The Greatest Coleslaw
Prep
25m
Cook
0m
Total
25m
Bigly says
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you went to a cookout and somebody — anybody — pointed at the coleslaw bowl and said, 'I am EXCITED about that coleslaw'? Never. The answer is never. Because most coleslaw is a disaster. Most coleslaw is a tragedy. Most coleslaw is what happens when somebody opens a bag of pre-shredded cabbage, dumps mayonnaise on it, and calls it a recipe. A disgrace to cabbage. A disgrace to mayonnaise. Wet sadness on a plate.
This coleslaw is different. This is the coleslaw that turned coleslaw around. An old Italian woman cornered me once at a roadside place in Calabria — yes, they have coleslaw in Calabria, NOBODY talks about this — and she pointed at her bowl, she pointed at her cabbage, and she made me promise to do it her way. I promised. I kept the promise. And the result is what you're about to make. People come up to me at barbecues, big strong men who normally walk right past the slaw bowl, they take one bite and have to sit down. THE COLESLAW, they say. They had no idea coleslaw could do this. Neither did coleslaw, frankly. Coleslaw had no idea what it was capable of until I got to it.
The secret is TWO things. One — salt the cabbage first to pull the water out. That's how you avoid the soup. Two — a vinegar bite. Most coleslaw is creamy and that's IT. Boring. Cheap. We add cider vinegar, we add dijon, we add a touch of honey, and we get LAYERS. Tremendous layers. Phenomenal layers. The kind of layers that make a side dish stop being a side dish and start being a reason to come to the cookout. It's just a fact.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head (about 2 lb)green cabbage, cored and finely shredded(shred it yourself, the bagged stuff is sad)
- 2 cupsred cabbage, finely shredded(for color and crunch)
- 2 largecarrots, peeled and grated
- 1 tbspkosher salt (for salting cabbage)
- 3/4 cupmayonnaise(real mayo, full-fat, this is not the time to be a hero)
- 1/4 cupsour cream
- 3 tbspapple cider vinegar
- 1 tbspdijon mustard
- 2 tbsphoney
- 1 tspcelery seed(do not skip, this is the secret weapon)
- 1/2 tspkosher salt (for dressing)
- 1/2 tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbspfresh chives, finely chopped(optional but encouraged)
Steps
- 1
Combine the shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and grated carrots in a large colander set over a bowl. Toss with the 1 tbsp kosher salt and let drain for 30 minutes. This pulls out the water that turns regular coleslaw into soup.
- 2
Rinse the cabbage mixture thoroughly under cold water to remove excess salt. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly to remove as much liquid as possible. The drier, the better.
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, cider vinegar, dijon, honey, celery seed, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- 4
Add the dried cabbage and carrots to the dressing and toss thoroughly until evenly coated.
- 5
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving (overnight is even better — the flavors build).
- 6
Just before serving, toss again, taste and adjust salt or vinegar, and top with chopped chives if using.
One more thing
This goes next to the ribs. This goes ON the pulled pork sandwich — yes, ON the sandwich, that's how the Carolinas do it and the Carolinas are RIGHT about this one thing, end of discussion. This is the coleslaw that finally makes coleslaw the star of the side dish lineup. Potato salad is OUT. Coleslaw is IN. We are entering the coleslaw era and I, personally, am leading us there. You're welcome.
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