074 Making Purple Cabbage & Carrot Slaw | Grill Like A Mother Podcast

Join host Taryn Solie for Episode 74, where she introduces a unique twist on a classic cookout side dish – coleslaw. Discover how to make a vibrant purple cabbage and carrot slaw with a honey orange vinaigrette dressing. Taryn provides ingredient recommendations and essential tips for zesting the orange. Follow the step-by-step instructions to create this colorful and delicious side, perfectly paired with a variety of grilled meats. Don’t miss this episode for a refreshing addition to your BBQ menu!

promo image for Grill Like A Mother podcast episode 74: Making Purple Cabbage & Carrot Slaw. A close up of sliced purple cabbage and shredded carrots in a white bowl being tossed with tongs is shown on a dark purple background with white text at the bottom showing the episode name and number.

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RECIPES MENTIONED

These are some of the recipes mentioned in the episode, all of which are on Hot Pan Kitchen.

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TRANSCRIPT

Taryn Solie: Hello grillers, and thank you for tuning in today! I am your host, Taryn Solie, and I am here to talk with you about all things grilling and outdoor cooking, including delicious recipes and handy tips and tricks, all to give you some grilling inspiration.

Today we’re going to cover one of the most common side dishes for a bbq or cookout – that’s right, it’s coleslaw. But this isn’t just any slaw. Typically coleslaw has a slightly thicker mayo dressing but the recipe I’m going to go over with you today is a purple slaw with a honey orange vinaigrette dressing. It gives the coleslaw a little twist but it also pairs really well with pork dishes. Oranges and pork are a common pairing, particularly in carnitas, and this coleslaw is a takeoff of that.

There are hardly any ingredients for this recipe – just purple cabbage, shredded carrots (sometimes called matchsticks), and the dressing. I’m going to give you the ingredients and directions to make the dressing but if you have an orange vinaigrette you already like or want to buy one, feel free to do that to cut down on prep time.

Okay, here are the ingredients:

a 1 pound head of purple cabbage, which is either a small head or half of a large one;
5 ounces of shredded carrots (you can buy these pre-made, and I usually do);

then for the dressing:

Half of a Cara Cara orange that’s small- to medium-sized. You essentially want about 2 tbsp of fresh orange juice plus the zest;
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar;
3 tbsp of a mild oil, I like avocado oil;
1 tbsp of honey, plus more if you like your dressing sweeter;
1.25 tsp of dijon mustard; and
½ tsp of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste after the slaw is mixed.

Now a couple of notes about the ingredients before we get into the instructions.

First, you probably noticed I mentioned a specific orange, the Cara Cara orange. I’ve found these oranges to be sweeter than your typical Naval orange, which lends better flavor to the dressing. If you can only find Naval then you will need to add a little more honey to the dressing to sweeten in up. I would start with an additional half-tablespoon and increase if necessary.

Second, you’ll need to have a microplane or zester for this recipe. The zest is essential to getting the flavor of the orange in the dressing. When you’re zesting the orange you want to be careful to get only the dark part of the skin and not the light part underneath, which known as the pith. The pith is bitter and you don’t want that in your dressing.

I would also recommend zesting the half of your orange before you cut into it. When you zest you have to grasp your orange and if you cut it beforehand the juice will squeeze out when you grasp it. You could try juicing it and then zesting it, but it’s more difficult to grab that way.

And one last note – this recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is the type of salt I prefer to cook with. It is less salty by volume than other kosher salts, leaving a little more room for error as you cook and season. If you have a different type of salt, I’ll link to an article on the show notes page that will help you figure out how much salt to use.

Okay, that’s it for the tips, now let’s get to the recipe!

We’re going to make the dressing first, and the first part of that is to zest the orange. As I already mentioned, this is going to be easier to do if you don’t cut the orange in half beforehand.

Take out your microplane or other zester, as well as a medium bowl. If you’re using a microplane, rest it against the rim of the bowl, kind of laying it down flat on top. Zest the orange by rubbing it against the microplane in short swipes, scraping just the darker orange skin off into the bowl. You’ll likely need to wipe the zest off the bottom of the microplane with your finger when you’re done to get it all off and into the bowl.

Once the zest is off, use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut the orange in half, then if necessary cut the orange into smaller pieces if needed for the type of juicer you’re using. I use a handheld one that works like a garlic press but you might be using one when you press the orange half onto the juicer with your hand. Juice the orange into the same bowl as the zest (or juice it then pour the juice into the bowl), then discard the used parts of the orange when you’re done.

Take out a 16 ounce mason jar and measuring spoons and measure out then add the apple cider vinegar, oil, kosher salt, and dijon mustard into the jar. If your honey is very fluid go ahead and add it to the jar as well. If not, put it in a small microwavable bowl and warm it for about 10 seconds, then add it into the mason jar too.

Pour both the juice and zest into the jar, add the lid, then shake vigorously to combine all of the ingredients together. Set the jar aside while you make the slaw.

Using the same knife and cutting board you used for the orange – no need to dirty more dishes – go ahead and thinly slice the cabbage. If you’re starting with a small whole head, cut it in half, otherwise start with the half you have. Cut out the thick internal stem in the bottom middle of the cabbage by making two deep cuts along the edges of the stem into the cabbage. You want to angle the cuts as best you can so they point into the center of the cabbage and not straight back. The resulting piece you cut out should be triangular in shape, almost like a cone. You may have to make several cuts to get the internal stem all out. If you need visuals to do this, I’ll link to the recipe on the show notes page as it has pictures so you can see what I’m talking about.

Next we’re going to thinly slice the cabbage. You could do this with a mandolin if you have one, but I’m going to give you instructions for doing it with a large knife. First you want to cut the cabbage half in half again, so you have two quarters of a cabbage. Set one of the quarters aside and lay the other quarter on the cutting board with one flat side down. Start making small slices with your knife on the other flat side of the cabbage, cutting as thin as you like and are able to with the knife. Keep slicing until all of the cabbage is cut, then put the sliced cabbage into a large bowl. Do the same with the other cabbage quarter, or quarters if you were starting with a small whole head of cabbage.

Add the shredded carrots to the bowl with the cabbage as well. Take the jar of dressing out and give it a shake to make sure the ingredients are combined, then pour the dressing over the carrots and cabbage. Use a pair of kitchen tongs to stir everything together, coating the veggies with the dressing.

Now comes the taste test. Take a bite of the slaw and see if it needs more salt. I typically like to add anywhere between ¼ and ½ tsp more kosher salt to it. Then stir again with the tongs to get the salt mixed in. And you’re done!

One last note – the slaw can be served right away, but it actually tastes better the next day when the cabbage has softened and the flavors have melded together. You want to store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight to do this.

And there you have it! Slaw that goes perfectly with a ton of grilled foods. Of course the classic pairing is pulled pork or carnitas, but other cuts of pork work too, like smoked ribs, grilled pork tenderloin, or smoked pork chops. Grilled chicken would also be great with this slaw; I would do my chicken thighs marinated in my quick 4-ingredient marinade or even my Mexican grilled chicken breasts. There are lots of great options here.

I’ll include a link to the full printable recipe for this purple coleslaw, as well as the other recipes and resources I’ve mentioned, on the show notes page. To get to it you can either go to my main website at Hot Pan Kitchen dot com and click on podcast in the main menu, or you can click on the link provided in whatever podcast app you’re listening on.

If you enjoyed this recipe, consider subscribing to the show on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss out on future episodes! I’ve got so many more great grilling and smoking recipes you’re going to love.

That’s it for today, thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep grilling like a mother.