Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q Chicken with White Sauce

As a recreational (and novice) chef and pitmaster, I have spent a lot of time trying to learn all about the different styles of barbecue.  Much of the barbecue literature is fixated on the well known styles of barbecue, such as Texas brisket or eastern Carolina whole hog.  There are many other styles of barbecue, some of which you have to discover by either going to the locale or trying to bring that style to your kitchen.

One such example of a barbecue style is that found in the State of Alabama.  Pitmasters in Alabama smoke pork, ham and chicken, using sauces that are reminiscent of other southern styles, such as the Carolina vinegar sauce.  However, Alabama has a barbecue sauce that is unique to that State's barbecue.  It is a white sauce, used to dip smoked chickens right before serving.  That sauce originated with Big Bob Gibson, who opened a barbecue joint in Decatur, Alabama back in 1925. 

As the story goes,  Big Bob Gibson served pork and chicken at his restaurant.  Gibson used an Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce for his pork, but he needed something for his chicken.  The sauce had to help keep the moisture in his chickens, which were smoked for about 3 hours.  Big Bob Gibson developed a white sauce using mayonnaise.  The sauce gave the chicken a "peppery, vinegary" flavor that helped to keep the chicken moist.  Gibson served this white sauce alongside the Carolina vinegar sauce when he opened his store in 1925.

More than 80 years later, my beautiful Angel's parents took me to Big Bob Gibson's to experience barbecue in Alabama.  I ordered a sampler, which did not include the chicken with white sauce.  I have to admit that, at the time, I was a little skeptical of the white sauce.  Added to that skepticism was my general distaste for mayonnaise.  Consequently, I never tried it at Big Bob Gibson's restaurant.

But, as I noted above, there is the option of bringing the style to your kitchen.  Recently, I decided to  set aside my general distaste for mayonnaise and try the Big Bob Gibson's recipe.  I spatchcocked a couple of whole chickens and put them in the smoker.  I followed the "simple technique" used by the pitmasters at Big Bob Gibson's, namely smoking the chickens over hickory wood, basting the chickens with oil, and then dipping the smoked chickens in that white sauce.   The flavor of the hickory smoke was present in the chicken, especially in the dark meat.  The skin did crisp up, but not to what I would have liked.  (I always need some room for improvement; and, in this case, it is working on how to crisp the skin better.)  

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The white sauce combines mayonnaise with vinegar, prepared horseradish, apple juice and lemon juice.  The vinegar and horseradish give the sauce the kick that one would expect (in my humble opinion) from a barbecue sauce.   That kick gets a little boost from cayenne pepper, but the horseradish is what does the trick for me.  While I followed the recipe in this case, I think that I would add a little more horseradish the next time.    

One final note, the consistency of the white sauce was a little more like a mop sauce than what I would consider to be a barbecue sauce.  That probably explains why the chicken is submerged in the white sauce.   When the chicken was served, I included some of the white sauce in a ramekin or bowl for dipping.

BIG BOB GIBSON BAR-B-Q CHICKEN

WITH WHITE SAUCE

Recipe from Chris Lilly, Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, page 119

Serves 4 to 8

Ingredients (for the chicken):

2 whole butterflied chickens

1 tablespoon of salt

1 cup oil (vegetable, olive, lard)

2 tablespoons black pepper

Ingredients (for the white sauce):

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fire.  Build a fire (wood or a combination of charcoal and wood) for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the cooker, leaving the other side void.  Preheat the cooker to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  Smoke the chickens.   Dust each whole chicken evenly with salt.  Place the chickens over the void side of the cooker, with the skin side  up.  When the skin on the chicken is golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours, turn the chickens skin side down, basting both sides with the oil.  Sprinkle the cavities of each chicken with pepper.  Cook the chicken for an additional 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  Add more wood to the fire as needed to replenish the supply of coals and maintain a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.  Prepare the white sauce.  While the chicken is being smoked, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and blend well.  

4.  Finish the dish.  Pour the white sauce into a narrow deep container and position it next to the cooker.  Remove each chicken from the cooking grate and submerge it into the pot of white sauce.  Remove the chicken from the sauce, cut each chicken in half between the breasts and then quarter by cutting between each breast and thigh.

ENJOY!

Big Bob Gibson's Eight-Time World Championship Pork Shoulder, with Eastern Carolina and Memphis Barbecue Sauces (Savage Boleks' Barbecue 2011)

Seeking a change from the grind of working on the L & N Railroad, Bob Gibson first opened his barbecue joint in 1925.  He began with pork and hickory wood.  Over the years, he and generations of Gibsons who followed have built Big Bob Gibson's into something of an institution in Decatur, Alabama.  By the time I made it there, more than eighty-five years after it first opened, Big Bob Gibson's serves not only pork, but beef, and chicken as well.

I still remember the day that Clare's parents took us to Big Bob Gibson's restaurant in Decatur, Alabama.  I ordered the big platter of barbecue, sampling pulled pork, brisket and ribs, along with sides.  I wanted to taste as much of Big Bob Gibson's barbecue as I could.  While I could not finish the large plate of food that had been placed in front of me, it was probably some of the best barbecue that I have ever tasted.  (I realize I have opened myself to challenges about what is the "best" barbecue, my response to all of them is bring some of your best barbecue by and I will try it.You may win me over, but I need to taste it first!)

Recognizing how much I loved Big Bob Gibson's barbecue, Clare's parents bought me the Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, which is full of recipes for different types of barbecue, along with hints and suggestions from Big Bob Gibson's pit master, Chris Lilly.  What immediately got my attention is Big Bob Gibson's Eight Time World Championship Pork Shoulder. If I had to choose a favorite BBQ, it would be pulled pork.  I love brisket, ribs, and links, but there is something about pulled pork.  If given the choice, it is almost always the BBQ that I order.

THE PORK SHOULDER

So naturally, the type of barbecue that is most associated with the Savage Boleks' BBQ is pork shoulder.  My Angel and I have two annual Savage Boleks' BBQs and both times I did the base preparation of the pork shoulders using the hints, advice and recipes provided by Chris Lilly and Big Bob Gibson.  For the most recent BBQ, I used the Big Bob Gibson's Eight-Time World Championship Pork Shoulder recipe.  I smoked the pork shoulders using a combination of 50% hickory and 50% apple wood. I also added apple juice to the liquid bowl.  As I pulled the pork shoulder and tasted the meat for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the smoky, yet sweet flavor of the meat.  Overall, my efforts were a great success.

BIG BOB GIBSON'S EIGHT-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

PORK SHOULDER

Source and adapted from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, at 53-54 

Serves a lot of people

Ingredients (for the Dry Rub):
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

Ingredients (for the Injection):
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

Ingredients (for the Vinegar Mop):
1 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 slices of lemons

2 pork butts, about 7 pounds each 

Directions:
1.  Mix all of the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl and set aside. 

2.  In a separate bowl, combine all of the injection ingredients and blend together until the sugar dissolves.   Using a meat syringe or flavor injector, inject the meat evenly at 1-inch intervals from top to side, using the entire amount of the injection solution.  Once the solution has been injected into the meat, apply the dry rub to the meat in an even coating.  Make sure that the dry rub adheres to the meat.  Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.

3.  On the day of the smoking, mix all the ingredients for the vinegar mop in a small bowl. Set aside.

4.  Remove the pork from the fridge while you start the smoker. If using a Weber Smokey Mountain, use hardwood charcoal.  After you have gotten the charcoal lit, use a mixture of hickory and apple wood chunks.  Once the smoker reaches 225 degrees, add the pork shoulders to the smoker.  Smoke the pork shoulder at 225 degrees to 250 degrees until the meat reaches 190 degrees, after about 10 to 11 hours. In the last few hours, usually beginning with the seventh or eighth hour, begin to baste the meat with the vinegar mop.  Baste the meat every hour thereafter.

5.  Remove the pork from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes. Pull the pork, reserving any visible fat.  I generally smoke the meat the day prior to the barbecue and, when reheating the meat before the party, I mix in some of the fat to help keep the meat moist. Sprinkle on some of the leftover vinegar mop, mixing with your hands to incorporate.

THE BARBECUE SAUCES

For each Savage Boleks' BBQ, I try to make different barbecue sauces to go with the pork shoulder.  For the first BBQ, I made Big Bob Gibson's own sauce, which I made from scratch using the recipe from the cookbook. Unfortunately, I did not make enough and it was gone very quickly.  For the second annual barbecue, I decided to make two sauces.  The first sauce was a vinegar-based Eastern Carolina Sauce, which was inspired by our recent vacation in the Outer Banks.  The second sauce was a tomato-based Memphis sauce.  I thought this sauce would provide our guests with two good options -- between a tart sauce and a sweet sauce.  Both sauces are from the June/July edition of Saveur Magazine.

EASTERN CAROLINA BARBECUE SAUCE

From Saveur, No. 139 (Jun./Jul. 2011) at 112.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. crushed red chile flakes

1 tbsp. hot sauce

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. paprika

Directions:

1.  Combine the vinegars, sugar, chile flakes, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and paprika in a storage container.

2.  When you are going to use the sauce, heat it in a pot until it is warm.  Add the sauce to the pork by spoonfuls until you have enough to flavor the pork.

MEMPHIS-STYLE WET SAUCE RECIPE

From Saveur, No. 139 (Jun./Jul. 2011) at 112.
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups ketchup

⅔ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. ground black pepper

1½ tsp. mild hot sauce

1½ tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dry mustard powder

Directions:

1.  Bring the ketchup, vinegar, both sugars, juice, Worcestershire, pepper, hot sauce, onion and garlic powders, mustard, and 1 cup water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. 

2.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Overall, the Second Annual Savage Boleks' BBQ was a great success.   Everyone enjoyed the pulled pork and the barbecue sauces, even combining the sauces together to create an Eastern Carolina/Memphis pulled pork sandwich.  Eventually, I will turn my attention to the Third Annual Savage Boleks' BBQ, but I have still have a year to prepare for that.  Until next time ...

ENJOY!