EASY BARBECUE DINNER FOR 10

Published June 1, 2009. From Summer Entertaining 2009. Pulled pork is the perfect vehicle for our spicy chili rub. Pair with our quick bread and butter pickles, Southern-style cornbread, and buttermilk coleslaw for the perfect barbecue menu.

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Buttermilk Coleslaw with Green Onions and Cilantro Quick Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles Southern-Style Cornbread Barbecued Pulled Pork on a Charcoal Grill Strawberry Cream Cake BUTTERMILK COLESLAW WITH GREEN ONIONS AND CILANTRO

Serves 4. If you are planning to serve the coleslaw immediately, rinse the salted cabbage in a large bowl of ice water, drain it in a colander, pick out any ice cubes, then pat the cabbage dry before dressing. IN GR ED IEN TS

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1 poundcabbage(about 1/2 medium head), red or green, shredded fine (6 cups) Table salt 1 medium carrot, shredded on box grater 1/2 cupbuttermilk 2 tablespoonsmayonnaise 2 tablespoonssour cream 1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 1 tablespoonminced fresh cilantro leaves 1 teaspoonlime juice 1/2 teaspoongranulated sugar 2 scallions, sliced thin 1/8 teaspoonground black pepper

IN STR UCTIO NS 1. Toss shredded cabbage and 1 teaspoon salt in colander or large mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse cabbage under cold running water. Press, but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. Place wilted cabbage and carrot in large bowl. 2. 2. Stir buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, shallot, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage and toss to combine; refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
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QUICK HOMEMADE BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

IN GR ED IEN TS

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1 poundpickling (Kirby) cucumbers, sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch disks 1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin 1 tablespoonkosher salt 1 cupcider vinegar 3/4 cupsugar 1/2 teaspoonyellow mustard seeds 1/4 teaspooncelery seeds 1/8 teaspoonground tumeric

IN STR UCTIO NS 1. Toss cucumbers, onion, and salt in colander set over bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Discard drained liquid. 2. Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, add cucumbers and onion, and press to submerge in liquid. Cover and cook until cucumbers turn dullish olive-brown, about 5 minutes. 3. 3. Transfer entire pan contents to glass bowl. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours before serving. (Pickles can be refrigerated in covered container for up to 2 weeks.)
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Makes one 8-inch skillet of bread. Unlike its sweet, cakey Northern counterpart, Southern cornbread is thin, crusty, and decidedly savory. Though some styles of Southern cornbread are dry and crumbly, I favor this dense, moist, tender version. Cornmeal mush of just the right texture is essential to this bread. Though I prefer to make cornbread in a preheated cast-iron skillet, a 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch square baking pan, greased lightly with butter and not preheated, will also produce acceptable results if you double the recipe and bake the bread for 25 minutes. IN GR ED IEN TS

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4 teaspoonsbacon drippingsor 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 cupyellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground 2 teaspoonsgranulated sugar 1/2 teaspoontable salt 1 teaspoonbaking powder 1/4 teaspoonbaking soda 1/3 cupwater(rapidly boiling) 3/4 cupbuttermilk 1 large egg, beaten lightly

IN STR UCTIO NS 1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set 8-inch cast-iron skillet with bacon fat (or vegetable oil) in heating oven. 2. Measure 1/3 cup cornmeal into medium bowl. Mix remaining cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in small bowl; set aside. 3. Pour boiling water all at once into the 1/3 cup cornmeal; stir to make a stiff mush. Whisk in buttermilk gradually, breaking up lumps until smooth, then whisk in egg. When oven is preheated and skillet very hot, stir dry ingredients into mush mixture until just moistened. Carefully remove skillet from oven. Pour hot bacon fat (or melted butter) from the skillet into the batter and stir to incorporate, then quickly pour batter into heated skillet.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and instantly turn cornbread onto wire rack; cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.
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RECIPE TESTING Getting the Batter Just Right

1. If your mush looks like this, it is too firm; work in a tablespoon or two of hot water to loosen it before adding the wet ingredients.

2. If the water is not hot enough, the starch will not gelatinize, the batter will be too thin, and the mush will not form.

3. The mush should be like soft polenta: thick enough to give the batter body, but pliable enough to stir wet ingredients in easily.

BARBECUED PULLED POR K ON A CHARCOAL GRILL

Serves 8. Pulled pork can be made with a fresh ham or picnic roast, although our preference is for Boston butt. Preparing pulled pork requires little effort, but lots of time. Plan on 10 hours from start to finish: 3 hours with the spice rub, 1 hour to come to room temperature, 3 hours on the grill, 2 hours in the oven, and 1 hour to rest. Wood chunks help flavor the meat; hickory is the traditional choice with pork, although mesquite can be used if desired. Serve the pulled pork on plain white bread or warmed buns with the classic accompaniments of dill pickle chips and coleslaw. You will need a disposable aluminum roasting pan that measures about 10 inches by 8 inches as well as heavy-duty aluminum foil and a brown paper grocery bag. IN GR ED IEN TS

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Spicy Chili Rub 1 tablespoonground black pepper 1 - 2 teaspoonscayenne pepper 2 tablespoonschili powder 2 tablespoonsground cumin 2 tablespoonsdark brown sugar 1 tablespoondried oregano 4 tablespoonspaprika 2 tablespoonstable salt 1 tablespoongranulated sugar 1 tablespoonground white pepper Pork 1 bone-in pork roast, 6 to 8 pounds (preferably shoulder or Boston butt roast) 2 cups barbecue sauce (see related recipes)

IN STR UCTIO NS 1. Mix all spicy chili rub ingredients in small bowl, set aside. 2. If using a fresh ham or picnic roast, remove skin (see illustration below). Massage dry rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For strong flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) 3. 3. At least 1 hour prior to cooking, remove roast from refrigerator, unwrap, and let it come to room temperature. Soak 4 (3-inch) wood chunks in cold water to cover for 1 hour and drain. Meanwhile, light a large chimney starter filled a bit less than halfway with charcoal briquettes (about 2 1/2 quarts, or about 40 briquettes), and burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. 4. 4. Empty the coals into the grill; build a modified two-level fire by spreading the coals onto one side of the grill, piling them up in a mound 2 or 3 briquettes high, leaving the other half with no coals. Open the bottom vents completely. Place the soaked wood chunks on the coals. Position the cooking grate over the coals, cover the grill, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 2 seconds). Use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean. 5. 5. Set unwrapped roast in disposable pan (see illustration below) and place it on grate opposite the fire, (see illustrations below). Open grill lid vents three-quarters of the way and cover, turning lid so that vents are opposite chunks to draw smoke through the grill. Cook, adding about 8 briquettes every hour or so to maintain an average temperature of 275 degrees, for 3 hours. 6. 6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place roast in pan and wrap with heavy-duty foil to cover completely. Place pan in oven and cook until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours. 7. 7. Slide the foil-wrapped pan with the roast into a brown paper bag. Crimp top shut; rest roast 1 hour. Transfer roast to cutting board and unwrap. When cool enough to handle, "pull" pork by separating roast into muscle sections (see illustration, below), removing fat, if desired, and tearing meat into thin shreds with fingers. Place shredded meat in large bowl ; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, adding more to taste. Serve with remaining sauce passed separately.
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TECHN IQ UE Using a Charcoal Grill for Indirect Cooking

1. Pile the coals on one half of the grill and leave the other half free of coals.

2. Place soaked and drained wood chunks or a foil packet filled with wood chips on top of the coals. Set the top grate in position, heat briefly, and then scrape the grate clean with a grill brush. You are now ready to cook over the cooler part of the fire. Put the food on the grill and set the lid in place. Open the air vents as directed in individual recipes.

3. A grill thermometer inserted through the vents on the lid can tell you if the fire is too hot or if the fire is getting too cool and you need to add more charcoal. You will get different readings depending on where the lid vents are and thus where the thermometer is in relation to the coals. Because you want to know where the food is being cooked, rotate the lid so that the thermometer is close to the food. Make sure, however, that the thermometer stem does not touch the food. STEP-BY -STEP Key Steps to Pulled Pork

1. If using a fresh ham or pinic roast, cut through the skin with the tip of a chef's knife. Slide the blade just under the skin and work around to loosen it while pulling it off with your other hand. Boston butt, or shoulder roast, does not need to be trimmed.

2. Set the unwrapped roast, which has been placed in a disposable aluminum pan barely larger than the meat itself, on the cooking grate opposite the coals and the wood.

3. After cooking, as soon as the meat is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and separate the major muscle sections with your hands.

4. Remove as much fat as desired and tear the meat into thin shreds.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE

Serves 8 to 10. If using a cake pan, you will need one with straight sides that are at least 2 inches high; otherwise, use a springform pan. The cake portion can be made ahead of time, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, and frozen; thaw the frozen cake, unwrapped, at room temperature for about two hours before proceeding with the recipe. IN GR ED IEN TS

Cake 1 1/4 cupscake flour(5 ounces) 1 1/2 teaspoonsbaking powder 1/4 teaspoontable salt 1 cupsugar(7 ounces) 5 large eggs(2 whole and 3 separated), room temperature 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 tablespoonswater 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract Strawberry Filling 2 poundsfresh strawberries(medium or large, about 2 quarts), washed, dried, and stemmed 4 - 6 tablespoonssugar 2 tablespoonsKirsch


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pinchtable salt Whipped Cream 8 ouncescream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cupsugar(3 1/2 ounces) 1 teaspoonvanilla extract 1/8 teaspoontable salt 2 cupsheavy cream

IN STR UCTIO NS 1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. 2. 2. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours. 3. 3. FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING: Halve 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup). In workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated berries five 1-second pulses (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled. 4. 4. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups). 5. 5. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of pureed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge). Repeat with 20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries. Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours.
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STEP-BY -STEP Building a Strawberry Cream Cake

1. With serrated knife, use sawing motion to cut cake into 3 layers, rotating cake as you go.

2. Place sliced berries evenly around edges (they will be visible once layers are assembled).

3. Cover center of cake completely with half of pureed strawberries.

4. Spread one-third of whipped cream over berries, leaving 1/2-inch border. Repeat layering.

5. Press last layer into place, spread with remaining cream, and decorate with berries.