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All-Appalachian Cookout: Extras

© Lee Ward

Summer cookouts in Appalachia usually are more than a weenie roast. My half-sister and her husband built their own smoker from an old barrel and often will cook half of a hog, seasoning it by splashing apple wine on it as it cooks and occasionally taking a peck from it to see if it's done.

That half a hog would feed a lot of people - more than I have room to accommodate at my house. We often throw some wieners on the grill, along with traditional hamburgers or chicken burgers, but we don't limit ourselves. Pork chops, shrimp, bratwurst, chicken and steak appear as main courses of a grilled meal, but accompaniments are important no matter what the featured dish is.

One good extra, whether for a ham dinner or a picnic, is deviled eggs. But you have to know how to boil an egg first.

Recently, the newspaper where I work full-time as a copy editor and columnist provided the grilled chicken and ribs for a luncheon, and employees were asked to bring the extras. I volunteered deviled eggs, my boss's favorite.

The evening before the luncheon was also the evening I attend yoga class, and in my rush to get to class on time, I goofed up a few before I produced enough to fill my beloved Tupperware egg carrier. Being a true columnist, I'm always turning over rocks in the back yard looking for true-life ideas to write about, so I filled a column with my cooking disaster.

The day after the column appeared in the newspaper, an 80-year-old lady named Edna Davenport called to tell me how to properly boil eggs. It turns out Edna is a member of my boss's church.

Edna advises cooks to bring to a boil and cover your pot of eggs. Turn them off, and leave them for a half-hour.

My mother lets them simmer on low for a half-hour. Other sources recommend leaving them to steam 15 to 20 minutes, then to cool them with cold water and peel them immediately, as the shells are easier to remove if removed soon after cooking.

Deviled eggs

A dozen large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and split in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet pickle juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Empty all the yolks into a medium-sized bowl and smash with a fork. Add butter, mustard, vinegar and pickle juice and mix well. Mix in salt and pepper. Taste. If you want it tangier (for me, it must be tangy) add a little vinegar. If you want more mustard flavor, add mustard. If you like the layer of pickle flavor, add more pickle juice. Also, consider whether you need more salt and/or pepper.

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