Southern

Pronounced "mock shoe," this Louisiana staple (which is like a succotash) is a Cajun take on a Native American dish.

In North Carolina, the coleslaw is tangy and not too sweet, with no mayonnaise in sight.

This classic pulled pork is the ultimate holiday weekend grilling project.

When you put okra and cornmeal—two icons of the southern table—together in a hot greased skillet, magic happens, especially when you've tossed in a little crisp bacon for good measure. These fritters are best when eaten immediately, but try not to devour them all before they've even left the kitchen.

Editor's note: To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A. ** This is coleslaw at its simplest and best. No onions. No carrots. No peppers. No mayonnaise. Just cabbage and peppery barbecue sauce. **

Editor's note: The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com. This coleslaw originally accompanied Karmel's recipe for North Carolina Style Pulled Pork.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com. The addition of ketchup in this slightly sweeter vinegar sauce distinguishes it from simpler Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce. I prefer this sauce not only because I grew up with it—I like the added flavor and the pink color that the ketchup gives the sauce. To turn this sauce into an Eastern sauce, add 1 cup of water and eliminate the brown sugar and ketchup. This sauce is used to make North Carolina Style Pulled Pork and North Carolina Coleslaw . You will need to double this recipe to sauce both the meat and the slaw.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com. This is the dish that started my love affair with grilling and barbecue. Growing up a stone's throw from Lexington, North Carolina—the World barbecue headquarters—I always visited a barbecue joint to get my pork fix. We'd either eat it there or take it home in quart containers to reheat in a silver chafing dish. After college, I said good-bye to the barbecue joints and moved north. If I was going to enjoy pulled pork more than once or twice a year when I went home, I just had to teach myself how to make it. Here is my tried-and-true version made most often on a gas grill, no less!

**Editor's note:**The recipe below is adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com. This rub originally accompanied Karmel's recipe for Slow-Cooked Texas Beer Brisket .

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, by Steven Raichlen. To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A. It never fails to amaze me how one simple idea can give birth to so many great regional variations. Consider ribs. The pork rib is one of the most perfect morsels ever to occupy a grill. The meat is generously marbled, which keeps it moist during prolonged cooking. As the fat melts, it crisps the meat fibers and bastes the meat naturally. The bones impart a rich meaty flavor (meat next to the bone always tastes best), while literally providing a physical support—a gnawable rack on which to cook the meat. Yet depending on whether you eat ribs in Birmingham or Kansas City, or Bangkok or Paris for that matter, you'll get a completely different preparation. I've always been partial to Memphis-style ribs. Memphians don't mess around with a lot of sugary sauces. Instead, they favor dry rubs—full-flavored mixtures of paprika, black pepper, and cayenne, with just a touch of brown sugar for sweetness. The rub is massaged into the meat the night before grilling, and additional rub is sprinkled on the ribs at the end of cooking. This double application of spices creates incredible character and depth of flavor, while at the same time preserving the natural taste of the pork. Sometimes a vinegar and mustard based sauce—aptly called a mop sauce—is swabbed over the ribs (with said mop) during cooking; I've included one here, for you to use if you like. You can choose any type of rib for this recipe: baby back ribs, long ends, short ends, rib tips—you name it. Cooking times are approximate. The ribs are done when the ends of the bones protrude and the meat is tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. I like my ribs served dry, in the style of Memphis's legendary barbecue haunt, the Rendezvous. If you want to serve them with a sauce, you'll find a number to choose from in this chapter.

Great on polenta, grits, or steamed rice.

For a complete diner-style meal, serve this indulgent main with sautéed green beans and buttermilk biscuits.

To prevent curdling, be sure to cool the ice cream custard to room temperature before adding the buttermilk and crème fraîche.

A little cornmeal gives the cake a crunchy texture. The sweet-tangy ice cream and the tart compote help dress up the dessert for this holiday dinner.

"I'm on a mission to get people over their biscuit anxiety," says Chef Peacock. His advice? Knead the dough briefly just until it comes together, but don't work it too much. Also, don't twist the biscuit cutter. The twisting motion seals the edge of the dough, which can prevent the biscuit from rising completely.

A mandoline or V-slicer makes quick work of slicing the radishes.

It's not Easter dinner without the eggs. In this recipe, they are boiled just until the yolks are set, then sliced and topped with a fresh herb sauce.