Simple Eastern North Carolina Style Slaw
About the slaw John and Dale Reed, the authors of “Holy Smoke: the Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue” (any respectable BBQ purest would
own a copy) wrote, "Mr. Pete Jones, of Ayden's Skylight Inn claimed to have turned down $10,000 for the secret of this great, pale yellow slaw. He did say once that the ingredients were cored cabbage, Kraft® mayonnaise, sugar and salad dressing - no vinegar." (pp 126, 127).
Through trial and error I have nearly replicated this Simple Slaw. The recipe below is real close, maybe not $10,000 close, but close. Most people can't tell the difference between them. This slaw is a must have side for BBQ, Ribs or Chicken, or on BBQ Sandwiches, Hot Dogs or Hamburgers. A purest gets a half a fork full of slaw, then scoops thru the BBQ to savor these two flavors together, actually 3 flavors. On the BBQ is a dash of the Eastern-NC style vinegar sauce: vinegar, crushed red pepper or Texas Pete, black pepper, and salt. The Simple Slaw recipe is further down the page.
About the Skylight InnThe proclaimed Bar-B-Q Capital of the World, The Skylight Inn, is located in Ayden, NC. Not self-proclaimed, but by National Geographic Magazine. This is a simple BBQ joint with roots in BBQ dating back to 1830. It has some additional notoriety; in 2003 the Skylight Inn was a James Beard Foundation Award recipient in the "America's Classics" category which honors legendary family-owned restaurants across the country. The James Beard Foundation Awards are often called “The Oscars of Food”
A short video of the Skylight Inn
CAPITAL Q Links to more info
HOLLYEATS.com,
ROADFOOD.com , and
Southern Living The Skylight Inn is owned and operated by the Jones Family serving whole hog BBQ, BBQ chicken (Fri & Sat only), Cole Slaw, pan baked cornpone, on occasion potato salad and fountain drinks; nothing else, really, nothing else.
Looks like the Capital, ... kind of...
Signage out front.
The Recipe: INGREDIENTS1 head of firm green cabbage cored, about 3 pounds
Granulated Sugar, 1/3 cup per pound, about 1 cup per head
Kraft® Mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon per pound, about 1/4 cup per head
Miracle Whip®, 1 tablespoon per pound, about 1/4 cup
Prepared Yellow Mustard, 1 teaspoon per pound, about 1 tablespoon per head
Table Salt, a few shakes of the salt shaker per head.
This is best made the day before. The cabbage is cored and then finely ground.
A food processor works great for this, first with the julienne disk, then a few pulses with the chopping blade.
Combine all of the ingredients in a larger bowl and mix thoroughly. The sugar will sound like you have sand in the bowl when mixing. The mixture should be on the dry side. The salt will draw out some of the moisture in a few hours making a sweet liquor. Don’t drain it off. Stir before serving.
One last note: more sugar may be needed to balance out the bitter bite in the cabbage.
In the KitchenAid Food Processor it goes.
Out of the Food Processor, it looks like this.
Finished product in the mixing bowl.
Serving suggestions, photos from the Skylight Inn.
A tray...
Sandwich... yummy
I was ask to post this recipe by a member and good friend of the forum. The recipe was written in March 2011.
Hope you enjoy. If you ever get a chance, say within a 100 miles of Ayden, stop by, its worth the trip and look me up.
On a side note: Pete Jone's Grandson, Samuel Jones, the 7th generation BBQ pitmaster is opening his own restaurant, "Samuel Jones BBQ" on November 10, 2015, in Winterville NC, just 8 miles north of the Skylight Inn.
