White Barbecue Sauce Recipe
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This Alabama-style, mayonnaise-based white barbecue sauce is delicious over Hickory-Smoked Chicken. It can also be used as a sauce for chicken salad: Pull the cooked chicken off the bone, cut the meat into bite-size chunks, and toss it in just enough of the sauce to coat it.
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in a medium, nonreactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
- Slather over grilled or smoked chicken, or fold cooked boneless pieces of chicken into the sauce for a chicken salad.
Southern Tier NY, Northern Tier PA rarely eat red sauce on chicken. A recipe variously known as Cornell Ext., EJ or St. Joseph/St. Augustine Picnic is white. It does not use mayo. I almost hear the old timers groan at the thought. 1 cup oil, 2 cups vinegar, 4tsp salt, 3tsp poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp pepper, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. garlic powder. Mix everything but the oil in a blender and pour oil last. Marinate chicken parts in refrigerator overnight. I use a plastic zip bag. Barbeque over coals or gas.
Can't say I've ever had/made white sauce with tarragon. What I grew up with usually had just mayo, vinegar, water, and black pepper. Now I make it with horseradish and cayenne, too.
I know there are places that dip/dunk or glaze somewhere in the cooking process, but I've always had it on the side for dipping smoked chicken.
Hey in Trinidad we do something like that but we add local herbs like Chadon Beni (similar to cilantro) , hot pepper (optional) and garlic...tastes fabulous on fried chicken
A few points...
1. White BBQ sauce is intended for chicken, not pork. But if you like it, you can put it anywhere you like.
2. Anyone who loves BBQ probably likes the sound of spiced lard. I know I do. Great for authentic refried beans.
3. A "real" BBQ sauce shouldn't taste "smoky". The smoky flavor comes from the wood or charcoal, not the sauce. If the sauce tastes smoky, someone put liquid smoke or smoked salt in it.
4. What could possibly be wrong with flavored mayonaisse? Sounds like a plan to me.
5. Best wishes from BIrmingham, AL
Rock on, ally63. Peace out, scatterbrain, I mean scatteredsong. I could not agree with ally63 more. The Gibsons & McLemores definitely know their BBQ. There is not anything they make that I would not try! They're awesome. VERY GOOD PEOPLE! Anyone subscribing to chowhound knows their way around a kitchen. Traditional red barbecue sauce is always an option. No one actually expected the recipe for a WHITE barbecue sauce to truly resemble an over-sugared / high-sodium bottle of red barbecue sauce.
Pay no attention to scatteredsong. White BBQ sauce is great. And unlike tomatoey goo, does not overpower the delicate flavor of the chicken. And remember: you don't pour the whole thing on one piece of chicken. The sauce is for basting after the chicken is done. I'm from Alabama too, and grew up eating Bob Gibson white sauce. The Gibson/McLemore families have been doing barbecue since 1925. Food Network, Southern Living, and others have published versions of this sauce, which has won several awards at competitions. If you don't know what you are talking about, then you know what to do...
i am from alabama and this stuff is delicious! i agree that its not really a bbq sauce, but its fantastic nonetheless. Ive never heard of adding tarragon but it sounds like it would make a nice flavor. Big Bob Gibson's White Sauce is my favorite. We have a competition here in Wash DC for best BBQ sauce and while the Bama White may not have won, it was completely gone in a few hours.
too fat with the 3/4 cup mayo what would be other for replacing mayo ?
This sounds disgusting. Why not just dip the chicken into a pool of spiced lard? A regualr barbeque sauce is likely to have much more nuance, smoky flavor, and spice, unless it is overloaded with sugar and salt. This really isn't even barbeque sauce. It is simply flavored mayonnaise.
Ah, interesting name! We get a lot of people wanting to get a side of Ranch dip to use as sauce... We could call it "white BBQ sauce"! I like the idea of the tarragon. It's such a great herb for chicken ;)
Typically white barbecue sauce is coated on the item after it's finished cooking. But I don't see why you cannot brush it with the sauce a few minutes before you take it off the grill, like you do with red bbq sauces. Let me know how it goes! Jill (Senior Food Editor, CHOW.com)
If you're grilling. Do you add this sauce to the food towards the end like normal BBQ sauce. I'd like to try it!