The legend of Big Bob Gibson
Big Bob Gibson is a true barbecue legend in Alabama, where in 1925 he first managed – with no more than some smoking wood and with a pinch of salt – to cook the tastiest chicken and pork in a homemade pit.
To this day, the white dipping sauce he served with his barbecue dishes consists of a simple combination of mayonnaise, black pepper and vinegar. Meanwhile, ‘Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q’ has grown into a national phenomenon and pilgrimage site for barbecue lovers and you’ll find yourself standing in a long queue in the middle of a weekday.
The secret recipe
During our travels in Alabama, we got to talking with the maker of the famous Alabama White sauce.
And to our surprise, he enthusiastically explained exactly how the famous sauce was made. Only much later did we discover that almost everyone who asks gets the recipe. But everyone gets their own recipe, so the exact proportions of the original sauce are still a well-kept secret.
Thus, to this day there are countless versions of the Alabama White sauce. But Big Bob Gibson’s stands out because of its distinctly sour taste. About 100 years ago, when the first version of the popular sauce was made, people were used to eating more acidic food. At the time, this sour taste served to mask off some of the off-flavored meat. Fortunately, our own version is a lot less acidic and tastes incredibly good with roasted chicken or as a salad dressing.
Taste guide
This traditional white barbecue sauce is perfect for dipping chicken but also goes great with other meat, vegetable or fish dishes and is the ultimate dressing for coleslaw.
It also tastes great with a grilled sandwich or as a substitute for crème fraîche with Flammkuchen.
Alabama Style White Barbecue Sauce is available in 265 ml and 775 ml.
Our recipes
