In my hometown there’s an iconic restaurant called Shady Glen, an old-fashioned dairy bar with milkshakes and sundaes made from rich store-made ice cream, and a legendary cheeseburger — an astonishing fistful crowned with a halo of crispy griddled cheese. And then there’s the cheeseburger’s essential sidekick, the coleslaw.
The thing that makes Shady Glen coleslaw different from the rest is the cut of the cabbage. Instead of slicing it into long shreds, they mince it into tiny shards. Because of this, the dressing doesn’t really coat the cabbage; instead the cabbage floats inside the dressing, and everything melds together to form a creamy, soft-and-crunchy-at-the-same-time texture that’s like no other coleslaw you’ve ever had.
Speaking of the dressing, most coleslaw dressings are too thick. To make this copycat, I started with a traditional dressing recipe, but found it to be too gloppy and overpowering when combined with the delicate little chips of cabbage. I tinkered with the proportions of mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar until I had the perfect tangy/sweet flavor, and then added whole milk to get exactly the right consistency. You can experiment with the amount of milk until you get it just the way you like it, but to recreate the original the dressing should be quite thin, almost runny.
There are different varieties of bagged coleslaw mix. I like the “tricolor” blend, which is mostly green cabbage with a little bit of purple cabbage and some carrots. You can start with whole cabbages and carrots and shred them to make your own blend if you prefer. Just be careful that your mix doesn’t contain a large amount of purple cabbage – a little is nice, but too much will stain the dressing a funky pink shade.
One final tip: The easiest, least-messy way to measure the mayonnaise for a dressing like this is to use the liquid displacement method. Measure out ½ cup of whole milk in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Spoon in the mayonnaise, pressing down on the mayonnaise to submerge it in the milk, until the level of the milk reaches the 1½-cup mark on the cup. Whisk these two ingredients together until smooth, then add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk (gently, since the cup will be very full).
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- You can enjoy this coleslaw right away but it’s really better if it has a chance to sit in the fridge for an hour or several before serving.
- Leftovers will keep for 3 days.
To see this dish combined with others in a summery picnic menu, check out my post for Saturday June 13, 2020.
Coleslaw Shady Glen Style
Ingredients
- One 14-ounce bag coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots, ideally mostly green cabbage with some purple cabbage and some carrots)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup whole milk, plus additional
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon of Morton’s), or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Directions
- Step 1 Process the coleslaw mix in 2 batches. Put half of the coleslaw mix in the bowl of a food processor and pulse the machine until the cabbage is cut into very small pieces. Transfer the mix to a large bowl. Mince the remaining coleslaw mix the same way and add it to the bowl.
- Step 2 Mix together the mayonnaise, ½ cup of the milk, the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk the mixture until it’s smooth. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw and stir to combine everything. Toss in the parsley.
- Step 3 Chill the coleslaw for at least one hour before serving. The cabbage will soften slightly as it sits and loosen the dressing a little bit, which is a good thing. The dressing should be just runny enough that it pools underneath the coleslaw in the bottom of the dish while still clinging to the coleslaw in a creamy coating. If the dressing is too thick, stir in a little bit more milk to reach your desired consistency.
Hi! I just wanted to share a super secret with you! I always use this recipe as I am a super huge slaw fan and coming from ct area Shady Glen is by far the best. So, I happen to know the person who currently makes the coleslaw dressing at Shady Glen. Of course I begged him for the recipe when I met him through a friend and he said he can’t share. But he said he would tell me the secret. Half white and half apple cider vinegar. Other than that, by my shady Glen frequented taste buds you got it right!!! I just feel like knowledge shouldn’t be kept hidden and everyone deserves to make the most delicious Cole slaw wherever you are! Much love, Alison
Thank you! I will try the half and half apple cider and white vinegar – thanks so much for that tip and for your feedback!