Alabama White Sauce

The Yellowhammer State's unique take on BBQ.

For the printable recipe click here.

There’s one thing you should probably know about me:

I do not like mayo.

I do not enjoy chicken salad, tuna salad, or creamy coleslaw.

Layered salads crowned with a container’s worth of Hellmann’s send me running straight to the dessert table at potlucks.

Nevertheless, in the last decade or so I have begun to make peace with sauces containing mayo.

My crab cakes, sliders, and grilled veggies have all reached new heights with Louisiana Remoulade, and now my smoked chicken has a new, mayo-containing BFF: Alabama White Sauce.

As you may surmise from my lengthy, confessional intro, Alabama White Sauce is a barbecue sauce based on, of all things, mayo.

While the sauce originated at Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama, the first time I heard of the stuff was at Hog Heaven, a tiny, beloved, now defunct, walk-up BBQ establishment near Centennial Park in Nashville, TN.

When Monster Padre and I were dating, I’d bring pastries from the French cafe where I was employed, and we’d pick up BBQ from Hog Heaven on our way to picnic at the park. While the love of my life assured me the white sauce was indeed heavenly, my then-unyielding mayo phobia would have none of it.

Since that time, Alabama white sauce has developed a following far beyond Alabama and the occasional neighboring state. So I figured– since I spent four and a half years of my life at an Alabama university and have a parent living in the state now– it was time to bite the bullet, or the mayo, as it were, and try the darn sauce.

While I can’t tell you mine is the “authentic” version– it’s more blond than white– I can tell you with certainty it is both ridonkulously easy and undeniably delicious. Many recipes use horseradish for a spicy kick, but I use pickled jalapenos because 1) we grow and pickle a lot of jalapenos at the Monster casa, 2) it is hard to find paleo-friendly prepared horseradish, and 3) peeling and preparing horseradish root seems unnecessarily complicated for such an easy sauce. Fair warning, most brands of jarred pickled jalapenos have undesirable ingredient lists. I prefer to pickle my own, but you could use fresh jalapenos and add an extra teaspoon of vinegar if you don’t have the pickled variety on hand. Just remember that the spiciest parts of the peppers are in the seeds and membranes, so discard those if you’re looking for a milder experience.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 T pickled jalapenos (no need to strain)

• 1 T lemon juice

• 1 cup paleo-friendly mayo (I use Primal brand)

• 2 T apple cider vinegar

• 2 T stone-ground (coarse) mustard

• 3 T organic dark brown sugar* or coconut sugar

• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

• 25 cranks black pepper

• 1 T Worcestershire sauce

Here's what you'll do:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend oh high till smooth. That’s it, you’re done! Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and enjoy with anything from smoked chicken to veggies to prime rib!

For a classic Alabama White Sauce experience, pour the sauce over spatchcocked chickens, fresh from the smoker. Also amazing on smoked turkey. YUM!

*I use organic dark brown sugar that has been processed in a manner I feel comfortable with from a paleo standpoint, but if you are more comfortable with coconut sugar, by all means, use that!

For the printable recipe click here.