Homemade MoonPies

The Setting: Pretty day, too much of it spent indoors.

The Soundtrack: Wheel of Fortune.

Steaming up the (microwave) Oven: Leftover pinto beans and brown rice.

The Scenario: Take-Home Treat number one from Music City in the Midwest: Homemade MoonPies.

MoonPies may not come from Nashville, but they do come from Tennessee, and they're beloved all over the South as part of the much-sung-about dynamic duo, the RC Cola and the MoonPie, aka "the working man's lunch."

Born in Chattanooga in 1917, the marshmallow-filled, chocolate-coated sandwich cookie was inspired by coal miners who wanted a substantial snack to get them through their long, lunchless workdays.

When a bakery salesman asked the miners how big they'd like the treat to be, "a miner held out his hands, framing the moon, and said, 'About this big!'" (http://moonpie.com/about)

In the 70s Mardi Gras paraders along the South's Gulf Coast started throwing MoonPies instead of Cracker Jack boxes from their floats, as the MoonPies were a little softer and less likely to take an eye out. This tradition continues today.

If you're a fan of the MoonPie, it would certainly be easier to buy a case of the real deals from a warehouse store (or attend a Mardi Gras parade) than to proceed with the following recipe, but if you're a MoonPie lover with a penchant for taking on big weekend projects, then this recipe is for you!

Homemade MoonPies
The cookies may seem a little crisp at first, but they should soften just enough when put together with the marshmallow cream and chocolate. The Marshmallow Cream is a tweaked version of the Homemade Marshmallows from Rebecca Rather's Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Homemade Marshmallows, as seen in this post. This recipe makes enough Marshmallow Cream for two batches of Golden Cookies. One batch of cookies makes approximately 32 cookies, or 16 MoonPies.

~For the Golden Cookies~
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

~For the Marshmallow Cream~
1/3 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
1 1/2 cups cold water, divided
3 (1/4-oz) envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

~For the Chocolate Coating~
If making two batches of cookies, double the following, but do not melt all at once. Follow the instructions in the recipe below, and make the second batch of chocolate coating when you run out of the first.
10 oz semisweet and/or dark chocolate, divided
10 oz milk chocolate, divided
3 1/2 T coconut oil, divided

Make the Golden Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter, sugar, and honey till light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla till thoroughly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, mixing on low until dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of parchment paper, pat into a rough rectangle, and divide in half. Working with one half at a time, top with another sheet of parchment, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/8-to-1/4 inch.

Use a 3-inch round cookie-cutter to cut out as many circles as you can, and gently transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll remaining dough, and repeat until you have gotten as many circles out of the dough as you can.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, on the center rack of the oven, at 350 degrees F for 13 minutes or till light golden and cooked through with as little browning around the edges as possible. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Before making marshmallow cream, arrange cookies in 4 rows on sheets of parchment paper so that the first and third rows are bottom side up, and the second and forth rows are bottom side down.

Make the Marshmallow Cream: Prop up each of two disposable pastry bags in each of two tall drinking glasses and fold the tops of the bags down a few inches (as if you were going to turn then inside-out). Set aside.

Sift the powdered sugar into a wide, shallow dish. Set aside.

Sprinkle the gelatin over 3/4 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Fix a 3-quart saucepan with a candy thermometer so that the bottom of the thermometer is just above, not touching the bottom of the pan. Make sure the thermometer is set to Fahrenheit. Add the sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, salt, and remaining water to the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Do not stir. Continue cooking until the thermometer reads 231 degrees F. The mixture will be light-golden-to-pale-amber in color. Remove from heat, turn the mixer on low, and very slowly and carefully stream the sugar mixture into the gelatin mixture.

Add the vanilla and increase the speed slightly. Continue increasing the speed slightly every 30-to-60 seconds until the speed is set to high. Beat on high until the mixture is white, fluffy, and voluminous and the bowl is almost cool to the touch, about 6 minutes.

Split the mixture between the two pastry bags and immediately begin piping the Marshmallow Cream onto the Golden Cookies with the bottom sides up.

Top each one with another golden cookie, bottom side down, and press gently. Roll the exposed-marshmallow edges of the sandwiched cookies in the powdered sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to set for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Line your countertop with parchment paper.

Prepare the Chocolate Coating: Place 6 oz semisweet chocolate, 6 oz milk chocolate, and 2 T coconut oil in a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring thoroughly after each, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Stir till completely melted and smooth.

Press each cookie sandwich into the chocolate so that the chocolate coats the bottom and sides. Gently grasping the top cookie, allow the bottom cookie to gently graze the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate as you transfer the cookie sandwich to the parchment paper to set.

Once the chocolate has set, place a cooling rack over a jellyroll pan or rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space the cookie sandwiches 1-2 inches apart, chocolate sides down, on the cooling rack, and prepare remaining chocolate as before.

Spoon chocolate over the cookies, using the spoon to smooth the chocolate out over the sides, covering any exposed cookie or marshmallow. Allow to set completely.

Cooled excess chocolate can be removed from parchment, added back to the bowl, and reheated if necessary, or peeled off parchment and transferred to a plastic bag for future use or snacking.

MoonPies can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to one week.

Guest Feedback:
Average Score on a scale of 0-5, 0 being "Never again. Need to set my mouth on fire to extinguish the memory" and 5 being "Woohoo! When can I eat that again?" 4.4
Comments: "OMG--So good!" "Like my childhood!" "Best MoonPie I've had." "Yummo."

This recipe was featured in a post called Music City in the Midwest for Foodbuzz.com's 24x24 event, for which 24 food bloggers from around the world are selected to host dinner parties within the same 24 hours and blog about them.

Thanks for Reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Tennessee Whiskey Tipsy Cake

The Setting: A mostly overcast Monday.

The Soundtrack: Oia's symphonic playtime.

Steaming up the Oven: Well, I should be cooking, but I can't stop eating Girl Scout Cookies. Darn my philanthropic nature.

The Scenario: Dessert number three from Music City in the Midwest: Cherry Chocolate Chip Tipsy Cake, featuring Tennessee's finest!

Depending on who you talk to in the South, "tipsy cake" could refer to one of two things. One version, supposedly popular in the coastal South as early as the 1700s (though my research on this is inconclusive at best), is like an English trifle, composed of sherry-soaked cubes of cake, custard, and berry jam. Also called a tipsy parson, it was known for making ministers get a little sloshy at Sunday luncheons.

While that does sound delicious, in my neck of the woods, a trifle was called a trifle, and a tipsy cake was more like a pound cake, soaked in Tennessee whiskey.

Now I am not a whiskey connoisseur. I'd like to be--my fictional badass alter-ego most certainly is--but, what can I say? I'd rather shoot tequila...or skeet.

This is all to say that I'm not one to get involved in a Dickel-v-Daniel's debate.

And Lynchburg and Cascade Hollow are virtually equidistant from Nashville, so I can't play the geography card.

However, when I told people in France I was from Tennessee, people with whom I could communicate very little because the only French I know comes from Lady Marmalade, their faces lit up suddenly and dramatically as they exclaimed, "Jack Daniel's!"

So there you go.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Tipsy Cake
In developing this recipe, I made one plain tipsy cake to start. It was delicious, but the cherries and chocolate elicit their own essences from the whiskey, which I think works really well in this cake.

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 8-10 pieces
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened dried cherries, chopped

~for the whiskey syrup~
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 T water
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a Pyrex loaf pan and line the bottom with a strip of parchment long enough to hang over the short sides of the pan, forming "handles."

With an electric mixer beat the sugar and the butter together for 1 minute on low and then on med-high for 3 minutes or just until light and fluffy.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

In another small bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

With the mixer on low, slowly stream the egg mixture into the butter mixture. Increase speed to med-high and beat two minutes. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat just to combine. Fold in cherries and chocolate chips. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan, then run a knife along the edges to loosen before using the parchment "handles" to lift the cake out. Leave the parchment in place on the cake and return the cake to the pan.

Make the glaze: Place the butter, water, and sugar in a small saucepan over med-high heat and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and carefully add the whiskey. Return to med-low heat and cook 5 minutes.

Poke the cake all over with a skewer. Pour the syrup over the top of the cake and into the holes. If syrup pools around the edges, carefully pour the excess syrup back into the saucepan and then pour it back over the holes and any dry areas.

Repeat until there is little-to-no excess syrup. Cool completely, cover with foil, and allow to set at least two hours before cutting.






Guest Feedback:
Average Score on a scale of 0-5, 0 being "Never again. Need to set my mouth on fire to extinguish the memory" and 5 being "Woohoo! When can I eat that again?" 4.75
Comments: "Hubby loved it."

This recipe was featured in a post called Music City in the Midwest for Foodbuzz.com's 24x24 event, for which 24 food bloggers from around the world are selected to host dinner parties within the same 24 hours and blog about them.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Coca-Cola® Cake

The Setting: A cold and snowy night in South Bend. 

The Soundtrack: The Wire.

On the Stove-top: Brown rice for Gumbo.

The Scenario: Time to talk Cola Cake.

First of all, let me just say I have no association with the Coca-Cola Company.

I gave up soft drinks in the eighth grade at the behest of my track coach, and with the exception of the occasional 7UP® to sooth a sour stomach, I never looked back...at least...not for drinking purposes.

In the South it's pretty common to throw sodas into marinades, stews, baked goods, etc. Except no one in the South says "soda," and if you say "pop" you WILL be mocked.

"Coke" is pretty much a blanket term for the entire category.

So when I added cola cake to the menu for Music City in the Midwest, it was Coca-Cola® by default.

But then I started thinking....

Should I use an all-natural cola? That would generally be my preference.

But I was aiming for authenticity.

Was there a cola that better represented Nashville? Maybe I should use Royal Crown.

So I did a little research.

Due to the Southern cultural iconic-ness of pairing RC Colas® and MoonPies,® the latter of which are a Tennessee product, many people assume RC is a Tennessee brand as well.

However, while it is Southern to be sure, RC comes from Columbus Georgia, about an hour southwest of Atlanta (the birthplace and headquarters of the Coca-Cola Company).

Geographically, it was a toss-up.

But then I remembered my motto: when in doubt, defer to Cracker Barrel.

Cracker Barrel, which is a Tennessee company, uses Coca-Cola in their chocolate cola cake, and if it's good enough for the Barrel, it's good enough for me.

A simpler, more modest chocolate cake than, say, the towering, regal layer cake I've raved over in the past, the Coca-Cola Cake gives that, or any competitor, a serious run for its chocolate.

In fact, I'm surprised to say that after coming up with this recipe, when I dream in chocolate now, it is of this I dream.

I heard Faith Hill say on a talk show once that her Coca-Cola cake was (hubby) Tim McGraw's all-time favorite treat. If her recipe is anything like this one, I can certainly see why.

Coca-Cola®Cake
3/4 cup Coca-Cola®

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 vegetable oil
2 large eggs + 2 yolks
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt

~for the glaze~
1 stick butter
1/3 cup Coca-Cola
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour a 13- by 9- by 3-inch cake pan.

In a med-large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cola, cocoa, butter, chocolate chips, and oil, cooking 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, till smooth. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla. Whisk egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk in flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 31 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but not coated in batter.

After the cake has been baking for 15 minutes, prepare glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, cola, and cocoa, cooking and stirring just till smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla.

Pour 1/4 of the warm glaze over the hot cake. Poke the cake all over with a skewer and pour 1/4 more glaze over the holes. If the glaze pools on the outsides, use a spatula to help redirect it to the center and into the holes. Continue with remaining glaze, 1/4 at a time. Let set at least 2 hours before cutting.

Stores well, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Guest Feedback:
Average Score on a scale of 0-5, 0 being "Never again. Need to set my mouth on fire to extinguish the memory" and 5 being "Woohoo! When can I eat that again?" 4.25
Comments: "Best Cola Cake I have ever had and I grew up having it." "Very dense and Moist and perfect." "Heavenly."

This recipe was featured in a post called Music City in the Midwest for Foodbuzz.com's 24x24 event, for which 24 food bloggers from around the world are selected to host dinner parties within the same 24 hours and blog about them.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Guess Again! (Loveless Cafe's Tomato Spice Cake)

The Setting: String of pretty days over. Gloomy outside, but feels like Spring is waiting in the wings.

The Soundtrack: Definitely, Maybe.

Steaming up the Oven: Nada.

The Scenario: When I made out the menu for Music City in the Midwest, there was one recipe I knew I had to include even though it wasn't my own.

Tomatoes are a pretty big deal in Nashville. East Nashville even boasts the annual Tomato Art Fest, where tomato cake is often an attraction.

I conceived my own version of tomato cake once for a tomato-recipe contest in culinary school...but let's just say the recipe needed some fine-tuning.

So when Hoosband and I received Alisa Huntsman's Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe cookbook for Christmas this year, I new I had to give the Guess Again Tomato Cake with Pecans and Raisins a try.

I figured the quirky Southern recipe featuring Tennessee's state fruit would be perfect for my Nashville-themed meal.

I didn't figure I'd be able to share the recipe, but Artisan Books was nice enough to grant me permission to pass along this little tea-time treat, from the Loveless Cafe kitchen to yours.

Guess Again Tomato Cake with Pecans and Raisins
Use fresh spices--it makes all the difference! When I was getting everything ready for Saturday's big dinner, this cake, with its deliciously holiday-like aroma, was the one I most had to restrain myself from cutting into before the guests arrived. It makes a great breakfast cake, for those of us who just can't wait till after dinner.

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pecan pieces
2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 stick (4 ounces) plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup tomato juice
Vanilla Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 6- to 8-cup tube pan. Place the golden raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let the raisins plump in the water until they cool; drain well.

Meanwhile, toast the pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly colored and fragrant. Transfer to a dish and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Set the dry ingredients aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium-low speed for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix completely, scraping the bowl once. Sift one-third of the dry ingredients over the butter mixture, fold a few times by hand with a rubber spatula, and add half of the tomato juice. Fold a few times; sift half of the remaining spiced flour over the batter, add the remaining juice, and fold a few times. Add the remaining flour, and fold the batter gently until no streaks remain. Add the raisins and pecans. Fold gently to incorporate evenly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and and cool completely on a wire rack. Using a large spoon, ladle the glaze over the top of the cake, completely covering the top and letting the excess drip down the sides randomly.

Excerpted from Desserts from the Famous Loveless Café by Alisa Huntsman (Artisan Books). Copyright 2011.

Vanilla Glaze
In the interest of full disclosure, I should report that I accidentally measured out 1 1/3 cups milk instead of 1/3 cup milk when making this glaze and (after compensating with more powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla) ended up with enough glaze for this cake and four batches of cinnamon rolls. I used about twice the amount of glaze called for on the cake, and I loved how it turned out, so I will probably double the glaze recipe in the future.

2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Add the melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Use at once.

Excerpted from Desserts from the Famous Loveless Café by Alisa Huntsman (Artisan Books). Copyright 2011.

Guest Feedback:
Average Score on a scale of 0-5, 0 being "Never again. Need to set my mouth on fire to extinguish the memory" and 5 being "Woohoo! When can I eat that again?" 4.5
Comments: "Pleasantly surprised! would have seconds." "I wasn't expecting that tomatoes were good in cakes" "Yummy"

This recipe was featured in a post called Music City in the Midwest for Foodbuzz.com's 24x24 event, for which 24 food bloggers from around the world are selected to host dinner parties within the same 24 hours and blog about them.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Fried Okra

The Setting: It is downright gorgeous outside right now. Might have to bust out the stroller and go for a jog...which is probably a good idea after Saturday's big dinner.

The Soundtrack: 9 to 5. Has there EVER been a better threesome than Dolly, Lily, and Jane?

Steaming up the oven: Toast.

The Scenario: Time for the next in the series of Music City in the Midwest recipes. Let's hear it for Fried Okra!

It may not be the kind of exotic bizarre food that would attract the likes of Andrew Zimmern, but okra is SCARY.

Long and pointy with slightly sappy fur, the pods themselves are a little on the intimidating side. When you throw in the--let's just say it--mucus-y slime from the interior, this domestic freak show is like a durian on your doorstep.

I understand the fear. I felt it myself as a child.

My mom would order okra at restaurants, and I'd curl away in my seat in terror.

But then I sampled a steaming bowl of gumbo and lived to ask for seconds. There was OKRA in that?

The next time I saw little golden puffs of fried okra on my mom's plate, I found my body uncurling in curiosity...I found my hand creeping toward her plate and reaching for a crispy okra nubbin...And I found the okra DELICIOUS.

These days it's pretty hard for me not to order fried okra when I see it on a menu. But it's easier to resist knowing that I make a pretty darn good version at home.

Fried Okra
Okra plants, actually a close relative to the Hibiscus, grow well in warm climates. Hoosband and I first made fried okra from our own homegrown okra, but now we rely on the freezer section of the nearest grocery store.

~for the buttermilk bath~
1 1/2 lbs frozen cut okra
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 T kosher salt
3 T hot sauce

~for the breading~
1 cup four
1 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (not corn muffin mix)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

~for frying~
peanut oil

Place frozen okra in a double layer of gallon-sized zip-top bags, set aside.

In a small bowl, thoroughly whisk together the buttermilk bath ingredients. Pour buttermilk mixture over okra, seal bags, and gently shake to coat. Allow okra to thaw in the buttermilk mixture in the fridge overnight.

In a large bowl whisk together the breading ingredients. Set a sieve inside the bowl so that it is filled with the breading mixture.

Heat a depth of 1-2 inches peanut oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan or cast-iron skillet over med-high heat. To check the oil, run your fingers under cold water and flick a few drops into the oil. If the oil is ready the water droplets will jump and spatter; if they jump too violently, your oil may be too hot.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a cooling rack on top.

Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to transfer okra to breading mixture and shake to coat completely. Lift up the sieve and shake off excess breading before transferring the okra to the hot oil.

Fry the okra just until light golden on all sides.

Use a spider or heatproof slotted spoon to transfer the okra to the prepared cooling rack. Repeat with remaining okra and breading.

Once a batch of okra has drained and cooled, it can be transferred to a serving bowl or foil roasting pan to make room for remaining batches.

Serve immediately. Okra can be warmed through in a baking dish or foil roasting pan at 350 degrees F if desired.

Guest Feedback:
Average Score on a scale of 0-5, 0 being "Never again. Need to set my mouth on fire to extinguish the memory" and 5 being "Woohoo! When can I eat that again?" 4.6
Comments: "Very surprised. Very refreshing, even fried." "Good for kids! Definitely will be making it!" "My kids even loved it." "Very Good."

This recipe was featured in a post called Music City in the Midwest for Foodbuzz.com's 24x24 event, for which 24 food bloggers from around the world are selected to host dinner parties within the same 24 hours and blog about them.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Redneck Tacos

The Setting: Another day with just enough blue in the sky to trick me into leaving the apartment wearing an inadequate number of layers. But I'll take it!

The Soundtrack: Sweet Oia's snoring.

On the Stove-top: Pinto beans with smoked pork shank.

The Scenario: Typing up the recipes to follow up Saturday's delicious dinner. First up: Redneck Tacos.

There is a lot is misinformation out there when it comes to regional variations in barbecue.

Just type "Tennessee-style BBQ" into your search bar and see how many contradicting descriptions you can find.

After sorting through the pages of "this one seems legit" and "this one's full of hooey," what I believe to be the gist is this:

Memphis is mostly into ribs...

Texas is mostly into brisket...

South Carolina is predominantly known for mustard-based sauce...

Kansas City is known for thicker, tomato-based sauces with a lot of sweetness...

Alabama does a crazy white sauce...

And you'll find all these things in Nashville.

However, when I talk to other Nashvillians who grew up in Music City and love barbecue so much you could cut into us and check the smoke ring, all seem to agree on at least one thing: true Nashville BBQ is pulled pork.

For me that means pulled pork so full of smoky flavor it needs little more than a toss with a thin and juicy vinegar-and-pepper solution. My research suggests this is Eastern North Carolina style, but it's Nashville style to me.

My favorite way to eat it?

Well, the Redneck Taco, of course.

Redneck Tacos (pulled pork BBQ and coleslaw on corncakes) are the specialty of Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, my favorite Music City BBQ destination.

This is an old picture. Martin's no longer shares a building with the auto shop.

Ironically, I never order them when I go there because I am eternally hung up on splitting the incredible Big Momma Sampler with Hoosband (and I'm super-picky when it comes to coleslaw), but they were the inspiration for this tasty meal that's super fun to serve for family or friends.

Redneck Taco Pulled Pork
Okay. If you have the option of smoking your meat, that's a whole different ballgame. But for those of us who only dream of having smokers...or yards, for that matter...the slow cooker and a little smoked pork shank will do just fine.

1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia), thinly sliced
1 boneless pork butt roast
1/2 a smoked pork shank
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 T kosher salt
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1 T granulated garlic
1/2 cup hot sauce (I used Lousiana)
1 cup apple cider vinegar

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker in the order listed. Cover and cook on low setting for 15 hours, flipping the butt roast halfway through. Uncover and use a fork (or two forks, if desired) to pull apart/shred the pork and any large pieces of fat. Make sure to break up any large pieces of smoked pork shank (it will be darker in color) and distribute it evenly thoughout the mixture.

Serve now or transfer to a storage container and cool completely before covering and refigerating till ready to use. BBQ can be made as many as 5 days ahead and reheated in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.

Tangy Slaw
I'm really weird about creamy dressings, so this refreshing slaw is mayo-free!

1 T kosher salt
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 T dijon or stone-ground mustard
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 packages shredded cabbage or slaw mix (I like the kind with bits of red cabbage and carrot)
1/4 cup crispy diced bacon, optional

Pour vinegar over spices and mustard in a very large bowl. Whisk together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, making an emulsion. Add the cabbage or slaw mix to the bowl, tossing to coat evenly. Stir in the bacon if using. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours before serving.

Corncakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (not corn muffin mix)
2 T white sugar or brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 T honey
2 large eggs
dash hot sauce
3 T bacon fat or butter, melted, plus more for griddle

In a med-large bowl, thoroughly whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, thoroughly whisk together buttermilk, honey, eggs, and hot sauce.

Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and gently whisk just until there are no pockets of dry ingredients to be found, breaking up any large lumps, but not overmixing. Pour in butter or bacon fat, incorporate in just 1-2 stirs. Let mixture rest while the griddle preheats.

Heat the griddle to 375 degrees F or med-high heat, and brush with butter or bacon fat.

Pour the batter onto the griddle to form desired sized cakes. When bubbles pop up all over the corncake, it is ready to be flipped. Cook 3 minutes on the second side or just till golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

Corncakes not to be eaten immediately can be placed on a cooling rack or in a single layer on a baking sheet to cool before being stacked in a large foil roasting pan, covered, and kept at room temperature for up to 6 hours before serving. Corncakes can be served room temperature or reheated in the foil roasting pan in a 350-degree-F oven till warmed through.

Serve Redneck Tacos with sliced pickled jalapenos, if desired.

Guest Feedback:
Average Score on a scale of 0-5, 0 being "Never again. Need to set my mouth on fire to extinguish the memory" and 5 being "Woohoo! When can I eat that again?" 4.6
Comments: "To die for." "Fantastic." "Yes please."

This recipe was featured in a post called Music City in the Midwest for Foodbuzz.com's 24x24 event, for which 24 food bloggers from around the world are selected to host dinner parties within the same 24 hours and blog about them.

Thanks for Reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.