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Alabama White Sauce

Name: Alabama White Sauce
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Today's Special • USA
Ingredients: 220 g Mayonnaise (1 cup); 30 ml Apple cider vinegar (2 Tbsp); 10 g Prepared horseradish (2 tsp); 15 ml Lemon juice (1 Tbsp); 2 g Garlic powder (1/2 tsp); 3 g Fine sea salt (1/2 tsp); 1 g Black pepper (1/4 tsp)

Mayo • Horseradish • Cider Vinegar — Today's Special • USA

⏱ 5 min + chill🍽 Serves 8Level: Easy🌱 VegetarianBy CHEF AK

Jar of creamy Alabama white BBQ sauce flecked with black pepper

Today's Special No. 11 — Alabama's famous white barbecue sauce: a peppery, tangy mayo sauce invented for smoked chicken. No tomato, no sugar — just sharp, creamy heat that cuts through rich grilled meat.

Open the interactive recipe — servings scaler & tutorial mode

Ingredients

220 g — Mayonnaise (1 cup)
30 ml — Apple cider vinegar (2 Tbsp)
10 g — Prepared horseradish (2 tsp)
15 ml — Lemon juice (1 Tbsp)
2 g — Garlic powder (1/2 tsp)
3 g — Fine sea salt (1/2 tsp)
1 g — Black pepper (1/4 tsp)

Step-by-Step Method

Whisk it all together. Mayonnaise, cider vinegar, horseradish, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and black pepper whisked until smooth and pourable.
Expect it thin. White sauce is deliberately thinner than a dip — it is a mop and drizzle sauce for grilled chicken, meant to soak in, not sit on top.
Chill at least 1 hour. The horseradish needs time to bloom through the jar. Freshly mixed it tastes mild; after an hour it wakes up.
Serve the Alabama way. Drizzle over smoked or grilled chicken the moment it comes off the heat, with extra on the side for dipping. Keeps 1 week refrigerated.

Chef AK's Tip: Chef Tip: Black pepper is the signature — if you love the original Decatur style, double the pepper and add a pinch of cayenne. Fridge life: 1 week.

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