Get Your Grill On

I realize that this forum is dedicated to all things grilled and smoked, but I’ve had cole slaw on my mind of late, and if you’ll indulge me, I need to get this off my chest. I recently had occasion to stop by a local barbeque joint (and I mean joint in the best sense of the word) where I picked up a rib plate for lunch. The ribs were wonderful, the beans were tasty, and the bread was bread. The slaw, however, that was a different story. If there were any other ingredients beyond cabbage and mayonaise, I couldn’t find them. It was one big, white, gloppy mess. How someone can put so much obvious care into their ‘cue and then serve it with such an atrocity as this slaw is beyond me.

Around these parts slaw is the default side dish/condiment that you can count on encountering in any respectable barbeque joint. Of course, baked beans are found just as often, but the slaw has the advantage of showing up on sandwiches as well as a side dish. I recall a trip to Louisville, Kentucky once when I, in my innocence, thought they had forgotten to put slaw on my pulled pork sandwich. When I went to the counter to explain the obvious error, they looked at me like I had two heads. It seems that Kentuckians just aren’t acquainted with the practice of adorning a sandwich with slaw.

Travel tip: in Louisville, If you want to fit in with the locals, here’s what you do: Pronounce that only the L, the V, and the L of that city’s name (with a U stuck somewhere in the middle,) and don’t show your surprise when your sandwich shows up without the slaw.

So, to all you pig shacks out there (and you know who you are…) who are still serving up that nasty concoction of cabbage and mayonnaise, here is a recipe for coleslaw that your customers might appreciate.

Shred half a head of cabbage and a couple of carrots in a food processor

Mix in a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. Not too much, just enough to nicely coat all the cabbage.

Now, add about 1/4 cup of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of celery seeds, and a tablespoon of sugar. Mix until nicely combined.

You can eat this right away, but it is always better if you let it stew in the refrigerator overnight. There’s no excuse for that gloppy slaw. You don’t have to put it on your sandwich if you don’t want to (I’m talking to you, Louisvillians.)