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!

South Carolina Shrimp Burgers

Almost any protein can be made into a burger.  Beef may reign supreme, but lamb and turkey have made their inroads. However, some of the best burgers are those made with fish.  In the past, I have prepare dishes such as Salmon Burgers and Rockfish Burgers, both of which were paired with variations of guacamole.  I actually prefer those types of burgers over a beef burger (but not a lamb burger).  

Given the myriad of possibilities when it comes to proteins and burgers, I am always on the lookout for something new and different.  A few months back, my beautiful wife, Clare, and I -- along with our kids -- went to the Library of Congress' book festival  At that festival, I picked up the Cook's Country Eats Local.  It was a great purchase, because the book has all sorts of interesting recipes from around the country, including one for South Carolina Shrimp Burgers.

The connection between South Carolina and shrimp is an obvious one, especially for a food lover such as myself.  There is a long history of shrimping in the low country, with generation after generation plying the waters catching one of the three types of shrimp that thrive in the area.  Each type corresponds to a color.  There is the brown shrimp or Farfantepenaeus Aztecus.  There is the white shrimp or Litopenaues Setiferus.  And there is the pink shrimp or Litopenaue Duorarum.  Three types of shrimp, that all basically taste the same. 

The true difference in shrimp comes from using fresh shrimp and frozen shrimp.  Unless you live in the low country, or by a body of water where shrimpers ply their trade, you are most likely eating frozen shrimp.  This is even true if you buy them at the seafood counter of your local grocery store. (The shrimp arrive at the store frozen, but the store's seafood staff takes care of that whole defrosting thing.)  While fresh shrimp are definitely the best, you can use frozen shrimp provided that those shrimp did not have to travel half of the globe to make it to your local supermarket.  In other words, look for shrimp that is as "local" as you can get.  If you are in a city such as Charleston, South Carolina, or Chicago, Illinois, you are better off if your shrimp is from the United States, as opposed to Thailand or Ecuador.  While it may cost more to buy shrimp harvested in the United States, you are at least supporting local fishermen and shrimpers, which is a good thing.  

The authors of the Cook's Country book also recommend that you should use "untreated shrimp," that is, shrimp that does not have added sodium or preservatives, such as sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP).  This would pretty much rule out most, if not all, of the shrimp that you find in the freezer section of your grocery store.  Once the freezer section declared off limits, you are left with the seafood counter, where you can buy some seemingly-fresh-but-previously-frozen shrimp for this burger recipe. You will not regret it.

In the end, this is a great recipe. I have already made these shrimp burgers for family and friends.  The recipe is quickly becoming a family favorite, which ensures it will be made again and again.  Too bad we don't live closer to the shore where we could get our shrimp right off of the boat.  

SOUTH CAROLINA SHRIMP BURGERS

Recipe from Cook's Country Eats Local, pages 114-115

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the burgers):

1 cup of panko bread crumbs

1 1/4 pounds of large shrimp (26/30 count),

     peeled, deveined, and tails removed

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 scallions, chopped fine

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

4 hamburger buns

4 leaves Bibb lettuce

Ingredients (for the tartar sauce):

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickles

1 small shallot, minced
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed and chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1.  Make the tartar sauce.   Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

2.  Begin making the burgers. Pulse the panko crumbs until finely ground, about 15 pulses, transfer to a shallow dish.  Place one-third of shrimp (1 cup), mayonnaise, pepper, salt, and cayenne in the now-empty and pulse until shrimp are finely chopped, about 8 pulses.  Add remaining two-third of shrimp (2 cups) to shrimp mixture in processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Transfer shrimp mixture to a bowl and stir in the scallions. 

3.  Make the patties.  Divide shrimp mixture into four 3/4 inch thick patties (about 1/2 cup each).  Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge both sides of batties in panko, pressing lightly to adhere, and transfer to plate. 

4.  Cook the burgers.  Heat oil in 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Place patties in skillet and cook until golden brown on first side, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Carefully flip  and continue to cook until the shrimo registers 140 to 145 degrees and second side is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes longer.  Transfer burgers to paper towel-lined plate and let drain, about 30 seconds each side.  Spread tartar sauce on bun bottoms, then place burgers on top.  Cover with lettuce and bun tops.  Serve.

ENJOY!