Wade Elkins likes to tinker with ingredients in the kitchen at Mimsie’s Craft Barbecue in Crockett, which he opened with his wife, Cathy, in 2020. One day, Elkins wanted a burger and chicken strips for lunch, so Mimsie’s decided to add the Ranch House Sandwich to the menu, combining both on a bun with pimento cheese and ranch dressing.
The couple had been serving a simple mayonnaise-flavored coleslaw since they opened, but Elkins wanted to make it more memorable. “I saw the fried onions on the line and I saw a block of Carolina sauce for the pulled pork,” Elkins says. He mixed it all together, loved it, and made another batch for Kathy. “She tasted it and said, ‘This is our new coleslaw.'”
You can make the basic coleslaw recipe below and impress a crowd with the heat of Creole mustard, but it takes more work to make it “crunchy.” (Not to be mistaken for a Southern-style wrap, crunchy sounds like a fun version of crunch, Elkins says, because crunchy coleslaw just isn’t as appetizing.)
The upside is that you can use a mustard barbecue sauce that’s both tangy and sweet, and the fried onion strings (you can also use canned fried onions) really bring the flavor up, making this the best tasting coleslaw I’ve had at a Texas barbecue joint.
Mimzy’s Clan Coleslaw
Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue takes coleslaw to the next level by adding fried onion strings for a satisfying crunch and Carolina barbecue sauce for tang.
coleslaw
- 1½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoon Creole Mustard
- 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Big green cabbage
Carolina Mustard Sauce
- 2 cup Apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup Yellow Mustard
- 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoon Mimzy’s East Texas Rib Love Or your favorite sweet barbecue seasoning
- 2 Tablespoon Mimzy’s Steak Night Seasoning Or your favorite barbecue seasoning
Crispy Onion Strings
- 1½ cup All purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon pepper
- 1/2 Tablespoon Granulated garlic
- 1/2 Tablespoon Granulated onion
- 1/2 Tablespoon Smoked paprika
- ¼ tea spoon Thyme Powder
- 1 big yellow onion Cut into rounds and finely chop
- 2 cup Buttermilk
For slow
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Core the cabbage and cut it into quarters. Cut the quarters diagonally and place in a food processor. Finely chop. You may need to do this step in two batches.
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Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar and sugar to season the cabbage to your liking. I recommend making this recipe the night before, or at least a few hours before serving. If it’s still a bit dry, add more coleslaw dressing just before serving.
For the mustard sauce
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Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved and everything is combined. Allow to cool on counter before storing. If you’re near a Crockett’s, Mimsy’s sells mustard sauce by the cup, pint, or quart.
For Onion Strings
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Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl to make seasoned flour.
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Soak the onion strings in buttermilk for 30 minutes.
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Dip the onions in seasoned flour and fry in your oil of choice (Mimzie’s uses beef tallow) at 350 degrees F until golden brown.
