Alabama State Dish (Recipe)

Barbecued Chicken (Unofficial Main Dish) Barbecued Chicken Many American barbecue sauces are ketchup-based, though some are built on mustard or other vinegary products. Alabama's, however, is based on mayonnaise. Dating from the 1920s, the sauce is commonly served with chicken or pork, and sometimes with turkey. Because the sauce separates at high temperatures, it's rarely applied during the cooking process, though some particularly meticulous cooks will baste grilled chicken with it during the last few minutes of cooking. It's much more common, though, for chicken pieces to be coated with the sauce after they're removed from the grill, and for additional sauce to be served on the side. For pork, especially pulled pork sandwiches, it's usually brushed on the bun or biscuit, and extra sauce is served on the side. Recipe Serves 24 INGREDIENTS Sauce: 13 lbs (6.2 kg) chicken pieces 2 cups (480 ml) mayonnaise 2 cups (480 ml) cider vinegar 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice 3 tbsp (30 ml) black pepper 1 tsp (5 ml) salt 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) cayenne Marinade: 1 qt (1 l) apple cider vinegar 1 cup (240 ml) butter, melted 2 tsp (10 ml) cayenne 2 tsp (10 ml) black pepper 2 tsp (10 ml) salt INSTRUCTIONS Whisk vinegar into mayonnaise for sauce. Add remaining ingredients, whisking to combine thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight or longer. At least 6 hours before serving, combine marinade ingredients in a very large mixing bowl. Add chicken, tossing to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate until it's time to start the grill. Drain chicken thoroughly, reserving marinade. Transfer marinade to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes. Grill the chicken, using the cooked marinade as a basting sauce if needed. Bring barbecue sauce to room temperature and divide in half. When chicken is cooked, brush with half the barbecue sauce. Use the remaining sauce as a dipping sauce at the table. VARIATIONS Chicken may be brushed with a little barbecue sauce during the last minutes of cooking. Proportions of vinegar and lemon juice in the barbecue sauce vary. Up to equal parts vinegar and lemon juice may be used. White vinegar can substitute for cider vinegar in the sauce, in which case 1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar should also be added. 3 tbsp (45 ml) horseradish can substitute for cayenne in the barbecue sauce. For pork, omit butter from the marinade and add 1 cup (240 ml) brown sugar.