American

When it comes to side dishes, Big Bob felt keeping it simple was the way to go. Consequently you won’t find a long list of accompaniments to choose from on our menu, just potato salad, slaw, baked beans, and potato chips. His original vinegar-based coleslaw (see page 176), made from only four ingredients, was the only slaw that was ever used in the restaurant. In 2003, Martha Stewart wanted to feature some of our favorite Southern-style sides on her television show and requested both baked bean and slaw recipes. We happily sent her recipes for half the side dishes on our menu. The next day we learned the show preferred we give them a “customary” mustard-based slaw typical of the Memphis Barbecue Region. I’d never heard of such a slaw, but who can argue with Martha Stewart? Thus was Crisp Spicy Southern Mustard Coleslaw born. The recipe has since been served to raves at the James Beard Foundation in New York City and at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Big Bob always had a standing policy at his restaurant that when you were on the clock you ate for free. Some companies give their staff stock options; Big Bob always gave his staff real Southern fixings. Many staples of the staff meals were not offered to the customers and it was not uncommon to walk into his restaurant and smell fried chicken, sweet potatoes, or catfish cooking. Thank God hickory smoke usually trumped any other aroma or Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q might have turned into Big Bob’s Southern Kitchen. While turnip greens have never graced the menu at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, they were cooked almost as often as any side dish on the menu. Always made with the restaurant’s smoked slab bacon, this recipe showcases the simple delight of seasoned greens. Pair them with black-eyed peas, fried potatoes, and cornbread to taste a typical employee meal in Big Bob’s kitchen.

Memphis in May is a barbecue competition that takes place the third weekend of May at Tom Lee Park on the Mississippi River. It is the largest pork cookoff in the world and is often called “The Super Bowl of Swine.” The Big Bob Gibson Competition Cooking Team has attended this contest since 1997 and to date we have never finished out of the top ten. We’ve won the pork shoulder category six times, won first place in sauce three times, and won the Grand Championship twice. But it is not our success in the competition that stirs the fondest memories of this event; it is the time spent with friends and family while enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. It is a tradition for us to put on a big feed the Friday night before the most serious part of the competition begins. Our menu changes year to year but almost always includes pork tenderloin, bean salad, homemade pies, and this stacked cornbread vegetable salsa salad. I am not sure where this recipe originally came from, but my mother-in-law, Carolyn McLemore, and her friend Joyce Terry always treat us to a big batch at this annual event. It’s good and it goes really well with smoked pork tenderloin.

We normally think of bacon as the thin slices of cured pork found in the aisles of our favorite grocery store or as crispy strips of meat acting as a tasty buffer between our eggs and biscuits in the early morning. The USDA defines bacon as “the cured belly of a swine carcass,” but it is more loosely accepted as cuts of meat taken from the belly, sides, or back of a pig. Big Bob Gibson was fond of bacon not only as a delicious food in its own right, but as part of the cooking process. He would season slab bacon and cook it above leaner cuts of meat such as ham, pork tenderloin, turkey, whole goat, or venison. The meat below the slab bacon would bathe in a shower of hot lard, ensuring a tender, moist, and flavorful result. Big Bob also placed slab bacon in the rib cage of whole pigs while they were cooking on the pit to ensure that the ribs and loin would not overcook while the shoulders and hams of the pig were still roasting. Diced slab bacon also made an occasional appearance in Big Bob’s Brunswick stew, baked beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, and greens. If Big Bob’s regular customers were observant, the aroma of slab bacon was a giveaway that their food would be extra tasty that day. Slab bacon was a special treat to him because he enjoyed the charred crisp edges. This recipe maximizes the amount of charred caramelized bits by cutting the slab in pieces prior to cooking. It was not a regular menu item, but it showed up when Big Bob wanted to add extra flavor to other foods he was preparing that day. Although Big Bob’s favorite slab bacon recipe was never written down, the following recipe comes close to matching his flavors.

The pork tenderloin has a very mild flavor and because of this, it is a very versatile meat. It is often prepared with a strong, flavorful marinade, dry rub, stuffing, or sauce. This elongated muscle usually weighs between three quarters of a pound and one and a half pounds and can be cooked at either hot or low temperatures. The tenderloin is typically barbecued whole and, when done, cross-cut and served as medallions. Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Michigan Cherry Glaze begins with a bath in a rich marinade highlighted by cherry cola. Soy and brown sugar provide the depth of flavor, and the cherry cola adds a fruity punch while the acidity of it works to tenderize the meat. The earthy flavor of the smoked pork tenderloin is finished with a sweet glaze made from Michigan cherry preserves. This recipe was created in 2007 for an ESPN/Kingsford game day matchup when this tenderloin was pitted against Joe Theismann’s Luck o’ the Irish Lamb Chops. It was Michigan against Notre Dame on the field and grill. Here’s the winning recipe.

Above the shoulder of a pig from the neck to the hams lie the pork loins. Pigs are equipped with two meaty loins located on the top sides of the spine. Buying whole loins will not break your wallet or your waistline. A three-ounce serving contains about one hundred fifty calories with six grams of fat. These loins can be smoked whole, divided into smaller roasts (typically two to five pounds), or cut into pork chops. This cut should not be confused with the pork tenderloin, which is much smaller (three quarters of a pound to one and a half pounds) and is located in the loin area but underneath the rib cage of the pig. This recipe combines the charring effect of direct grilling and the slow heat of the indirect cooking process to create a tender roast that retains its moisture. I created this recipe for the National Pork Board a few years back. The Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is a sweet complement to the spicy dry rub and smoked flavors. The dish is a nice change from pork chops, which is the traditional use for this cut of meat.

When you have a craving for pulled pork but a whole shoulder is more meat than you need, the pork butt is your best option. The butt is not the rear end of a pig but the upper portion of the shoulder. This six- to eight-pound cut is usually well marbled and holds up well during long cooks. Most competition barbecue teams select the pork butt when going for the blue ribbon in the pork category because it has more marbling than the picnic portion of the shoulder and is more easily manageable on the grill than the entire shoulder. I created this recipe for a huge neighborhood block party in Birmingham, Alabama. There are only two things that go together better than a barbecue block party and Birmingham, and that is peaches and pork. If you are ever invited to a barbecue in Alabama, pack your overnight bag.

The whole pork shoulder is exactly that, a hog’s entire front haunch. The average shoulder weighs sixteen to twenty pounds and is the shape of a large shoe box. The shoulder is comprised of two different cuts: the “picnic,” which is the lower portion and includes the leg bone, and the “butt,” which is the top of the shoulder, including the blade bone. In the barbecue world, restaurant cooking is different from competition cooking. A restaurant customer expects to enjoy a full plate of barbecue and to enjoy the last bite as much as the first. Judges at competitions, on the other hand, usually taste only a bite or two for each entry they are served. If your meat doesn’t grab the judges’ taste buds and make them whimper with pleasure, the blue ribbon is history. In fact I once heard a master barbecue judge say, “You can’t win with good eatin’ barbecue.” It is very difficult to walk the fine line between good eatin’ and good scorin’ ’Q, but this recipe does it. It takes the base flavors and cooking techniques that Big Bob Gibson always used in his restaurant and amplifies them for competition. We add a seasoning blend to enhance the flavor of the bark—the outside crust of the meat—and we use injection to increase the moisture in the pork and permeate the meat throughout with flavorings. We use the same vinegar-based sauce that Big Bob created in the early 1920s to finish the shoulder. These modifications resulted in six straight first place finishes at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in the pork shoulder category, an added victory at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, and a first place at the largest barbecue contest in the world, the American Royal.

Whip up one of these pretty pastel shakes for a casual dessert or any time you finish supper wishing you had made dessert. We suggest Chai Shake after a curry, Vanilla Rum Milkshake after West Indian Red Beans & Coconut Rice (page 69), Pineapple Ginger Shake after Asian Braised Fish with Greens (page 160)—you get the picture.

Old-fashioned and still delicious.

This pie is lighter in flavor and texture than its pumpkin cousins. If you’ve got a pie shell waiting, it’s a snap to get this treat into the oven.

The easiest crumble we know of—it uses frozen cherries and store-bought shortbread cookies that you can find on the natural foods shelf. (See photo)

Easy, no-fuss sauce for your favorite barbecue.

We’ve come to love Old Bay seasoning for its aromatic flavor. (See photo)

Let your oven do the work on this juicy, piquant fish and the succulent red and orange roasted vegetables.

For a simple supper, we can’t imagine adding anything to this dish other than sliced tomatoes, zydeco music, and a little two-step.

These open-faced sandwiches are not very traditional, rather messy—and very satisfying.

Mildly spicy, really homey, and satisfying. We’d like to acknowledge our friend Anne Kenney for the idea for this recipe.

This thick, flavorful Southwestern soup comes together easily using pantry items.

The warmth of this salad brings out the best flavors of the ingredients: mellow lentils, sharp escarole, aromatic fennel, and rich, crunchy walnuts. (See photo)