Lexington-Style Red Coleslaw Recipe

When made properly, coleslaw is not just a bit of soggy, sweet cabbage in a paper cup alongside your main dish. It’s a crunchy, bright, tart salad that balances the fatty richness of barbecued meat. 

Making the best coleslaw relies on a few specific techniques, like getting excess moisture out of the vegetables prior to dressing, as first written about by Kenji in his classic creamy coleslaw recipe.

After that step, it’s all about the seasoning and dressing—be sure to try my mustardy coleslaw, this zippy vinegar version, tangy apple slaw, and a spicy Tex-Mex inspired side.

Lexington-style slaw is famous for its unique color. When I first heard the term "red slaw," I thought it meant coleslaw made with red cabbage, but in the Lexington area of North Carolina, that's not the case. "Red" refers to the color of the dressing, which uses ketchup in place of the standard mayo.

Mimicking the barbecue sauce also common in that region, Lexington-style red slaw relies heavily on vinegar, with ketchup and sugar used to take a bit of the edge off, along with pepper and hot sauce to add a little heat. It's a combo that's great alongside a pile of smoky chopped hog, with the slaw adding complementary sweetness, tang, and spice.