Hot Slaw: Barbecue's Best Friend

There are many barbecue styles throughout the country ranging from Kansas City to North Carolina and anything in between. I grew up on barbecue where the flavor was cooked into the meat over very long periods of time. I remember how the ribs would fall out of the meat and it would have that beautiful smoke ring and flavor. There was one restaurant in my home town where I remember getting BBQ pork sandwiches made with hot slaw. I was asked by a good friend if I would post an article on how to make hot slaw. Now you may have had it on a hotdog before or on something else, but I literally haven’t seen it on barbecue anywhere else except where I grew up. These flavors really compliment quality dry rubbed barbecue.

Ingredients

10 oz bag of shredded white/green cabbage

1/2 onion sliced very thinly

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil (Canola preferred)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup hot sauce (I used Louisiana hot sauce) I also like using a hot sauce that has a red hue

1/4 teaspoon of celery seed

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preparation (30 minutes)

First, slice your onion using my tearless onion technique or on a mandolin to get it paper thin. Then using a medium size mixing bowl, add the bag of shredded cabbage.

Adding shredded cabbage to mixing bowl

After cabbage is added, add the thinly sliced onion.

Adding onion to the mixing bowl.

Now, add the sugar to the mixing bowl and set aside while you make the hot ingredients.

Adding sugar to mixing bowl

Now in a small sauce pan add vegetable oil.

Adding vegetable oil to small sauce pan

After adding the oil, now add the vinegar to the sauce pan.

Adding white vinegar to small sauce pan

Now add the hot sauce of your choice to the pan.

Adding the Louisiana hot sauce to the sauce pan

Now add the celery seeds to the sauce pan.

Adding the celery seeds to the sauce pan

Now add the dry mustard to the sauce pan

Adding the dry mustard to the sauce pan

Finally, add the salt to the sauce pan

Adding salt to the sauce pan

After adding all the ingredients, whisk the mixture together as it is heating up.

Whisking the mixture together as it heats up

Bring mixture to a boil.

Boiling mixture

Pour hot mixture over cabbage, onions and salt in the mixing bowl

Adding hot liquid mixture to the mixing bowl

Now take a fork or spoon and mix thoroughly the liquid into the cabbage, onions and sugar.

Mixing all the ingredients together thoroughly

Cover and place in your fridge for 3 days to let it ferment and get flavorful.

After fermenting in the fridge, serve on your favorite barbecue or hotdog.

Bon Appetit!