What Sauces You Serve At Your BBQ May Depend On What Part Of The Country You Are From

If you have decided to have a large BBQ event catered, you must first decide if you will be serving chicken, pork, beef, or a combination of two or more. Once you decide your meats, you may then have to choose your BBQ sauce. If you are serving a large crowd, you may want to offer more than one sauce. This is because many people often have strong opinions of which BBQ sauce is best, and their opinion often depends on the part of the country they come from. Understanding the differences between these sauces may make your choices easier.

Alabama White Sauce

If you are thinking about serving smoked turkey, boneless chicken breast, or even pork, you may be hesitant to weigh these meats down with some of the heavier, dark types of BBQ sauce on the market. If this is the case, and you want something totally different than many people are used to, you may want to consider serving an Alabama white sauce

This sauce is nothing new as its creation is credited to Bob Gibson in 1925. What makes this sauce completely different from anything else on the market is the fact that it is mayonnaise based, which helps to make it white in color. What goes in it depends on who you ask, but most people will agree that the basic four ingredients are:

  • Mayonnaise
  • Vinegar
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Other makers may add a pinch of cayenne, horseradish, or lemon juice to give it their own signature kick. How big your pinch is will depend on how much you are making.

Eastern NC BBQ Sauce

If a white sauce is not your thing, or you are looking for something a little different to appeal to other palates, you may want to consider serving an Eastern NC BBQ Sauce. This thin, vinegar based sauced goes perfectly on pulled pork, ribs, shoulders, grilled chicken, or anything else you can place on a grill. Because it is so acidic, it seeps deeply into your meat. It is tangy and can be hot depending on how much hot sauce or crushed red pepper is added when it is made.

Made from just a few basic ingredients, you will not find a tomato product anywhere on the list. The list includes:

  • Distilled vinegar
  • Hot sauce 
  • Crushed red pepper 
  • Ground black pepper
  • Sugar
  • Salt

The actual proportions of ingredients will depend on how much sauce you are making, as well as how tangy, sweet, or hot, you want it to be. 

Western NC BBQ Sauce

If you are looking for a sauce that includes some type of tomato, consider serving a Western NC BBQ Sauce. It uses the same basic ingredients listed above with the addition of ketchup, brown sugar, and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce. Some people also add a little bit of butter to give this sauce a little bit more body and to help it adhere to your meat.

While these additions change the color and consistency of the sauce, they also make it slightly sweeter and less tangy than its Eastern cousin. This makes it the perfect sauce for beef, chicken, as well as pork. Unfortunately, due to the additional sugars, this sauce will often burn if you are attempting to cook with it at high temperatures. 

Texas Style BBQ Sauce

Those from Texas will snub their noses at most sauces, because they feel that sauces are used to cover up inferior meats. Those that consider eating a sauce will snub their noses at anything that is not an authentic Texas Style BBQ Sauce. This sauce is served with anything pork, as well as with chicken, but is most noticeably added to the brisket.

Texas Style BBQ Sauce is made very similar to the Western NC BBQ Sauce. What makes it stand apart are the chipotle chilies that are often added in the place of the red pepper, as well the small bits of chopped up brisket that are often stirred in it once it has been prepared. 

These are just four of the sauces you will be able to choose from for your catered BBQ event. There are many others. Ask local caterers, such as Bassett Caterers, for their suggestions on what other sauces may make your event really stand out. 


Share