On Cooking Southern: Let’s Celebrate! The Dog Days Are Here

SOUTHERNISM OF THE WEEK

Going to the dogs: An expression that dates back to Medieval times, when leftovers were given to the dogs, implying that they were no longer good enough for people… Modern reference to someone or something that is deteriorating or in decline… Different from Ain’t nothing but a hound dog, a sexual reference to a man’s non-discriminatory proclivity for sniffing around, as memorialized by the King (Elvis) in song, and different from Working like a dog, a reference to running around performing tasks, also memorialized in song (The Beatles).

FOURTH FARE = FRANKFURTERS, SAUSAGE PLATTERS & FUN

Happy Fourth of July, America. It’s that time of year again to fire up the grill, slather on the sunscreen, slice up some watermelon, and put the beverages on ice. Let’s celebrate the ultimate immigrant nation’s independence birthday!

July 4th also could be referred to as The Day of the Dogs because of the popularity of Independence Day hotdog-eating contests held all around the country. The most notable of these is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, held in Coney Island, that venerable all-American neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. The Nathan’s contest officially dates back to 1972.

Nick Vergos serves up platters at the Rendezvous table during the 2014 Association of Food Journalists conference in Memphis.

Hot dogs, of course, are cased sausages known as frankfurters (mostly made of beef) and wieners (mostly made of pork). We have our German and Austrian immigrant ancestors to thank for this perfect American street food.

But as with all things cultural and culinary, folks around here have put our own twist on the cased-sausage theme. It’s a bit different from scarfing down dogs on buns slathered with condiments, or grilling brats with peppers and onions.

Around here, we put on the dog at casual gatherings with an appetizer consisting of cut-up rat cheese and grilled, sliced sausage seasoned with barbecue dry rub spices. We call it the sausage-and-cheese platter.

Although I grew up munching on this poor people’s hors d’oeuvre in Memphis, my NC Mountain Boy hubby never heard of it till he comingled with us Delta flatlanders. Neither had my favorite Tar Heel and Georgia foodies, whom I consulted last week to see if I’d missed some historic factoid during my years away from home.

I’m still researching, but have concluded — thus far, without statistical support —that the Delta-centered fascination with sausage-and-cheese platters may stem from the culinary comingling of our region’s international immigrant populations. Our Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast Italian, eastern European, French, Spanish, Lebanese, German and Irish immigrants all had strong sausage culinary traditions. And they all left their imprints on our foodways.

Greek immigrant descendants like Charlie Vergos of Rendezvous fame often were the first to set up deli counters in Memphis and neighboring towns to serve the workingman lunch crowd. They devised an inexpensive but appealing way to feed their patrons via platters of salami, bologna, sausages, peppers and cheese, seasoned with spices mixed up by their African American employees and served up with barbecue sauce, spicy mustard, and saltine crackers.

Over time, the sausage-and-cheese platter became a perennial favorite for all levels of our gumbo’d-up social order.

In fact, the sausage-and-cheese platter is to the traditional Memphis and Mississippi bistro as the cheese-and-fruit tray is to the wine crowd in the Napa Valley, or as the pickles and pimento cheese-stuffed celery tray is to the Sunday potluck gathering in the Southern Appalachians.

If in doubt, ask the staffs at any BBQ or catfish dive between Natchez and Memphis.

Don’t bother trying to fancy-up the presentation of this fare either. It’s best when served on paper plates, wooden trays, or ceramic platters with wooden toothpicks instead of silverware. The appropriate method for consumption is to spear a cheese cube and a sausage slice and eat them together.

In recent years, some locals have been gussying up their platters with fancy sausages such as Andouille and boudin. I, however, prefer my boudin served up as fried meatballs with remoulade sauce. I usually save the Andouille for gumbo. On the other hand, we should all make allowances for Alabama’s conecuh sausage.

This is a case where less is more, and the more bourgeois, the better. Even a grilled and rubbed hot dog will work just fine in a pinch.

MEMPHIS-STYLE SAUSAGE AND CHEESE PLATTER

16-oz pkg smoked sausage links of choice (such as Cajun-style or Kielbasa)

16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

1/4 c BBQ dry rub of choice

BBQ Sauce of choice

Creole mustard

Dill pickle spears

12- to 16-oz jar of Golden Greek Pepperoncini peppers, drained

OPTIONAL: Sliced deli bologna

Place uncut sausages on hot grill or under broiler. Turned at intervals until evenly charred all around. Remove and slice into bite-size lengths.

If desired, also slice and grill up top quality bologna and add to the platter. Cut the cheddar cheese into one-inch cubes and add to the serving plate.

Sprinkle the sausage and cheese with preferred BBQ dry rub such as Rendezvous or Corky’s, or make up your own rub. (See http://hottytoddy.com/2013/11/07/on-southern-cooking-pork-barbecue/ for my dry rub recipes.) Creole seasoning is acceptable as well.

Serve with mustard, saltines, dill pickle spears, pepperoncini peppers and chilled craft beer. Yields up to 4 servings for not-hungry eaters.

Laurie Triplette is a writer, historian and accredited appraiser of fine arts, dedicated to preserving Southern culture and foodways. Author of the award-winning community family cookbook GIMME SOME SUGAR, DARLIN’, and editor of ZEBRA TALES (Tailgating Recipes from the Ladies of the NFLRA), Triplette is a member of the Association of Food Journalists, Southern Foodways Alliance and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Check out the GIMME SOME SUGAR, DARLIN’ website and follow Laurie’s food adventures on Facebook and Twitter.