Spotlight On: SLAP SAUCE

Dixie Caviar’s ‘Spotlight On’ showcases both established and up-and-coming Southern artisans across a variety of creative fields. We’ll be talking shop, the South, and their very best recipes. Read on! Happy Monday, Dixie Chicks! Today I am stoked to introduce you to SLAP SAUCE, a delicious brainchild from my old college pal, Micheal McCord. SLAP SAUCE is a savory, Southern mustard-vinegar hybrid meant for dousing anything from pulled pork to chicken wings, stir-frys and pretzels. Honestly, Walt and I pour this heavenly nectar into, onto (and under!) anything we can think of. After glazing some Hebrew National beef franks in SLAP SAUCE recently, Walt uttered with all seriousness, "I don't think I'll ever be able to eat a 'regular' hot dog again..." Now that's a telling statement!

Tell me about yourself: My name is Michael McCord and I'm from Atlanta, GA. I'm an Auburn grad, Braves fan, Husband, Father, Brother, Son, Libra.

Tell me about a day in your life: With two kids under the age of 2 at home, I wouldn't confirm that my life is like driving 100 mph around I-285 and chunking the steering wheel out the window, but I wouldn't deny it either. I would say its a perfect mix between 'Groundhog Day' and 'Big Trouble in Little China'.

How did SLAP SAUCE get started? I would love to say that it’s an old family recipe that has been passed down and preserved throughout my family’s history, but in actuality I whipped it up in my college kitchen one Saturday morning before tailgating for a football game. It has had several tweaks since that first run, but the main components have stayed the same.

As for bottling it, it was kind of a fluke. In 2008, SLAP BBQ entered the Annual Atlanta Butt-Off at SweetWater Brewery and won Best Sauce.  Now, it wasn’t just family and friends asking for bottles of SLAP SAUCE, but complete strangers wanted to know where they could buy it. I knew it was a great sauce but had never thought about bottling and selling it until that moment.

Tell me the biggest challenge you have experienced thus far? The greatest success? The biggest challenge I have experienced so far would be managing my own expectations. Trying to introduce a new food product is the definition of a "hurry up and wait" process.

Tell me where you see SLAP Sauce in five years: I would love to see our products in stores and markets all around the South. I have plans for two additional sauces and one all-purpose rub, so hopefully they will be well received.

What is Southern about your product/company/brand/business? Well barbecue is the quintessential Southern fare so.........

Tell me who and/or what currently inspires you and your brand:  My family and friends are incredibly supportive, above and beyond really. I draw my inspiration from time spent traveling; the people I've met, the places I've seen and most importantly, the food I've tasted.

Tell me about your relationship with food and/or cooking:  I love to cook. Some of the best nights my wife and I have shared are spent with a couple bottles of wine, some good tunes and just getting in the kitchen and experimenting with recipes. Likewise, when family and friends are thrown into the mix, food is an integral part and brings everyone together.

Any favorite MADE IN THE SOUTH brands worthy of your shout out?  I read a captivating book recently by South Carolina native Ellison Durant Smith entitled "Free as a Fish." He is an extremely gifted story teller and his book oozes Southern charm and dialect.

Please share your favorite Southern recipe and what it means to you: My Grandmother's Chicken Bog reminds me of winter time in the South. This, as well as my Aunt's Brunswick stew, are staples in our house and perfect for leftovers. Chicken Bog Time: Takes about an hour Serves: 8 -10 1 (3-pound) chicken, quartered 1 stick butter, melted 1 large onion, chopped 1 pound smoked link sausage (I prefer Conecuh Cajun Smoked Sausage) 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 bay leaves 8 cups water 3 cups long grain rice

Slice the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces.  In a stockpot, combine the chicken, sausage, onion, butter, and seasonings.  Add the water, bring to a boil, cover, and cook at a low boil for 40 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool slightly.  Pick the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin.  Add the rice to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring well.  Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the rice is done.  Remove the bay leaves, and return the chicken to the pot.

Tell me what you love about the South/being Southern: I love the South/being Southern for a multitude of reasons...

— I love teaching my kids to say “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am” and my son to hold the door open for women, for nothing more than a sign of respect.

— I love my bourbon neat and my barbecue cooked slow and low.

— I love the tradition, bonfires and football on Saturdays.

— I love the smell of fall, sweet tea and a dog on point.

— I love the women….proud, strong, beautiful and hell on high heels. That Southern drawl has been known to seduce even the biggest skeptics.

—I love how the food itself is a history lesson. When it’s made with love, it feels like walking into a big hug. (HERE, HERE, TO ALL OF THE ABOVE!)

Is there anything else you want to add? Go on, don't be scared!   I would love to sit down and have a beer (and possibly some cheese dip/salsa) and talk about some of these questions in person. My brain is fried from lack of sleep. Stay tuned, folks. I've gotta take him up on the offer! (I never turn down a good opportunity to sit down and talk Southern.)

SLAP SAUCE is currently in sold 11 stores in Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and Texas as well as online. In the Atlanta area, you can find it at Savi Urban Market in Brookhaven, Lucy’s Market in Buckhead, and Fern’s Market at Serenbe. To stay in-the-know, follow Micheal on Facebook and Twitter. 

(Image credits: Walter Thompson)

Recipe: Rigatoni Macaroni & Cheese

Why hello there, stranger! Let's please not talk about my little absence here on DC and get right to the fun stuff, okay. When did April get here anyways? And spring? Holy crap, time is flying by at a rapid pace. To make amends, I'll just go ahead and give you the best macaroni and cheese recipe known to man and all will be forgiven. You've got to trust me on this one, you know I don't throw out superlatives like that often. But seriously. It's holy-crap-mind-blowingly-out-of-this-world-too-good-to-be-true amazing. Need proof? Here's the text message following a cell phone snapshot to my sister (and I don't lie to my sister):

Me: Mac and cheeeessse, please! (Photo attached)Deanna: Oh my gawwwwddddddddddddMe: It's pretty much the best thing I have ever tasted ever. E-V-E-R.

This was immediately followed by a call from her offering to fly me to Los Angeles to make it. (Dee—I'll see you in two weeks!)

Seriously though, I don't know how Dixie Caviar has survived this long without a recipe for mac and cheese. I've been searching for the holy grail of recipes for years and am happy to say my search is over. But I'll just stop blabbering now and give you the cheesy goods. (P.S. Thank you notes and flowers for the fabulous recipe can be sent to my home address in Atlanta.)

RIGATONI MACARONI AND CHEESE
Source: Adapted from Community Q, Atlanta
Yields 6-8 servings

This recipe comes from Community Q Barbecue in Decatur, GA. The first time I ever dined there, I spent $40. On myself. I couldn't tell if the man behind the counter wanted to marry me or call the asylum. What can I say? I have to sample ALL of the wares to fairly judge a barbecue joint. It's safe to admit that it is now my one-and-only bbq house. (Thank goodness the 20-minute drive is just long enough to keep me out of there on a regular basis.)

Community's beef ribs and rigatoni mac & cheese will change your life. So you might imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon their so-called recipe in the Atlanta paper for all the world to see. I had my doubts that it was THE recipe, but upon testing—multiple times—am happy to report that this is, in fact, IT. I've only made one big change, and that is substituting the originally called-for Monterey Jack with (uber-processed) white American. Hey, if Panera Bread can do it, so can I.

1 (16-ounce) box rigatoni noodles
8 ounces (12 slices) white American cheese, torn or cut into very small pieces
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 ounces grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil and season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, about 12 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain in a colander without rinsing, and return the pasta to the pot.

Add the American cheese, half of the cheddar, half the Parmesan, and the heavy cream to the still-warm noodles and stir until combined and the cheese starts to melt. Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the noodle mixture into a greased cast iron skillet or casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining half of cheddar and Parmesan over the top and bake until bubbly and golden, about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve, eat copious amounts, and then retreat for a long afternoon slumber.

Introducing the Chamblee Farmers Market!

When I first moved to Atlanta, I wondered how I could get involved in the hoppin' local food scene. It just so happened that a group of hungry renegades were in the early process of starting a farmers' market in my new zip code. When I signed on in Late April, the tentative launch date was June 5. Not a lot of time, right? Well, when you've got a good team and a great cause, sometimes it's easy to move mountains. Well, easier.

First, you've got to find the farmers, and that's harder than you might think. While there are a lot of fantastic farms in Georgia, with the sonic boom in farmers markets, they are all overextended beyond belief. (Hello! Someone actually has to plant things in between CSA drop-offs and farmers markets, not to mention maintaining the farm, managing the press, and updating the twitter feed.) Needless to say, with our late start in the race, most farms were already booked up for the year and not looking to expand their operation. But how does that old saying go, "If you build it, they will come"? With a little bit of persistence, and a lot of badgering, we finally started to generate some interest. And interest turned into farm visits, and farm visits turned into friendships, and the rest is history.

But farmers aren't the only thing you need to start a market. There's a lot of  logistics to consider, as well. In short, the who, what, when, where, and why. Obvious questions for some, but difficult to answer nonetheless. The location was easy: the Frosty Caboose is a great landmark in historic downtown Chamblee that really acts as a "town center" of sorts. Their Greenwood Ice Cream also happens to be out of this world (pistachio and banana pudding, oh my). Not that the ice cream swayed our decision, I swear. To seal the deal, Vintage Pizzeria across the street is providing us with plenty of parking, for which we are incredibly grateful.

With the when and where settled -- Saturdays from 8:30 until 11:30 AM -- the only thing left was to make sure we had all of our (legal) ducks in a row. This meant getting the support from our local government. It just so happens that the city of Chamblee rocks, and our elected officials have been incredibly supportive. That's not to say there haven't been any hurdles, though. There are licenses to apply for, ordinances to follow, and rules in general to adhere to. The key is to always do your homework (who ever thought that little ol' me would be on the phone with the city clerk and the health department in the same hour? Oh, the pressure!), remain patient and calm, and do not under any circumstances try to pull a fast one. So we've studied up, proposed our amendments, now city council here we come! 

With the date rapidly approaching (Grand opening June 19!!!), our wheels are really cranking. It takes a village, people. The operations team is finalizing the Policies & Procedures; the marketing team is sending out newsletters, selling raffle tickets, and Facebooking up a storm; and the "culinary coordinator", a.k.a. yours truly, is lining up some fantastic local chefs to show off all of our beautiful Southern produce. And last but definitely not least, the farmers are out watering, feeding, weeding, and nurturing your next meal. I offer a special thanks to them, for they are truly rock stars.

As I'm counting down the days, I hope you'll count down with me. If you live in Atlanta, come out and join us for the big day. For more of the juicy details, check out www.chambleefarmersmarket.com. If you're feeling generous, feel free to sign up for our beyond-belief raffle. As my boyfriend always says, "Be like Spike Lee and 'Do the Right Thing.'"