My wife Lori (aka Pulling Weeds) has been making cole slaw for my pulled pork for the past five years, and while I do think my pulled pork is pretty great on its own, there is no doubt this cole slaw completes the sandwich tremendously well. Its wonderfully crisp, appropriately tangy, very fresh, and not overloaded with mayo or other binders. One of the things I love about my wife's cooking is she always claims to simply follow a recipe in a book. And then when I try to make it, halfway through she says oh yea, change this, add a little more of that, and "I like to include this thing too." So in the end its an entirely tweaked recipe that is purely her own! I think most cooks adjust to their tastes (i know i certainly do), but most cooks also take credit for their adjustments as their own (again, me too)! So in this post I'm officially titling this "Lori's Cole Slaw" becuase it is without a doubt hers, and there is not a slaw I'd rather put on top of my pork bbq.
First thing to do is thinly slice up 2 cups green cabbage, 2 cups red cabbage, and shred 1 cup peeled carrots. Lori will also often add about a half cup of thinly sliced red bell pepper which is delicious, though I don't usually like it on pulled pork so its omitted in this recipe. Here's a shot of the raw veggies sliced and shredded:
Then its just a matter of making the dressing. The original recipe Lori worked from calls purely for yogurt, but the addition of the tang of just a little mayo is what really brings this slaw to another level. Ingredients are below, but here's a shot of the final dressing:
Then you simply mix it all together. Here's a shot of it before mixing:
And the final result:
The final recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded peeled carrots
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (optional)
- 1/2 cup strained plain nonfat yogurt (strain yogurt through a coffee filter for at least an hour, and don't try to use greek yogurt as a substitute!)
- 2 Tablespoons mayo
- 1 + 1/2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons horseradish (OK, Lori's is just one teaspoon, but all cooks make their own adjustments, right?)
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (1/2 teaspoon of each is where I ended up)
Process:
- To make the dressing: Mix the strained yogurt, mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, dill, horseradish, and dry mustard in a small bowl.
- Put the cabbage, carrot, and red pepper (if using) in a large bowl, then mix in the dressing (i found bare hands to yield the best result)
- Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, adding a bit at a time and stirring around to taste. Add a little less than you think is right because you'll let this sit for at least an hour, and preferably 4 hrs or even overnight... so it does get a little "saltier" as it sits. I ended up with a 1/2 teaspoon of each.
- Again, let this sit refrigerated for at least an hour, but really 4, and really overnight. This slaw just gets better the more it soaks.
- One final note: this is not an overly creamy or saucy slaw. So it may seem like there isn't enough dressing on here to some. i suppose you could make more of the dressing if you really are crazy about those creamy style slaws but I'd urge you to give this one a shot as-is first. It truly is the best slaw I've ever had.
