Red BBQ Slaw

I love this recipe! I have lived in NC all of my life and have tried many recipes for red BBQ slaw and this is by far the best one. Just make sure you break up the red pepper flakes a little. Once I chop the cabbage in the food processor I add the red pepper flakes and pulse a couple of times. Great recipe Robin!

Yay! Carolina bbq slaw. Like you put on the bbq sandwiches back home in North Carolina!! Very close to home!~

Exactly the recipe I was searching for! I used a little cayenne pepper and a little of the red pepper flakes. It is really better if you can let it marinate overnight. Thanks for the recipe Robin!

Growing up in Shelby NC, BBQ was a way traditional Christmas dinner. My grandma always made BBQ with all the fixing's. To me, its just not BBQ with out the red slaw. It does seem like an odd combination of flavors but we LOVE it!! It is better if allowed to sit awhile, flavors meld together for a better taste. I have used, store bought, barbecue sauce instead of ketchup, seems to give it kind of a smoke flavor depending on the variety of sauce used.

Great recipe. I just came from Lexington, NC, last week, and this recipe tastes just like the slaw that they serve at Speedy's. I added a little bit more sugar, cause I like my sauce sweeter, but the recipe is a winner!

Love this recipe, thank you. Super red slaw, worderful with BBQ and great with fish too!!

The "yuckers" definitely are not from NC. This was great!

I haven't tried this yet, but I CANNOT WAIT to make it! I lived in NC for about 3 years, and the best slaw I ever had was at a Police Fundraiser in Greensboro. I had never heard of red slaw before, and it looked weird to me, but I love anything that has vinegar in it, so I had to try it. I was completely hooked! Went to the fundraiser for the pulled pork... got seconds of the slaw instead. This sounds amazing... and makes me miss NC.

This is a great vinegar based slaw! I did it exactly as the recipe stated.

awesome, so surprised with the results, never had a slaw that wasn't mayo based. I did add some oil. Thanx for sharing!

Yuk....just doesn't do it for me

This tastes like restaraunt style red slaw! My husband LOVES it. This could not be easier to make. Will never buy it from the store again :)

Excellent! Didn't change a thing. Taste just like what I used to get back home in NC.

I have never been able to make good bbq slaw but this recipe was husband approved! The ketchup was the secret. I tried before using tomatoes and this is much better. We are from NC and this is like they serve at our favorite bbq places. Thanks!

I honestly did not care for this at all. It is easy to make, but the flavors were not appealing.

Tasted just like what I had in Charlotte.

Being raised in NC I tend to be very picky when it comes to BBQ and slaw, and this was perfect. We add more hot sauce, but that is just our preference. Thanks for sharing this recipe, this is a keeper!

Perfect, having left over BBQ tonight and needed slaw. For those not accustomed to Carolina BBQ we have a sweet and sour thing going. You use this slaw to top your pulled pork, one bite and you know your in heaven. Thanks!

Awesome BBQ Slaw! Added a little celery seed and liquid smoke just because I like those flavors in my slaw! Had just the right amount of heat and great Carolina flavor.

Made this slaw for an outing with smoked pork butts. It was a HUGE success. It is very much like North Carolina red slaw from some of the old hickory wood fired BBQ restaurants. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days for better results. Will make this slaw over and over again.

Husband and I love the red slaw from a bbq restaurant 2 hours away so I can had to find something similar that did not involve a long drive. This is IT. I used a chopped salad mix from the grocery store instead of doing it myself. I pulsed it a couple times in the food processor to make it more "slaw" like. It was perfect and I got my husband to eat some kale (in the mix) that he otherwise refuses to try.

This is pretty good but I think you have to go to Lexington BBQ to get the ultimate slaw. I think it has something to do with the surroundings in addition to the formula. This stuff does wonders to a hot dog.

This was fantastic! I am from Greensboro, NC but moved to WY about 5 years ago and not a day goes by that I don't crave BBQ from back home. I learned how to make Lexington-style BBQ on my own but it was still missing something. This recipe fixed that! It's just like the slaw I'm used to and not the mayonnaise soaked kind they have here. Thank you so much!

This is SOOO close to my favorite bbq in Thomasville, Tommy's bbq. I didn't add the heat, because kids lol. We always add a couple dashes of hot sauce on the meat anyway. I used Trisha Yearwoods peachy pork for the bbq (without making the bbq sauce) and Georgia's Finest Vinegar BBQ sauce, because that's the closest vinegar bbq sauce to Tommy's I can find here in North Georgia. The red slaw was a great compliment to sandwich!!!

Made a 1/4 batch, and added to smoked bbq chicken quesadillas. Yum.

i have made this several times. i like to use about half and half green and purple cabbage and eye ball the ingredients listed to my taste. must let sit overnight in fridge. delicious straight and on shredded pork sandwiches.

I made this delicious slaw to go with Texas Barbecue pulled pork. As native Tarheels, we appreciate good barbecue and slaw for a barbecue sandwich is nothing without slaw. This is an excellent slaw and not too sweet A nice change from slaw with mayonnaise. This recipe is truly a keeper.

This stuff is great. It's even good with crackers if you don't have any barbecue.... I have made it 4 times now. Always a hit.

Very good but hot. I will use half the pepper flakes next time.

I was looking for a slaw to go with our hotdogs the other day. I'm glad I tried this one. I changed the catsup for BBQ sauce and omitted the sugar. It was a fun topping for our hotdogs. We all looked it. I'm making it again tonight!

You definitely want to let this sit for a few hours to get the best flavor. A great side dish for Carolina BBQ. I made some Carolina Pulled Pork and put this on top for sandwiches; MMM MMMM!!!! Go TarHeels!

Brown's Chicken used to sell a red slaw back in the 60's. I was hoping that this was a copycat of that recipe. It was flavorful and fresh, and the dressing was very good, but not exactly what I was looking for. I'll try this again, but will wait until cabbage is back in season.

Easy, great taste and saves well. Big hit with my NC family members. Thanks!

Made this for a party in Western NC and everyone loved it! The only change I made was to use Texas Pete instead of pepper flakes.

I followed the recipe without any changes. We made BBQ and used this slaw to make sandwiches. It was a big hit.

Was great with our pulled pork! Used BBQ sauce instead of ketchup

Too heavy a vinegar taste and the flavor just wasn't anything to write home about, and I've eaten a lot of BBQ with BBQ slaw since I've lived in NC (32 years). I'll find a different recipe next time.

I have made this twice now & my family loves it!

No changes.My family loved it!

A lot of people, even those born and raised in North Carolina, don't realize that the Tar Heel state has two indigenous forms of pork barbecue with different flavor profiles, but sharing their history. Eastern NC Barbecue uses a "white" vinegar basting sauce, which contains no tomato products, which were originally thought of as toxic and dangerous to eat. As folks learned tomato was safe and as they migrated from the coast further inland, tomato sauces, extracts and pastes began to be added to the basic vinegar sauce, often with a little sugar to balance the flavors (arguably the base for sweeter and thicker bbq sauces like Kansas City styled further down the line), resulting in what locals refer to as Western NC barbecue sauce or Lexington sauce. Side dishes were often made with either the left over sauce from the meat (which was often cooked down from long heating on the side of the pit) or extra sauce made for the purpose, resulting in variations of baked beans and slaws spiced with the vinegar and red pepper flakes mix. Personally, I love Eastern style chopped meat with western style beans and slaw, but I'm the weirdo who likes my slaw on the side too! Enjoy, friends!

Really good but no salt?? Had add a little salt

We loved this. I will make it again for sure. Great flavor and perfect to top off the pork sandwich.

I love this recipe! Only change was to use 1/2 of the sugar.

Amazing! Just like my local barbecue restaurants. I used ground cayenne instead of pepper flakes and dialed back the pepper a bit for my family's taste, but this recipe is super easy and spot-on. If it gets better sitting overnight, I won't know what to say about it. (used White House vinegar and Heinz ketchup)

Tastes just like it's supposed to taste and I am thrilled! It's just as good as the old J&G BBQ slaw!

This is the real deal! Red slaw was new to me when I married a Tarheel, but now I understand....you just can't have BBQ without it. Since we don't live in NC, we have to make it ourselves. I've tried a few recipes, but this is the keeper. I don't need to look any further. Thanks!

Finally, the perfect topping slaw for pulled pork! It's very simple, and a little weird tasting when first made, but after it sits for a day or two, the flavors really meld together, and the vinegar comes out front and center. On top of pulled pork on a sandwich, it adds the perfect amount of crunch, vinegar bite, and counterbalance to the rich fattiness of the pork. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely make again.

Great heat not spicey. Exactly what i wanted

Great slaw recipe. My variation is to add a half of a tsp of celery seed.