Experiment With White Barbecue Sauce This Summer

For many people, the mention of barbecue sauce conjures up thoughts of a dark red sauce that features ingredients such as tomato paste and sugar. Red barbecue sauce is popular in several parts of the country, but there are other styles of sauce that you can explore if you enjoy cooking on the grill. One example is white barbecue sauce, which you'll find at lots of specialty food stores. Sometimes known as "Alabama barbecue sauce" based on the region in which it's popular, this product can be a good product to buy in advance of grilling season. Here are some things that you should know about white barbecue sauce.

Ingredients And Flavor

Unlike many barbecue sauces that you'll find in different regions throughout the country, white barbecue sauce doesn't contain any tomato products. It gets its unique color from mayonnaise, which is the dominant ingredient. Another key ingredient that gives this sauce a tangy flavor is vinegar, which you'll commonly find in most barbecue sauces. Some white sauces can be on the spicy side, thanks to the inclusion of hot peppers and/or black pepper, while others have more of a mild taste. This type of sauce is typically less sweet than tomato-based sauces.

Use On Meat

Many people enjoy using tomato-based barbecue sauces on beef, pork, and chicken, but white barbecue sauce is most popular on the latter type of meat. Whether you're smoking a whole chicken or grilling chicken drumsticks or wings, this can be a good sauce to use. You can brush the sauce directly onto the meat, or sprinkle a dry rub on the meat before applying the sauce if you want to enhance the flavor of each bite. Some people occasionally use white barbecue sauce on pulled pork, so this is another idea that you can explore if you occasionally make this type of meat on your smoker or grill.

Other Uses

White barbecue sauce offers a high degree of versatility beyond simply using it on meat. Its mayonnaise base makes it useful for other applications in the kitchen. For example, if you're making coleslaw — a side dish that is popular alongside smoked or grilled meats — you might consider using your white barbecue sauce as the coleslaw dressing to create a coleslaw that is more flavorful than if you were to use standard mayo. You can even use this barbecue sauce as a dip for veggie sticks.