Alabama BBQ Chicken on a Gas Grill

While you might think barbecue means a sticky red sauce requiring lots of napkins, they do it a little different in northern Alabama. They eschew tomato altogether and slather a mayonnaise-based sauce on hickory-smoked chicken., We wanted to learn what went into the sauce, which was entirely different than what we were used to and completely addictive, and how to best prepare the chicken. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Smoking generally takes a long time, but the process can be expedited by cutting the chicken in half.
• The sauce is essentially mayonnaise thinned with vinegar and galvanized with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and jarred horseradish. A little sugar ties everything together.
• Coat the chickens with the sauce twice: once when it is immediately removed from the grill and a second time right before serving. The hot chicken will absorb the sauce like a sponge.