western kentucky foodways

I went to my hometown for the last two days to participate in the 25th year of a grand tradition of smoking/grilling meat the Sunday before Thanksgiving. My dad has participated in the group for many years now - and though I've been before, it had been a long time. Everyone brings all the meat and beer that could last for a day and stands around while the turkeys/pork/chickens smoke and they tell stories about each other - ended up being about 12 of us this year. The "grill" is about 8 or 9 feet long, and about every 4 minutes the fire rages up and someone stands guard with a hose to quickly extinguish it and keep the smoke raging.

This is what gets everyone through the cold. The guy who built the grill 25 years ago has also been making wine and spirits for years. As you can see above, he even labels it these days. On the far right is "Mister Jack W. Wild Elderberry Wine," and in the middle is "Liquid Apple Pie." The far left, clear liquid: I'll let you guess. They were all great and packed a punch. Especially the one on the left.

The "grill" up close. All the little pieces in the picture are turkey livers, turkey hearts and gizzards. They are dynamite. The livers taste just like chicken liver, and the hearts have a great flavor with an interesting chewiness to them. You can also see some lemon rind on the smoker - after they soak in the "dip," we throw them on the grill until they turn black. They are a brilliant quick taste of garlic, smoke, citrus and salt. 

This is my brother, Chris, preparing his cabbage. Everyone brings a cabbage, cuts off the top, drizzles the "dip" in, and wraps it in aluminum foil. Leave it on for about an hour, and it's killer. The "dip" is what we baste all the meats with; it's a thick marinade/baste of sugar, salt, vinegar, water, lemon, garlic, spice, and lard.