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
I love White Barbecue Sauce. Now I would like to share one with you.
As you go to the ocean beaches around MD all of the churches and orgnizations sell BBQ chicken along side the road to raise money. This is what they use. This is very good also.
Eastern Shore Barbecue Sauce
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1/4 pint cooking oil
1/2 pint cider vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 egg
.
Mix dry ingredients first, then add vinegar. Add well beaten egg. Mix
thoroughly. At last, add oil and mix well again. keep refrigerated.
Can’t wait to try this sauce. I’d sure love to find a chalkboard PIG like that! I ♥LOVE♥ him!!!!
Nothing better than good ol’ Alabama BBQ white sauce on BBQ chicken. I’ve tried to duplicate it here in NC–and we do have the best BBQ pork–but none of the recipes I’ve found quite measure up—or maybe it’s me. 🙁 Anyway, anxious to give this a try. Thanks, Christy
Christy, I’m on a low-carb diet, so substituting everything I can with Splenda or some other sugar substitute or sometimes not adding the sugar at all. Have you made this with Splenda, will it turn out the same? Is it a sticky sauce or more of a runny sauce?
I’m definitely going to try this! My husband is from Mobile and I’m sure he has never heard of this, or I would have had some at the many family dinners we’ve been to. Even with the sugar, it seems like a more healthy sauce than traditional bbq sauce. Oh, which reminds me I’m going to try apple cider vinegar (I’ll let you know how it turns out).
Been reading your blog for quite a while, but I’ve never posted before, you are great and I’ve been able to rediscover some of my Nini’s old recipes from when I was a kid! Thanks for keeping those old crazy southern recipes alive and well!
This is what originally brought me to your website. I made this & used what was left over to make coleslaw, I added some Tony Chachere cajun seasoning to it. My son’s teacher came for lunch & I fed her the chicken & the cole slaw, oh by the way I baked the chicken instead of grilling it, I also let the chicken marinate overnight, it was so delish!!!!
I have made this before and for a lil added kick I add about 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of prepared horseradish…and I leave out the sugar..
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had horseradish in my life! Gotta try this your way sometime!
Fresh ground pepper makes this so tasty….I have also substituted splenda…which worked well.
Never thought about Splenda, Sandy! I’ll have to grind my pepper now, too!!
Gratefully,
Christy