Peach and the Willow

Good Gookamookee Sauce (pronounced; goo-ka-moo-kee) is HANDS DOWN my most often used and requested barbecue sauce.  But let me be clear…this is my dad’s prized sauce and he deserves all the credit!   When he first made it for our family, he declared “good gookamookee!” the name stuck, and a craze began!  For a lotta folks…it’s barbecue crack (beware people!…highly addictive!).  Just don’t let my dad see you put it on his smoked brisket!  By his rules, he decrees Good Gookamookee can accompany anything but brisket!  (Hmmm…I humbly disagree!…this sauce would taste good on a rock!  Love you dad!)

Please allow me to “break it down” for a moment and elaborate on Good Gookamookee Sauce and all its many culinary attributes.  It’s a mustard based sauce, highly reminiscent of those made famous in the Carolinas.  It’s wet.  You get me?  Wet!  Not thick and sappy sweet…but liquidy and slightly sweet with a nice little peppery kick and a pleasant vinegary burn. Because of the spiciness and acidity of the sauce, it also plays the role of marinade,finishing sauce, dipping sauce and dressing! Yep. This sauce is kick ass (sorry mom). I have used it in so many dishes I couldn’t possibly be able to account for them. However, it is most obviously and frequently used when barbecuing (my friend Trey swears by his Barbecue Grilled Chicken Thighs with Good Gookamookee Sauce) while my husband puts a little in pasta dishes! It’s delicious mixed in with hamburger meat before grilling with a continuous basting or as that “special something” in your favorite homemade soup. The Peach and the Willow Slaw that accompanies the pulled pork sandwiches in this blog uses Good Gookamookee Sauce as its slaw dressing! So you see…no other barbecue sauce pulls this much weight in the kitchen or at the grill. Without further adieu…I present to you the recipe for Saucy Babe #2…

GOOD GOOKAMOOKEE SAUCE 

1.  2 cups Cider Vinegar
2. 1 cup Brown Sugar; packed
3. 1 cup yellow prepared mustard
4. 3 tbsp Hot Sauce (I use Louisiana)
5. 2 tbsp Black Pepper (I use course ground)
6. 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
7. 1/2 tbsp Season Salt

Mix together and store in a jar or squirt bottle.  Gets better as it ages!!!!  I usually double this recipe because of how often I use it!

A Pulled Pork Slider is the ultimate summer crowd pleaser!  Poolside, lakeside, beach picnics or just a great lunch or supper at home, this is the ticket!  And EASY!  The only thing the pork requires from you is patience.  Here’s your step by step guide for Pulled Pork and Peach and the Willow Slaw.

PULLED PORK

Buy a pork butt or shoulder just big enough to fit in your Dutch Oven.  You will want a big ‘un cause you’ll want as much pulled pork as possible!  Turn stove burner on high and pour 2 – 3 TBSP of Vegetable Oil in the bottom of your pot, bringing up to high temperature but not smoking.  Generously salt and pepper your roast on all sides and sear the meat on high a couple minutes per side.  End with the fatty side on top (you want the fat to seep down into the meat).

Next, douse in 3 – 4 Tbsp Worcestershire over the top of the roast…

Cover pot, turn burner to low heat and walk away!  The secret to good stovetop pulled pork is cooking it low and slow.  I cooked mine a little over four hours but it could have withstood longer.  Check your pot every hour or so to make sure you have liquid at the bottom of pot…adding water as needed.  I didn’t add any water during my cook time.

Once done, remove roast to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.  Using your fingers, pull the pork into strips.  You will have a mound of beautiful pulled pork like this…

Some folks sauce their pulled pork at this juncture.  I find that my family likes to sauce as they go…some want more, some less.  This is totally up to your preference.  When the pork has been pulled, it’s ready to be stacked onto a slider bun, splashed with a little Good Gookamookee Sauce and topped with Peach and the Willow slaw…

Pulled Pork and Good Gookamookee Sauce go together like peaches and cream but if you want a truly elevated Pork Slider, add my Peach and the Willow Slaw.  I would say my slaw is like a classic vinegar slaw, but it’s not.  I would say it’s like Asian slaw, but it’s not!  So it’s simply “Peach and the Willow Slaw” and it’s my original.  Because this slaw is crunchy, spicy and sweet, it is a perfect pairing with the meat and soft bun.  And, since there is no mayo involved, it packs beautifully for any outdoor dining situation.  And let’s talk about the colors!  Don’t they say we eat with our eyes????  Check out these gorgeous slaw ingredients!

PEACH AND THE WILLOW SLAW

1.  1/2 head of red cabbage, julienned
2. 1/2 jicama, shaved into strips or julienned (if not available…no worries)

   

3. 1/4 large sweet onion, julienned (I almost exclusively use sweet yellow onions in everything I cook…just my preference)
4. 1 white carrot, shaved into strips (orange works…I like these better)
5. 1/2 of granny smith apple, julienned
6. 1/2 jalapeño, minced (Good Gookamookee is pretty spicy on its own so if you can’t tolerate a little heat, forego the jalapeño.  That said, most of my folks want it in there!)
7. 1/4 to 1/2 cup Good Gookamookee Sauce
8. Salt to taste (you will not need pepper…there’s plenty in the sauce)

Mix all together.  Done!  Yields 8 servings or enough toppings for  16 sliders.

All that’s left to do is pack your cooler with Pulled Pork, a jar of Good Gookamookee Sauce and your Peach and the Willow Slaw and head outside to play, eat and enjoy!  Pack your pulled pork in aluminum foil and throw the foil package on a hot grill to warm before serving.  It’s also fine room temp.  Assemble your sliders at your outing!  Super fun and easy!

Happy Summer Everyone!  Cheers!!!