Grilled Kielbasa Rolls with White Barbecue Sauce

Third week of April and the dogwoods are in full bloom, white blossoms floating above the green like a congregation of small angels who got lost on their way to church. My route is a garden this time of year, and I walk through it the way a man walks through a museum — slowly, attentively, aware that beauty is temporary and the looking is as important as the seeing.

Walter Jr. brought DeAndre to the house Saturday. The boy is seven now — seven and growing, all legs and arms and the big Johnson hands that make a football look like a tangerine. He wanted to help me at the smoker, and I let him, the way Uncle Clyde let me, which is to say I gave him a job that was simple enough to succeed at and important enough to feel real. His job: adding wood chips to the firebox. I showed him how to open the door, how to place the chips on the coals (never throw, always place, because throwing scatters the heat and disrespects the fire), and how to close the door gently. He did it four times, each time with more confidence, and by the fourth time he looked at me with the expression of a boy who has discovered something about himself that he didn't know: that he can tend a fire, that fire listens to him, that this thing his grandfather does is something he can do too.

I made pork steaks this week — a cut that is pure Memphis, sliced from the shoulder, about an inch thick, rubbed with my dry blend and smoked at 275 for three hours until they're tender but still have structure, not falling apart like a pulled shoulder but yielding to a fork with gentle persuasion. Pork steaks are the working man's BBQ — cheaper than ribs, more flavorful than chops, and forgiving in a way that brisket never is. Uncle Clyde served pork steaks at his stand on Lamar Avenue every Friday, and the line wrapped around the block, and every person in that line knew they were getting something special: not expensive, not fancy, just good. Good the way shoes that fit are good. Good the way a friend who shows up is good. The ordinary good that people need most and talk about least.

Rosetta made a salad to go with the pork steaks, which is her way of balancing my meals the way a harmony balances a melody — the lightness of the greens against the richness of the pork, the vinaigrette against the smoke, her vision of health against my vision of flavor, both necessary, both incomplete without the other. We ate on the porch in the April evening, and the sky was the soft pink of a Memphis sunset, and the pork was good and the salad was good and the marriage was good, and that was plenty.

DeAndre tended that firebox four times on Saturday, and by the fourth time I saw something click in him — the understanding that smoke and fire are patient things, and that patience is something a man can learn young if someone takes the time to show him. For nights when the smoker isn’t running but that same craving for char and smoke and something good off a grill is still in you, these Grilled Kielbasa Rolls with White Barbecue Sauce are what I reach for — quick enough for a weeknight, but smoky enough to feel like something worth sitting down for. The white barbecue sauce is the kind of surprise that makes a person ask questions, and I’ve always believed a good recipe ought to start a conversation.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb smoked kielbasa, cut into 4 equal links or left whole
4 hoagie rolls or sturdy sandwich rolls, split
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Thinly sliced onion and pickles, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Make the white barbecue sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, cayenne, and salt until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F. Clean and oil the grates well to prevent sticking.
Score the kielbasa. Using a sharp knife, score each kielbasa link with shallow diagonal cuts on both sides, about 1/2 inch apart. This helps the casing char and allows heat to penetrate evenly.
Grill the kielbasa. Brush the kielbasa lightly with olive oil and place on the grill. Cook 5—6 minutes per side, turning once, until deep grill marks form and the sausage is heated through and slightly charred at the edges.
Toast the rolls. During the last 2 minutes of grilling, place the rolls cut-side down on the grill and toast until lightly golden. Watch them closely — they go fast.
Assemble and serve. Spread a generous amount of white barbecue sauce on the inside of each toasted roll. Nestle a grilled kielbasa link in each roll and top with sliced onion and pickles if desired. Serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Kielbasa Rolls with White Barbecue Sauce — When DeAndre Tended the Fire