As we bid goodbye to state fair season, this picture reminds us of how good trashy food can be, if done properly. We can already taste the wonderful combination of salty dog offset by a slightly sweet cornbread batter.
This home version is baked, rendering deep-fryer guilt obsolete. A side of coleslaw that looks as if it were made from real cabbage really boosts the health quotient. It's practically a food pyramid on a plate ... or at the very least, an excellent attempt at good-for-you fair food.
I'll certainly admit to having one heck of a lot of 'cue country exploration left to do in my lifetime, but thus far I've yet to encounter any venue outside of North Carolina slinging BBQ slaw alongside their meat. It's an essential side for Lexington style, vinegar-kissed chopped pork, and gets its characteristic pink tint from a dollop of ketchup or barbecue sauce. Also -- it's pretty darned delicious, and provides a pleasantly crunchy textural contrast with the rich, soft strands of slow-cooked shoulder.
"In the central North Carolina Piedmont you will often find what locals there call "red coleslaw" on the plate next to your chopped pork barbecue. This tangy variation replaces the usual mayonnaise-based slaw dressing with a catsup-and-vinegar-based dressing. In fact, it is not unusual for Upcountry slaw all over Dixie to be spiked with a big splash of barbecue finishing sauce. Whether a sweet/sour tomato-based, spicy mix, either right from the store-bought jar or from some dusty bottle of secret brew, this spicy addition turns the coleslaw sauce either red or a rich brown color and creates what most Southerners called "barbecued coleslaw."
Surely food experts and gourmets all over the planet will ... most certainly suggest that this "barbecue on barbecue" presentation robs the meal of balance. ... Southerners will scoff at this suggestion. Everyone down here knows that if a little barbecue sauce it good, then a whole lot is even better."
If you happen by High Point, NC, do stop into Carter Brothers BBQ (from whence the above pictured platter of BBQ came on this most recent Christmas Eve) for some of the finest chopped (regular or coarse -- they're both good) pork BBQ you'll ever have the pleasure of eating.
BBQ Slaw is recipe after the jump. Got one of your own? Might you please be so kind as to kick back with a Cheerwine and share it in the comments?
When most people look at commercials for Klondike bars, I imagine that they see silly people doing fun, wacky things in return for yummy ice cream treats. Personally, I see cruelty, torture, and the dark side of addiction. Hunger is a harsh mistress; luckily, I've never been placed in a situation where I've had to do something embarrassing or illegal to get fed. To my shame, I have to admit that, under the right circumstances, I would probably humiliate myself for a Klondike bar. If the reward was a nice crême brûlée, there's no doubt: all bets would be off.
Because of this moral shortcoming, I can, to some extent, understand Tremayne Durham. A Brooklyn thug who was being held in an Oregon courthouse, Durham recently admitted that he did, indeed, kill a man in cold blood over a failed business deal. In return for his candor, he's probably facing life imprisonment.
What caused Durham to admit to his wrongdoing? Was it depression, guilt, a need for forgiveness, the first step on the road to redemption? No, Durham plead guilty to aggravated murder in return for a gargantuan fast-food feast. He received a bucket of KFC chicken, a bucket of Popeye's chicken, a serving of mashed potatoes, a serving of coleslaw, a slice of carrot cake, a pizza, two calzones, a tray of lasagna and a bucket of ice cream. The entire proceeding cost the state of Oregon a mere $41.70.
As Durham discovers that justice is sometimes served with a side of cole slaw, I'm going to start taking the idea of fast food addiction a lot more seriously...
I've been meaning for a while to write about healthy alternatives to the usual summer barbecue foods. My family hosted a desserts-only BBQ for this weekend (which turned into burgers and dogs BBQ), and I feel like I've been doing the circuit of barbecues featuring heavy slaws, burgers with lots of toppings, and rich chocolate chip cookies. While I love these foods as much as anyone, I'm trying to put together a list of the best alternative recipes from across the web to replace these often less-healthy favorites. Here's what I have:
The intensity of the purple caught my eye and said to me that this image deserved to be today's Food Porn Daily picture. I like to do a combination of purple and green cabbage in my slaws, but like the contrast between the cabbage and the pepitas. Thanks to Vvanessa for adding this on to the Slashfood Flickr group (with nearly 8,000 tasty pictures for your viewing pleasure)!
The Thanksgiving tradition from which I come dictates that we do not alter or reimagine the leftovers until several days have elapsed. This is because we all really enjoy just eating plate after plate of reheated stuffing, turkey, potatoes and squash. We are simple like that. However, once Saturday evening arrives and multiple plates of microwaved Thanksgiving food have been consumed, it is time to re-invent a little.
My dad is a fan of chopping everything up into small pieces, throwing it all in a large pan with several spoonfuls of gravy and stirring until it is uniformly brown and chunky. He declares it delicious, the rest of stay far away. My mother eats open-faced turkey sandwiches on squares of whole wheat bread that have been lightly touched with mayo. My sister tends to pick and choose from the leftovers, eating roasted brussels sprouts cold and straight from the peanut butter jars in which they have been stored. Me, I like to match up the turkey and leftover stuffing with freshly cooked veggies. It refreshes the eye appeal and makes the leftover turkey seem new and delicious once again. Some of my favorite quick-cooking veggies after the jump...
On a day that is notorious for junk food, snacks, and deep-fried everything, it's sometimes difficult to slip some vegetables into the mix. Coleslaw is a little deceptive since it is so rich-tasting and creamy, people tend to forget it's packed full of things that are good for you.
Though I tend to make everything from scratch, for an event like Super Bowl I recommend saving yourself the time and effort and just buy the pre-cut coleslaw mix at the grocery store. You could spend a lot of time grating cabbage and slicing carrots, but really, the end product is about the same. Besides, if the bagged stuff is good enough for Paula Deen, it's good enough for me. That said, I refuse to buy a pre-made coleslaw dressing. Sometimes you have to pick your battles.
While there are many barbecue books that focus on the main course, some mention side dishes only in passing, if at all. It can be difficult to master smoking a piece of meat to perfection, but once that meat if ready to be served, you're going to want to serve something with it. The Big Book of Barbecue Sides is all about what to serve with that main course at a barbecue, or any time you're cooking on the grill. It has over 100 recipes and covers more than just coleslaw, though that is the first recipe included in the book. Other topics covered include breads, pastas, salads, veggies and fruits (dessert or side dish), with dishes that can be made on the grill as well as off it. It is great to have all these favorites in one volume that you can keep with your grilling books, rather than having to go searching all your cookbooks for recipes like Red Beans and Rice, Skillet Cornbread, Grilled Corn Salsa, Garlic and Parmesan Spuds and Barbecued Pineapple.
I saw this recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light (from 2003) that I had lying around and it immediately caught my eye. Why I didn't make it the first time I saw it, I'll never know, but I'm glad I did it now.
Waldorf salad isn't something that you see too often, but the combination of apples, raisins, celery and walnuts is not only addictive, but crunchy and satisfying. Coleslaw, too, is crunchy and refreshing, which is why it is such a popular side to accompany rich and meaty meals. Of course, both salads are slathered in mayo, so they're not exactly healthy foods despite having low-cal ingredients. This is one of the reasons why I liked the Cooking Light recipe, since it eliminates a lot of the fat but still tastes great. Combining the elements of the two salads into Waldorf Coleslaw worked beautifully.
A massive meal, the Primanti's Sandwich is the signature sandwich of the Primanti Bros restaurant chain in Pittsburgh, PA. The sandwich
is stacked high with layers of tomatoes, coleslaw, corned beef, cheese and french fries, all sandwiched between two
thick slices of Italian bread. The sandwich was supposedly invented in the 1930's, during the Great Depression. Since the
restaurant owners couldn't afford luxuries like plates and cutlery while they were starting up, the simply piled everything into the sandwich. The entirely
in-hand meal was sold as a convenient, filling and cheap dinner option to all the night shift workers in the area. It
must have been a success right off the bat, since Primanti Bros is still going strong with their famous sandwich over
70 years later.
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When most people look at commercials for Klondike bars, I imagine that they see silly people doing fun, wacky things in return for yummy ice cream treats. Personally, I see cruelty, torture, and the dark side of addiction. Hunger is a harsh mistress; luckily, I've never been placed in a situation where I've had to do something embarrassing or illegal to get fed. To my shame, I have to admit that, under the right circumstances, I would probably humiliate myself for a Klondike bar. If the reward was a nice crême brûlée, there's no doubt: all bets would be off.
I've been meaning for a while to write about healthy alternatives to the usual summer barbecue foods. My family hosted a desserts-only BBQ for this weekend (which turned into burgers and dogs BBQ), and I feel like I've been doing the circuit of barbecues featuring heavy slaws, burgers with lots of toppings, and rich chocolate chip cookies. While I love these foods as much as anyone, I'm trying to put together a list of the best alternative recipes from across the web to replace these often less-healthy favorites. Here's what I have:
While there are many barbecue books that focus on the main course, some mention side dishes only in passing, if at all. It can be difficult to master smoking a piece of meat to perfection, but once that meat if ready to be served, you're going to want to serve something with it. The Big Book of Barbecue Sides is all about what to serve with that main course at a barbecue, or any time you're cooking on the grill. It has over 100 recipes and covers more than just coleslaw, though that is the first recipe included in the book. Other topics covered include breads, pastas, salads, veggies and fruits (dessert or side dish), with dishes that can be made on the grill as well as off it. It is great to have all these favorites in one volume that you can keep with your grilling books, rather than having to go searching all your cookbooks for recipes like Red Beans and Rice, Skillet Cornbread, Grilled Corn Salsa, Garlic and Parmesan Spuds and Barbecued Pineapple.
A massive meal, the Primanti's Sandwich is the signature sandwich of the Primanti Bros restaurant chain in Pittsburgh, PA. The sandwich
is stacked high with layers of tomatoes, coleslaw, corned beef, cheese and french fries, all sandwiched between two
thick slices of Italian bread. The sandwich was supposedly invented in the 1930's, during the Great Depression. Since the
restaurant owners couldn't afford luxuries like plates and cutlery while they were starting up, the simply piled everything into the sandwich. The entirely
in-hand meal was sold as a convenient, filling and cheap dinner option to all the night shift workers in the area. It
must have been a success right off the bat, since Primanti Bros is still going strong with their famous sandwich over
70 years later.
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