While other barbecue sauces are based on tomatoes, mustard, or even vinegar, Alabama's signature sauce is based on mayonnaise, which gives it its white color.

The sauce includes vinegar, pepper, lemon juice, and horseradish. Brushing it onto meat imparts a flavor that perfectly complements smoky, fatty proteins.

The sauce was created in the city of Decatur, Alabama, in the 1920s by Robert "Big Bob" Gibson. It is believed that Gibson developed the white sauce to keep chickens moist.

Gibson's white sauce was a vital part of his restaurant, “Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q”. It accompanied the restaurant's smoked chicken, a dish that has become a signature at the eatery.

The sauce essentially created Alabama barbecue itself, and the company sells the sauce in its restaurants and ships it around the globe.