Southern cooking by Chef Busbee

If you marry a Mississippi-raised chef, you are bound to be both dazzled and delighted by the wonderful taste of the South.  Before marriage, I thought I knew what Southern cooking tasted like.  I had tried hushpuppies and a variety of BBQ.  I had even savored the tang of fried pickles.  But these few menu items barely gave me a taste.  Chef Busbee - or hubby, as I so lovingly call him - treated my taste buds to a whole new world.  One filled with collard greens and gravy and okra and baked sweet potato pie.  To Chef Busbee I owe a debt of gratitude.
With family in town last week, hubby really put together a menu that screamed home sweet home. 
First he spent hours over a hot stove making his BBQ sauce, a recipe he has been perfecting for years.

Sometimes he gives it a smoky kick and sometimes he gives it a bit of heat.  

This batch was his traditional style - a tangy, tomato-based sauce with a hint of brown sugar.

After making the sauce, hubby moved on to fried okra.

He pulls out the cast-iron skillet and drops in his cornmeal and herb battered okra.  Even the sound of popping oil coming from the kitchen makes us all antsy.

 The breaded okra morsels emerge from the hot pan golden and crisp.

 And last comes the vinegar-based, slow-braised pork.  Hubby usually prepares top round or butt.

It falls apart at the touch, displaying perfect tenderness - no chopping necessary.

 You might be a Southerner if this is one of your favorite meals.