In Murphysboro, IL, September is the time when we honor the almighty apple. The Murphysboro Apple Festival has been celebrated here every September for 72 years. For the last 37 of those years, our own Murphysboro Praise the Lard Barbecue Cook-Off has been held the following weekend. Mike Mills always like the idea of having an entire month when people could all come together to shine a light on Murphysboro, and that’s how the Cook-Off originally came to follow the Apple Festival.

Following here is our recipe for 17th Street Barbecue Apple Cider Marinated Pork Loin. We thought it was the perfect recipe to feature this September, when apples and apple products can be found all around not just our region, but across the country.  It’s one of the few recipes in our book, Peace, Love and Barbecue, that uses a marinade instead of a dry rub. The down-home side dishes for this moist and tender meat would include — you guessed it— some type of apples. Baked, fried…even applesauce. And don’t forget…for the best results, smoke it with real apple wood, too!

17th Street Barbecue Apple Cider Marinated Pork Loin

Serves 6

• 1 pork loin (4 to 6 pounds)
• 1 can (6 ounces) frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/3 cup apple jelly
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, finely ground
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Set the loin in a shallow dish.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Pour the marinade over the loin, coating thoroughly. Marinate, covered and chilled, overnight.

Discard the marinade and smoke at 200 to 225 degrees for about 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

© Mike Mills and Amy Mills, published in Peace, Love, and Barbecue, Rodale

For more recipes, secrets, tall tales, and outright lies from the legends of barbecue, pick up a copy of our book Peace, Love, and Barbecue

Every family ought to have a good potato salad recipe. 17th Street Barbecue Homestyle Potato Salad is ours. The potatoes must be perfectly cooked—not too hard or too mushy. Make this well in advance— the flavors need time to blend, and it should be served well chilled.

Homestyle Potato Salad

Recipe makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 large eggs, hard cooked, peeled, and chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons celery seeds
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (we use Hellmann’s)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (recipe below)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (we use Colman’s)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon pickle juice or dill pickle relish
• 17th Street Magic Dust®, for garnish

Put the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 40 minutes, or just until tender. Test the potatoes by sliding the blade of a sharp knife into a potato. When it slides out clean, the potatoes are done. Don’t overcook them or you’ll end up with mashed potato salad.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When they are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2-inch dice, leaving the skins on. Transfer the still-warm potatoes to a large bowl and toss them with the onion, eggs, and celery seeds.

In a separate large bowl, make a dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing, 1 teaspoon salt, the white pepper, mustard, sugar, and pickle juice.

Pour the dressing over the potatoes and mix gently with clean hands until the potatoes are well coated. Sprinkle the top lightly with Magic Dust®. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Recipe makes about 2 cups

The variety of fresh herbs used in our rendition of creamy ranch dressing gives it fresh, bright flavor. We use it in our 17th Street Barbecue Homestyle Potato Salad. Use any leftover dressing as a dip for vegetables.

• 3/4 cup full-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (we use Hellmann’s)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Decant into a mason jar, cover, and refrigerate; the dressing keeps for 5 days..

© Mike Mills and Amy Mills, published in Praise the Lard, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

For more recipes and revelations in barbecue culture pick up a copy of our book Praise the Lard