Big Bob Gibson Alabama White Sauce Chicken
North Alabama does chicken different. You smoke it over hickory, crisp the skin, then dunk the whole bird in a tangy white sauce built on mayo, vinegar, black pepper, and horseradish. It cuts the smoke and coats every bite. Make the sauce two hours ahead so it can mellow.
- Method
- Smoke then sauce
- Total time
- 3 hr plus 2 hr sauce rest
- Target internal temp
- 165F
- Gear
- Pellet grill or kettle, Folding Tongs, instant-read
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, halved, or 6 bone-in skin-on quarters
- Salt and coarse black pepper
- Hickory wood or pellets
- For the white sauce: 1.5 cups mayo, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp prepared horseradish, 1 tbsp coarse black pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 minced garlic clove
The Cook
- 01
Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and refrigerate at least 2 hr. Skipping this makes it taste raw and sharp.
- 02
Salt and pepper the chicken. Run the smoker at 275F with hickory.
- 03
Smoke skin-up to about 155F internal, roughly 1.5 to 2 hr.
- 04
Flip skin-down over the hottest part to crisp the skin. Watch it. This is where flare-ups char the skin if you walk away.
- 05
At 165F in the thickest part of the thigh, pull the bird. Dunk or paint it in half the white sauce while hot. Serve the rest on the side.
Doneness
165F in the thigh, juices run clear, skin crisp and bronzed. The sauce should cling, not slide off.
Pro Tip
The mistake is saucing too early or over direct flame. White sauce breaks and splits if you cook it onto the bird. Pull the chicken first, then dunk.
Questions
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