was originally published on A Food Lover’s Kitchen.

This Alabama White BBQ Sauce is a tangy creamy alternative to regular BBQ sauce that adds a twist and a punch to your barbecued chicken, ribs, or pork.

In the summer, we cook out on the grill almost every day to avoid the heat in the kitchen, but slathering on regular BBQ sauce – while I LOVE it – gets old after a while. That’s where this white BBQ sauce comes in.

You’re going to love the tangy flavor this adds to your meal. Slather it on as you would regular sauce, as you’re cooking, to bake in all those wonderful flavors. Or use it as a dip or a drizzle over the top of just about anything.

Seriously, we use this as a dip for French Fries, as a salad dressing, and to baste any baked or grilled meat or fish. It’s just that good.

» Also try this delicious Carolina Gold Sauce or Homemade BBQ Ranch Dressing.

What is Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Alabama White Sauce was created by Robert Gibson at Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama. At Bob’s, they dunk the chicken into the sauce before grilling it, and it gives it this wonderful tangy, richness.

The sauce is made with a base of mayonnaise and vinegar. The fat in the mayonnaise helps keep the chicken moist as it cooks so it doesn’t dry out on the grill.

Ingredients in White BBQ Sauce

The great thing about this sauce is that most of the ingredients are kitchen staples making it easy to mix up a batch any time. Here is a list of what you will need.

• Mayonnaise – Which can be homemade or store-bought.
• White vinegar – This gives the sauce a little punch of acid that it needs to really shine.
• Mustard – I like the tangy yellow mustard flavor but you can substitute the yellow mustard for Dijon, creole mustard or stone ground mustard, if you want.
• Horseradish – This adds a spicy kick to the sauce.
• Salt & pepper – Just to boost the flavor a little more.
• Garlic powder
• Paprika

How to Make White BBQ Sauce

One thing is for sure, this white BBQ sauce is so much easier to make than regular BBQ sauce. Our Smoky Bourbon BBQ sauce, which is incredible, takes at least 20 minutes to make, because you have to cook down the onions and allow the flavors to blend. In contrast, this white sauce can be mixed up in just 2 minutes.

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk it all together until combined. You can refrigerator the sauce until you’re ready to use it.

Or go ahead and brush it onto the meat you’re grilling. I just use a basting brush and slather it on. Then you can also drizzle more sauce on after cooking, as desired. The flavor changes quite a bit depending on whether the sauce is cooked or not, so give it a try both ways to see how you like it best.

Additional Tips for White BBQ Sauce

• You can substitute the yellow mustard for Dijon, creole mustard or stone ground mustard, if you want. I like the tangy yellow mustard flavor.
• You can use apple cider vinegar in a pinch, or rice wine vinegar for a sweeter taste.
• Sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I store the sauce in a small mason jar with a lid and use it for whatever comes up on the dinner rotation that week. It’s great as a dressing for salads, it’s really great in potato salad.

Variations

• Make it tangier – Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice instead of the white vinegar.
• Make it lighter – Add sour cream in place of the mayonnaise.
• Make it milder – Use less horseradish or leave it out all together.
• Make it hotter – You can add a spicier mustard, more horseradish, or a hot sauce like Sriracha.
• Make it sweeter – Add some brown sugar to change the flavor and add sweetness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Alabama white BBQ sauce taste like?

White BBQ sauce is much different then traditional tomato based BBQ sauce. It has a creamy texture that is slightly sweet, tangy and a little spicy. The flavor changes depending on whether it is used as a dipping sauce or cooked onto the meat.

Why is it called Alabama white sauce?

This sauce is a mayonnaise based sauce that originated in Northern Alabama where it was add to freshly smoked chickens.

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