Which Decatur restaurateur is credited with inventing Alabama white sauce? Bob Gibson. He is credited with creating the mayonnaise-based barbecue sauce at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama.
The sauce is generally dated to 1925. Unlike the tomato- or vinegar-based sauces common in other Southern barbecue regions, Alabama white sauce begins with mayonnaise and typically includes vinegar, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and sometimes horseradish.
At Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, the sauce became especially associated with smoked chicken. Chicken may be brushed with the sauce, dunked into it after smoking, or served with it at the table. Although it is now used with pork, vegetables, fries, and other foods, smoked chicken remains its classic pairing.
The word “credited” matters because the invention is generally presented as a historical attribution rather than a rigorously documented single moment. The sauce’s popularity was initially strongest in northern Alabama, then expanded nationally after commercial bottling began in 1994.