Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce is a regional specialty that has received national acclaim for good reason! Uniquely sweet yet tangy, this sauce takes just 5 minutes to make and tastes great on everything from juicy grilled chicken and pulled pork to crispy French fries. Let me show you how to make it for yourself at home. One bite and you’ll be serving it with every meal!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
- Ready In: 5 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, white vinegar, lemon juice, white sugar
- Why You'll Love It: Uniquely sweet yet tangy, serve this homemade recipe for nationally-acclaimed Alabama white barbecue sauce with main meat dishes and sides.
The Sweet & Tangy Sauce You’ll Put on Everything
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. You’ll find white BBQ sauce on every menu, table, and piece of meat at every BBQ joint in North Alabama. Locals eat it with everything, from French fries and juicy smash burgers to chicken and tender BBQ ribs. My husband loves to smother his chicken with this stuff, and personally, I like to use so much that my food is always swimming in it!
This homemade white BBQ sauce 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.
Reader Rating
“I’m an Alabama girl through and through, and I’ve got news for you. THIS IS FANTASTIC. No need for additional ingredients. It’s as good as any white BBQ sauce I’ve ever had. THANK YOU!!!” – Jenna
Recipe Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- White vinegar (apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute, or a mix!)
- Sugar (you can also use brown sugar, or a mix of both)
Mix It Up: Your Sauce, Your Rules!
- Horseradish: For a classic twist, add a couple of teaspoons of prepared horseradish.
- Mustard: Add 2 teaspoons of yellow, dijon, spicy brown, or Creole mustard for a tangy kick.
- Seasoning: For an extra pop of flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun or Old Bay seasoning.
- Lighter Version: Replace half the mayo with sour cream or Greek yogurt to make a lighter sauce without changing the taste.
- Make it Spicy: For some heat, use hot horseradish, 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
How to Make Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
To start, add your mayonnaise to a mason jar or small bowl. Then add the salt and pepper.
Next, add the sugar, vinegar, and lemon juice.
Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Or if you’re using a mason jar with a lid, you can just 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 an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. But we all know it’s not gonna last that long! Luckily, it only takes 5 minutes to whip up another batch (or you can always simply double the recipe).
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce FAQs
Alabama white BBQ sauce is creamy and tangy with a good peppery kick. I make mine with a mayonnaise-and-vinegar base, so it starts off rich and cool. Then you get this sharp, zesty punch from the lemon juice and black pepper that just keeps you coming back for more. It’s truly one-of-a-kind!
Alabama white BBQ sauce originated in Decatur, Alabama. We have Robert “Big Bob” Gibson, founder of Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q, to thank for creating this unique sauce way back in 1925!
Alabama white sauce tastes fantastic with any grilled or barbecued meat, like this North Alabama-style pulled chicken, pan-seared pork chops, roasted beef brisket, crockpot beef ribs, 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!
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Let me know by leaving a comment and a star rating!
Ingredients
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 ½ 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 ½ tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons black pepper, 6 tablespoons white vinegar, 6 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons white sugar
Notes
- If you don’t have white vinegar, apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute, or a mix of them together.
- You can also swap white sugar for brown sugar, or use a combination of the two!
Nutrition
Your first ingredient says white bbq sauce…..I assume that’s a mistake….?
Mine Dont Say That – 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
Most of the white BBQ sauce recipes I see have horseradish in them. I didn’t have any on hand and based on one of the comments above, I was concerned this recipe may be lacking in the flavor I was hoping for, but decided to go for it since I’m stuck at home during quarantine and running to the store for horseradish isn’t as easy as it could be at other times. I’m an Alabama girl through and through and I’ve got news for you. THIS IS FANTASTIC. No need for additional ingredients. It’s as good as any white bbq sauce I’ve ever had. THANK YOU!!!
I am so glad you went ahead and tried it Jenna!! Thank you so much for letting me know it was a hit!
Hello from Castle Rock, Colorado,
I am from North AL, born and raised in and around the Tri-Cities guess that is the Quad-Cities, now. Left AL in 1991, the first time I came in contact with the “The White Sauce” was when a former Mississippi resident moved into our neighborhood in 1973. I had invited them over for dinner after they moved in and got settled.
Later she invited us to dinner, and she served us Grilled chicken with this white sauce and green bean bundles both of which I had never heard of before. I asked for the recipes and started making both as it was” love at first bite”.
I used the recipe often used it two weeks ago to make a whole crock pot full of chicken for my freezer. I just take out whatever amount I need, make a fresh batch of white sauce a vegetable and I have dinner. I use what is left in my dinner dish for the next day.. I have used it on chicken steak pork and in mashed potatoes all sorts of roasted vegetables roasted, milk boiled corn on the cob. I top everything I eat with this sauce!!! Try it over leftovers it is a great addition to leftovers and gives the dish a new flavor. I use it for dipping cornbread instead of butter. Great with hushpuppies and fish dinners!! As I have said before ” you can take the girl out of the south, but not the south out of the girl!!
Born and raised in South Alabama and never even heard of “Alabama white sauce” or white BBQ sauce until a couple years ago when articles started popping up all over Facebook.
Hi Christy, Is this sauce freezer friendly? I would like to freeze raw chicken in this sauce for food prep. Thanks!
Hey Cinde! I’m afraid mayo based sauces don’t freeze well so I’v never tried it. If you decide to give it a shot please report back!
Can this whatever BBQ sauce be canned?
Not whatever but can I can this white BBQ sauce??
Pat, I can a lot of things, and I am quite sure th is white BBQ sauce who not be a safe bet. Mainly because of the mayo, which has eggs. I wouldn’t chance it
LouAnn.loomis
It isn’t safe to can at home but you can refrigerate it. 🙂