Hillbilly Cole Slaw is dressed with a sweet and tangy vinegar based dressing, It’s a spectacular twist on classic mayonnaise dressed cole slaw. You can serve it as a condiment for grilled hot dogs, pinto beans or alongside barbecue and Southern fried chicken. The vinegar dressing makes it ideal for warm weather entertaining and it’s simple to pack up and take to potluck parties year-round.
Hillbilly Cole Slaw Makes A Spectacular Potluck Side Dish
I bet you’re wondering, what in the world is hillbilly cole slaw? Well, the short answer is, it’s a fresh vinegar based cole slaw that we fell in love with it at a little gem near our home in North Carolina. The Hillbilly Hideaway is a log cabin restaurant featuring country cooking specialties all served family-style. It’s only open on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday which only heightens its appeal. Depending on the day, you may enjoy fried chicken, country ham, ribs or meatloaf as the entree. The featured side dishes they serve are things like Southern green beans, home cooked pintos, mashed potatoes, cream style corn and stewed cinnamon apples. To round out the meal, a basket of hoe cakes and cornbread. If that’s not good enough, they keep bringing it to the table until you’re done, or full, whichever comes first. It’s a great place to take teenage boys for supper. Ask me how I know this.
Vinegar Slaw
This recipe is my homage to their vinegar based slaw that rotates on their menu with a mayonnaise dressed slaw, depending on the night. I must admit, while I love mayo, this slaw is like a summer version of chow chow. It compliments a bowl of beans and cornbread in a most magnificent way, It’s made with fresh cabbage, shredded carrots, diced green pepper with a sprinkling of red and green onions that are layered and then seasoned to perfection. A hot vinegar dressing is poured on top and then it’s chilled for 24 hours to allow the ingredients to marinate and the flavors to combine. I highly recommend you go the extra mile and make the vegetable mixture from scratch as the fresh flavor from doing so is unparalleled.
Why Layer?
I have found when making this slaw that the cabbage takes the longest to absorb the flavors of the vinegar dressing hence the reason it’s on the bottom. Also, once you toss the remaining ingredients with the vinegar, the red onion begins to lose its color. Will this hurt the taste? It won’t, but, we do eat with our eyes first. It’s perfectly acceptable to toss this together just before serving for the flavor of the dressing to permeate. It’s imperative that you allow it to chill for 24 hours in a shallow dish for the best results.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Hillbilly Cole Slaw
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb head green cabbage (About 6 cups chopped) remove core and chop
- 3 medium carrots peeled and grated
- 1 small green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 small red onion small dice
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp celery seeds
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- 3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Layer cabbage, carrots, green pepper and green onion in a shallow container.
- Sprinkle with garlic salt, celery seed and lemon pepper.
- In a small saucepan on the stovetop bring vinegar, oil and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Immediately pour evenly over vegetables.
- Seal tightly and chill for 24 hours.
- Toss ingredients well before serving. Will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
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mike says
can you use store bought slaw mix instead of fresh cabbage.or woukd it throw off the taste?
Melissa says
Hi Mike, You could try it. This particular slaw is just best with fresh due to the amount of time it soaks in the vinegar dressing. Let me know how it goes if you decide to give it a whirl but, as noted in the narrative, fresh is best.
Lori says
I made this yesterday and wasn’t sure how it would turn out..I waited 24 hrs then mixed it up thoroughly..Oh My Goodness is this delicious !!!!! Such an awesome way to make coleslaw..the cabbage was tender and the rest of the were crispy..thank you for sharing your recipe.
Melissa says
Hi Lori, I’m so happy you loved this, thanks!
John says
Have you tried this with apple cider vinegar before?
Melissa says
I make this just as written. If you try it, let us know how it goes.