When people think barbecue sauce, they usually think something tomato- or vinegar-based. But today let’s consider another breed of barbecue — white.
At the heart of white barbecue sauce are four ingredients — mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and black pepper. The folks at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Ala., are credited with popularizing the sauce, dating back to 1925. The beauty of the sauce is that it enhances the flavor of chicken without overpowering or covering it up. The tangy cider vinegar and creamy mayonnaise dress a hot smoked or grilled chicken perfectly.
And if you think about what mayonnaise, salt, pepper and lemon juice does to chicken salad, it all makes good sense.
Butterflied Barbecue Chicken with Alabama White Sauce
1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Alabama white barbecue sauce (recipe below)
Prepare a grill for medium heat, indirect cooking. For a charcoal grill, this means banking the hot coals to one side of the grill and cooking on the other side. For a gas grill, this means turning off one or more burners to create a cooler side, then cooking on that side.
Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. Flip it upside down so the breast is on the cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone so the bone can be removed. Gently but firmly open up the bird a little, then flip it to be breast side up. Break the breastbone by firmly applying pressure and pressing down.
Brush chicken all over with olive oil. Season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin side up on the cooler side of the grill and grill for 20 to 30 minutes, or until beginning to brown.
Turn the chicken over and brush barbecue sauce on the back of the chicken. Grill for 10 minutes. Turn back over (breast side up) and brush sauce on skin. Grill for another 20 to 30 minutes, brushing it twice more with barbecue sauce, until the thigh registers 180 degrees.
Remove the chicken from grill. Using a clean pastry brush, brush the chicken one more time with sauce, then let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into quarters and serve with extra sauce for dipping.
Servings: 4.
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Juice of 1 lemon
In a medium stainless steel or glass bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce can be made in advance and kept for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Makes about 3 cups.