Lexington-Style Red Coleslaw Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 29, 2018
20140604-294803-lexington-red-slaw.jpg
Ketchup provides the "red" in this slaw, which has a tangy, sweet, and spicy barbecue flavor. Joshua Bousel

In the Lexington, NC tradition, this slaw replaces the traditional mayonnaise base with ketchup, which, when mixed with sugar and hot sauce, results in a slaw with a flavor similar to the region's famous vinegary barbecue sauce.

Why this recipe works:

  • A sugar-and-salt mixture purges the cabbage of excess moisture, leaving it tender, but still crunchy and well-seasoned.
  • Using ketchup instead of mayonnaise gives this slaw its red color and Lexington roots.
  • Hot sauce adds a touch of heat that makes this slaw really stand out.
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Recipe Facts

2.5

(2)

Active: 30 mins
Total: 35 mins
Serves: 10 to 12 servings

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Ingredients

  • For the Dressing:
  • 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce, preferably Texas Pete
  •  
  • For the Slaw:
  • 1 large head green cabbage (about 3 1/2 pounds), finely shredded on a mandoline or by hand
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt

Directions

  1. For the dressing: Whisk together vinegar, ketchup, sugar, black pepper, and hot sauce in small bowl.

  2. For the Slaw: Combine cabbage and carrot in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and salt and toss to combine. Let stand five minutes, then transfer to a large colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water.

  3. Transfer vegetables to a salad spinner and spin dry. Alternatively, transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a triple layer of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and blot mixture dry with more towels. Return to large bowl.

  4. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and/or sugar.

Special equipment

Mandoline (optional)

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