This tangy Alabama White Sauce is a mayonnaise-based barbecue sauce with apple cider vinegar, horseradish, and spices. It goes great on chicken and other grilled or smoked meats.
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What is Alabama White Sauce?
Alabama white BBQ sauce was invented by Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama in 1925. It is unique from other barbecue sauces since it uses tangy, creamy mayonnaise as the base.
White barbecue sauce is most often used on smoked whole chicken, but it is also tasty on other smoked meats like pulled pork barbecue and smoked turkey. It's tasty when basted on grilled chicken and grilled pork chops too.
Why This Recipe Works
White barbecue sauce is a tasty option when you're looking for something different at your next cookout.
Most barbecue sauces use tomato as a base and some form of pepper for spice, but since white bbq sauce uses mayonnaise and horseradish, it has a very different flavor profile.
This BBQ sauce recipe uses common pantry ingredients too, so it's easy to whip up in minutes to serve with your favorite meats!
Ingredient Notes
Mayonnaise - Duke's or Blue Plate mayonnaise work best in this recipe for the classic southern tang.
Horseradish - I use around 1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish for a low level of spice. If you prefer a spicier sauce, you can use hot horseradish and increase the amount to 2 teaspoons.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Transfer to a jar or storage container and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
What to Serve with White BBQ Sauce
Alabama white sauce is most often associated with smoked whole chicken. I love to put it on smoked chicken wings too. It's also really tasty when basted on grilled chicken or pork chops.
It's also yummy as a dipping sauce for grilled veggies or in potato salad.
For side dishes, you can't go wrong with classic barbecue side dishes. Some of my favorites are:
- Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Hawaiian Mac Salad
- Broccoli Salad {Chicken Salad Chick Copycat}
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Southern Coleslaw
Recipe Variations
- Spicy - If you want spicy white barbecue sauce, you can up the horseradish to 2 teaspoons. You can also use a hot variety of horseradish to increase the heat. Adding additional cayenne pepper, a splash of hot sauce, or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Thinner - White bbq sauce is a fairly this style of sauce, but you can thin it more by adding around ¼ cup of water.
- Sweet - For a sweeter version add around 2 tablespoons of honey.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Store leftovers in a glass jar or bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Yes, you can substitute all or part of the mayonnaise with sour cream or Greek yogurt. The flavor will be slightly different but will have a similar creamy texture.
More Barbecue Sauce Recipes
📖 Recipe
Alabama White Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise, Duke's or Blue Plate preferred
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons prepared horseradish, to taste
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a jar or storage container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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