RECIPES

Pour that Alabama-style white sauce on: How to make the barbecue sauce made for chicken

Shannon Heupel
Southern Kitchen
Smoked chicken from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Ala., is dunked into their family recipe Alabama white sauce.

This iconic white sauce, developed by late barbecue legend Big Bob Gibson, serves two purposes, according to Chris Lilly, whose wife is Gibson's great-grandaughter. Lilly is also vice president, executive chef and partner of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur,

“The vinegar gives it that tang that cuts the fat and really adds to the flavor of the barbecue; that’s why vinegar sauces are a barbecue favorite all over,” he said. “But with the addition of mayonnaise, it’s an ingredient that keeps the chicken from drying out during a three-hour cook.”

SPOTLIGHT ON ALABAMA:Where pork, dry rub and white sauce are king

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups of vinegar

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of coarse ground black pepper.

Instructions

Whisk it together, and it’s ready. It’s not thick at all, but perfect to dunk a whole chicken in.