Alabama's Best Sandwich?

Southlander
Thu, 07 Nov 2013 11:17:23 +0000

White BBQ sauce originated with Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur. Until about 10 or 15 years ago, nobody ate it on anything except chicken.

Probably around the time Chris Lily married into the family, Gibson’s began to offer some variations on their half-century-old menu. Such as big salads topped with BBQ, humongous baked potatoes topped with BBQ…and the idea of white sauce for more than just chicken.
Maybe he got the idea from my daughter - she loves the white sauce on everything, including pizza!

Chris is the one who has really pushed Gibson’s into big publicity - competing in national competitions, writing books, getting national attention.

Frankly, the last few times I’ve eaten there, I’ve been very, very disappointed. The 'que is flavorless, which is a sign it’s been cooked too fast with no chance for the meat to absorb any smoke flavor. When they’re good, though, they can easily run everybody out of the ballpark.

I make my own white sauce, too, except mine is much simpler - mayo, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and loads of pepper. Supposedly it’s the original Gibson’s recipe.