dear cooks,

Forget all the heated debates about St. Louis barbecue vs. North Carolinian style and sauce or no sauce. When it comes to BBQ, if Bobby Flay says he knows someone who “demystifies the downright mouthwatering art of low-and-slow cooking” and Danny Meyer calls this person “the sultan of smoke,” wouldn’t you trust him to be the high priest of pork (or chicken or brisket)? That man – Chris Lilly – world champion pitmaster and executive chef and partner of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Alabama, has perfected the low-and-slow method that’s earned a roomful of trophies. The husband of BBQ legend Big Bob Gibson's great granddaughter, Lilly passes on the family secrets in this quintessential guide to great barbecue. Covering everything from dry rubs to glazes, sauces to slathers, home ovens vs. backyard pits, Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book will help you master the fall-off-the-bone tender explosion of taste that is the legacy of the greatest bona fide barbecuing expert.

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Big Bob Gibson
Bar-B-Q White Sauce

Makes 4 cups

People raised in Decatur, Alabama, know that barbecue sauce is supposed to be white. For more than eighty years Big Bob Gibson’s has been dunking its golden-brown birds, fifty at a time, into a vat of this tangy, peppery white sauce. The steaming, glistening chickens are then cut to order for our customers.

For years and years the restaurant’s early-morning cooks closely guarded the white sauce recipe, which was made each day before the day shift arrived. However, even without doing the math, I can tell you that hundreds of cooks have passed through the pitrooms of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, so I don’t think you can describe this recipe as “closely guarded” anymore.

I do know that Big Bob’s techniques and recipes, including his white sauce, have influenced the flavors of regional barbecue in Alabama. The great thing about passing secrets is that every time they are shared they change slightly. There is now a large number of “authentic” versions of Big Bob’s original secret recipe and cooking method—all different from one another. This is one of my favorite examples.

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• ½ cup apple juice
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend well. Use as a marinade, baste, or dipping sauce. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

happy cooking!