Alabama White BBQ Sauce for Brisket, Pork & More

This White BBQ Sauce (aka Alabama White Sauce) is a rich and tangy twist on traditional barbecue sauce. Made with mayo, horseradish, and seasonings, the bold flavors pair perfectly with grilled meats and so much more!

Grilled meats and vegetables can always benefit from an extra something to infuse layers of flavor. That’s why I love to experiment with marinades, glazes, and sauces when grilling season rolls around. You can transform an ordinary chicken thigh into a work of art with a simple mango marinade or a barbecue sauce glaze.

If you love grilled or smoked meats with added tang and creaminess, you’re going to love my White BBQ Sauce recipe! Made with a handful of simple ingredients and seasonings, the bold flavors in this creamy southern sauce are perfect to layer on pork chops and grilled chicken or to serve as a dipping sauce with french fries, green bean fries, or zucchini fries.

The signature kick in this unique Alabama white sauce comes from the horseradish. Mixed with spicy brown mustard, vinegar, and paprika, the flavor profile is bright, tangy, rich, and just a little bit spicy. It’s a great easy sauce to mix things up at your family barbecues or when you want to impart unique flavors on your favorite meals.

What is White BBQ Sauce?

  • White BBQ sauce (or Alabama white sauce) is a tangy, rich, and creamy twist on traditional bbq sauce. It’s a southern favorite that originated in northern Alabama and is typically made from mayonnaise, horseradish, spicy mustard, vinegar, and a handful of savory spices to give it a tart and tangy bite with a hint of spice.

The original recipe was invented by Robert Gibson at Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Alabama. They lathered the sauce all over smoked chicken and other meats, giving them unique flavors you couldn’t find anywhere else. These days, you can find bottled white BBQ sauce in most local grocery stores in the south. If you can’t find it, it’s simple to make at home!

Spoon dipping into jar of bbq sauce.

Ingredients Needed

  • Mayonnaise – the main ingredient in this creamy sauce. If you’re not a mayo fan, I’ve got some substitutions below.
  • White wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
  • Spicy brown mustard (or dijon mustard or mustard powder)
  • Creamy horseradish
  • Garlic
  • Black pepper
  • Salt
  • Paprika

How to Make It

Add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl or jar and stir them together. That’s it! 

How to Store It

Store Alabama sauce in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 1 week.

White bbq sauce in small jar with spoon.

Variations

  • Increase the spice: Make the sauce tangier or a little spicy by stirring in some horseradish, cayenne pepper, hot sauce or buffalo sauce.
  • Without horseradish: Horseradish provides the signature kick in this bbq sauce but if you can’t find it, you can leave it out entirely or use extra brown mustard instead.
  • Seasonings: Add Old Bay, a Cajun blend, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, or Worcestershire sauce.
  • Without mayonnaise: Try swapping the mayo base with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. These will help the sauce taste light without losing the tang.

Uses for Alabama White Sauce

This Alabama BBQ Sauce is a super versatile condiment. Try it in one of these ways:

Overhead close up of pork chop topped with white bbq sauce on grey plate.

More Homemade Sauces

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White bbq sauce in small jar with spoon.

Alabama White BBQ Sauce Recipe

This Alabama White BBQ Sauce is a rich and tangy twist on traditional barbecue sauce. Made with mayo, horseradish, and seasonings, the bold flavors pair perfectly with grilled meats and so much more!
5 from 21 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, stir together the white BBQ sauce ingredients.
  • Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep for up to 1 week.

Notes

Use on chicken, pork, or as a dip for fries.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Equipment

Whisk
Mixing Bowl

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

This post was originally published in 2021. It was updated in 2022 to add new information. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!

Check out the web story here.

6 thoughts on “Alabama White BBQ Sauce for Brisket, Pork & More”

  1. I really want to make this. I’ve purchased two of them – the better was from Williams-Sonoma, and another more mustardy one by Duke’s. I think from scratch would be fabulous.

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious on our grilled pork chops. I added a bit of fresh lemon juice at the end to break up some of the richness.

    SO YUMMY!!! I could eat it by the spoonful.

    Reply

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