Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
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Alabama white barbecue sauce is a regional specialty that has received national acclaim for good reason! Uniquely sweet yet tangy, let me show you how to make it for yourself at home. One bite and you’ll be serving it with every meal!
Today, I’m bringing you a real rarity. In fact, it is pretty much unheard of outside of North Alabama. Even my husband (who is from a town in Georgia only four hours away) had never heard of it. A lot of folks in South Alabama have never heard of it.
I’m talking about Alabama white bbq sauce. This is truly a regional thing, but also a regional requirement. Every BBQ restaurant in North Alabama features white bbq sauce on their menu, their meats, and their tables and North Alabamians eat it with everything from French fries to bread to chicken and ribs. My husband loves to smother his chicken in Alabama white barbecue sauce. Personally, I like to use so much that my food is always swimming in it.
So, what makes this homemade white bbq sauce so irresistible? Well, it has a uniquely sweet yet tangy flavor, thanks to the combination of mayonnaise, lemon juice, white vinegar, and sugar. Let me tell you, it truly is the perfect compliment to just about everything. So how about we make up a batch for you? This recipe has the simplest ingredients and instructions ever, after all – mix and serve. That’s my style!
Recipe Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- White vinegar
- Sugar
How to Make Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
Place mayonnaise in a small bowl and add the vinegar and lemon juice.
Next, add salt, pepper, and sugar to the mixing bowl.
Mix all ingredients together with a whisk or just put all of your ingredients into a large jar with a lid and give it a really good shake. That’s all there is to it!
You have just made Alabama white barbecue sauce!
Before you go wow your friends, get a French fry or a piece of chicken and give it a good dunking so you can be the first to taste it. YUM!
I could just live on this y’all, honest!
Storage
Pop the sauce in a mason jar or airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. But we all know it’s not gonna last that long! Lucky it only takes 5 minutes to whip up another batch (or you can always simply double the recipe).
Recipe Notes
- If you like, substitute white sugar for brown sugar or use a combination of both.
- Another substitution is using apple cider vinegar (or a combination again) instead of white vinegar.
- Some white sauce recipes also include prepared horseradish. If that’s your thing, I’d go with just a couple of teaspoons.
- Some also add in mustard, so if you like you can add 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, dijon mustard, spicy brown , or even .
- For an extra pop of flavor, go ahead and add 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite seasoning, like Cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning.
- For a lighter version, replace half of the mayo with sour cream or Greek yogurt. It won’t affect the taste.
- Want to add some heat? If you’re going to add the prepared horseradish, opt for hot horseradish. Then add 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to make things extra spicy.
Recipe FAQs
Where did Alabama white BBQ sauce originate?
We have Robert Gibson from Big Bob Gibson’s Bar B-Q in Decatur, Alabama to thank for introducing us to Alabama white sauce way back in 1925.
What do you serve with Alabama white barbecue sauce?
Alabama white sauce tastes fantastic with any grilled or barbecued meat, like grilled chicken tenders or , pork chops, Southern-style pulled pork, beef brisket, crockpot beef ribs, North Alabama-style pulled chicken, steak kabobs, and air fryer chicken wings. You can baste it on the meat two or three times towards the end of cooking, or simply pour it over the top when serving.
It also tastes great as a dipping sauce with fries and veggies, like my baked zucchini fries, parmesan oven fries, and roasted sweet potato wedges. Another option is to use it as a salad dressing. It tastes absolutely amazing with potato salad, coleslaw, and roasted vegetables.
You may also enjoy these sensational sauces:
Homemade Pretzels and Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together and stir well.2 cups mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons black pepper, 6 tablespoons white vinegar, 6 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons white sugar
Nutrition
Once again I have the same day to day struggle(whats for dinner).This looks like it will do us just fine.
Thanks for always helping me solve my (Whats for dinner?)
Mamie
~GRINS~ And thank YOU for always being so incredibly sweet to me and making me feel so good!
Gratefully,
Christy
Chicken with white BBQ sauce was always my favorite dinner at the sorority house at U of AL. I have hunted for the recipe online to make my own down here in FL. Can’t wait to try it out!
Isn’t the Bama campus just gorgeous? I’m so glad I could help bring a bit of it back! hope you enjoy it!
Gratefully,
Christy
This is soooooooooooo Awesome! i knew about how to make but wasn’t really sure! so glad i found this! I moved to Illinois from Alabama an I SO TOTALLY VERY MUCH miss the down home BBQ an the Sauces tooo! You ask for White Sauce here an they look at ya crazy an offer mayo or ranch dressing! LOL,. Ummm NO People!
an thank you sooooooo very much we LOVE you recipes!
oh thank YOU!!!!
lol!
Yeah, I’ve heard people say they think its like ranch dressing on more than one occasion and that always throws me!
I have lived in Michigan all of my life, but my Dad grew up in Falkville, Alabama and I can remember him making “white sauce” for his bbq chicken. We all loved it. I am going to try this recipe. It has been a long time since I had it.
Thanks!
Aww, bless your sweet daddy! I hope you like this!
Jeff,
MY dad, Bob Phillips, grew up in Falkville, as well, graduated from Falkville High School in the early 1950s, I think…anyway before he went in the Navy and was in the Korean war. My mom grew up in Hartselle. Wonder whether your dad was in the same generation as mine, and if they knew one another. It’s not a huge place!
My great-grandparents were James and Audrey Liles; he was a mail carrier; both are buried there.
Dad’s in TN now; I’m living in Northern Va. after 30+ years in North Carolina (NE NC, then Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Cary, NC), but I’m missing the SOuth!
I am wondering if anyone has the recipe for a White marinade? When I lived in the South I had this great chicken off the grill. All I remember is it has 3 equal parts of white ingredients. Don’t know if it was vinegar, sugar, oil, salt but it was three things in equal parts. I do know there wasn’t any mayonnaise in it. It was the best chicken I have ever had. If anyone has the recipe I would love to know it! Anytime I search for white barbecue I get the one with mayo in it. I do know this one did not have mayo. Thanks!
Taryn,
Maybe this is what you are looking for:
WHITE MARINADE
Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cups sauce for 4 barbecued chicken quarters
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 (3-pound) whole chicken, cut into quarters
Preparation
Whisk together first 8 ingredients until blended. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce to serve with chicken.
Place chicken in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and add remaining sauce. Seal and turn to coat chicken; chill 4 hours. Remove chicken, and discard marinade.
Grill chicken according to directions below. Serve cooked chicken with reserved 1/2 cup sauce.
My sister lives in Madison AL and introduced me to the white BBQ sauce. We grew up in Madison TN, suburb of Nashville, and never heard of such. Only 2 hours away. But Honey, it is great! I can’t believe it isn’t at all the BBQ joints. I’m glad to have a recipe to make my own.
Hey, I grew up in Gardendale Alabama, (now live in Baltimore)…definitely North ‘bama, and I had never heard of white sauce until I was with my family at our place in Cullman on Smith Lake. There was this little place called the Smokehouse, that makes the most kickin’ smoked ribs, chicken and put in your order little cartons of white sauce. Had never seen it or heard of it, but wow…it was fantastic. It compliments the meat, but never overwhelms it like a sweet sauce can. Count me a fan.