BBQ & This Slaw Go Together Like Bacon & Anything

I am being perfectly honest when I say I am NOT a coleslaw fan.  I tend to avoid the mayonnaise-y creamy slaw on any menu, even if I'm chowing down on some killer BBQ.  Per nearly every BBQ connoisseur I know, these two Southern staples are supposed to go together.  Personally,  I prefer not to defile that smoky goodness with an average coleslaw.  Very rarely will I step outside of my slaw-snobbery comfort zone and try something different... occasionally with favorable results. 

When we were on our annual summer baseball trip, we stopped at this fantastic little BBQ joint in Milwaukee's Third Ward, the Smoke Shack.  This detour was at the recommendation of our tour guide, Mike, from Untapped Tours. (thanks, Mike!!)  The Smoke Shack had a diverse menu, covering everything from Texas BBQ to Carolina sauce, and they had a few items highlighted on the menu as being gluten free (which always catches my eye).

To the best of my memory and ability, I've reverse-engineered a pretty darn close version of the Smoke Shack's Vinegar Slaw... a good thing, too, since it's about 400 miles each way to get another helping otherwise!  

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 Gala apple, peeled & cored, grated

1/4 sweet Vidalia onion, grated

1/4 cup raisins (Thompson or golden, doesn't matter), chopped fine

1.5 pounds red cabbage, grated (for reference, I had a 2.6 pound head of cabbage and used about 2/3 of it after coring and peeling the outside leaves)

Combine above ingredients in a large glass bowl; set aside.  

Note - for all of the "grated" or "chopped" items, I used my trusty old food processor...  God love the folks at Cuisinart for making my life a bit easier!! 

Dressing:

1.5 teaspoons celery salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2/3 cup tarragon vinegar or champagne vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Place all of the dressing ingredients in the bowl of the food processor, cover and pulse to combine.  Toss with the cabbage mixture; allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.   Store leftovers in a glass or plastic bowl in the fridge.  I wouldn't recommend storing in metal bowls, since flavors can be turned with the acid/metal combo.