There are four U.S. barbecue destinations that command most of the love: Texas for beef, Memphis for ribs, North Carolina for pulled pork and Kansas City for its thick saucy style.
But to limit yourself to just those regional styles is a huge mistake, because great barbecue can be found throughout the country. One of those places is Northern Alabama, where a celebrated white sauce that’s been used for nearly 100 years is king of the scene.
It’s about time for it to be a thing here in South Texas, too, for an elevated chicken and pork experience that will tickle the taste buds.
“It’s something that Alabama can hang its hat on,” said Chris Lilly, the celebrated executive chef and partner at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Ala. “Everybody is out there trying to claim a niche in barbecue, and this is something that we can trace back to 1925. It’s a feather in our cap.”
Lilly is a regular fixture on national food shows, winning 15 world barbecue championships and authoring two popular cookbooks. He has been the face of Big Bob Gibson since he started working the pits in 1992 and is married to Gibson’s great-granddaughter, Amy.
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The story of Alabama white sauce goes back to Big Bob Gibson himself, a massive man who stood about 6-foot-4 and weighed approximately 300 pounds. Gibson was a railway worker, but on his days off, he would cook chickens and pork shoulders in his backyard.
One the ways he made his barbecue stand out was with his white sauce creation, a mixture of vinegar, mayonnaise, black pepper and a few other “this and that” ingredients that gave his smoked meats a tart pop.
Gibson would regularly mop the meats with it, as well as serve it on the side with the finished product. Gibson traditionally smoked with hickory wood, and the meat would spend three hours or more on the pit, but the sauce works well with grilled meats also. The sauce is also widely used as a topping for pulled pork sandwiches, and as a french fry dipper.
“When you think of barbecue sauces in general, vinegar gives you that tang and acidity that is typically a needed element, but the mayonnaise keeps the meat from drying out,” Lilly said. “He could cook a whole pit full of chickens and have total control.”
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There are lots of varying white sauce recipes in play throughout the region. Some use horseradish, sugar or lemon juice, but the mayonnaise and vinegar, both distilled and apple cider, is the constant. Lilly said that nearly every barbecue joint in Alabama now uses it and serves it.
“To me, it’s something that’s very personal,” said San Antonio chef and menu developer Ande McBay, who grew up in Decatur. “I have an old recipe printed on a card that I still use, and at any given moment, there’s a jar of the white sauce in my refrigerator.”
McBay’s grandmother, Jane Coley, used to cook side-by-side with Gibson doing catering events in the 1940s and ’50s. And McBay said that every menu she has ever developed for a restaurant has at least one dish that incorporates the white sauce.
“If you have ever been to Decatur (pop. 55,683), it’s a hospital, a collection of scenic old homes and some barbecue joints,” McBay said. “For the sauce to come out of that and get this kind of recognition is something the community has a lot of pride in.”
The sauce can be difficult to track down commercially in San Antonio-area grocery stores, but can be easily found online. However, it’s incredibly easy to make at home as well, with a quick whisk of the ingredients that’s ready in a few minutes. The finished product should have the wetness and texture that looks like a freshly opened can of white paint with black pepper flakes.
And just like Gibson used his, keep mopping on that sauce throughout the cooking process for a taste of Alabama that just might be your new secret weapon here in Texas.
Recipe: Smoked Alabama White Sauce Chicken
Chuck Blount is a food writer and columnist covering all things grilled and smoked in the San Antonio area. Find his Chuck's Food Shack columns on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.comTo read more from Chuck, become a subscriber. cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
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July 21, 2020
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Chuck’s Food Shack: Take a tasty BBQ flavor trip outside Texas with Alabama white barbecue sauce - San Antonio Express-News
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