What Are The Origins Of Alabama White Barbecue Sauce?

Barbecue sauce is one of the most regionalized American foods. Do you prefer the sweet glaze of Texas style, the mustard kick from South Carolina, or the spicy tang of Kansas City barbecue? Hailing from Alabama is the truly unique white barbecue sauce. With a mayonnaise base, it looks more like a salad dressing or gravy than true barbecue sauce. The Alabama style of barbecue sauce was born out of one pitmaster's likely desire to serve the most consistently moist chicken.

Alabama white sauce was invented by Bob Gibson, owner and executive chef at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama, in the 1920s. Renowned for his massive weekend backyard barbecues, Gibson would pit-roast whole chickens for the neighborhood. As soon as the chickens were cooked, Big Bob would douse them in his mixture of mayo, vinegar, and spices. While it's lost to history how Gibson hit on this specific recipe, family and BBQ fans assume mayonnaise was introduced as a means of keeping the freshly cooked chicken from quickly drying out.

Bob Gibson was known as "Big Bob" for good reason: he stood around 6 feet, 4 inches and weighed almost 300 pounds. After years of legendary neighborhood pit roasts, Gibson opened Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in 1925. The restaurant served the same delicious pork and chicken dishes from Gibson's backyard barbecues, finished – or, as Gibson's staff would joke, baptized – with his unique mayo-based sauce.

Given its proximity to North Carolina, barbecue traditions from that state crossed the border into Alabama. North Carolina sauce is famously vinegar-forward, and Gibson's sauce follows that heritage. So then, why include mayonnaise in a sauce traditionally flavored with tomatoes or molasses? Mayo is an emulsion of oil and egg yolk; this combination enables it to stick to cooked foods, rather than the food sticking to the grill. It is believed that the layer provided by mayonnaise helps grilled food retain moisture by adding fat that won't just cook off.

While originally used as a finishing baste for chicken, Alabama sauce is also currently utilized as a condiment or dipping sauce for a variety of meats and dishes, including pork shoulder, smoked turkey, and fish. The classic white sauce pioneered in Decatur spawned numerous takes on the recipe across the United States, with popular brands like Lillie's Q found in grocery stores far beyond Alabama. Indeed, with its easily-sourced ingredients, some homemade Alabama white BBQ sauce could be a hit at your next cookout.

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q still operates two restaurant locations in Decatur today. The company began bottling and selling the iconic white sauce at retail in the 1990s; it can now be found, with a variety of other Gibson sauces and rubs, nationwide. When Big Bob passed away in 1973, his family continued his restaurant operations, passing his recipes down through the generations. The restaurant continues to win accolades, taking a first place pork shoulder award at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in May 2024.