I interviewed Sean Brock in 2010 for a piece I wrote for my culinary column on the Slow Food Charleston blog. Here’s an excerpt:

Farm to table philosophy finds delicious expression in the offerings of Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C. Winner of the 2010 James Beard Best Chef Southeast award, Brock is committed to sustainable culinary practices and stocks his kitchen with fresh ingredients from his Wadmalaw Island farm.

A passionate advocate for the preservation of crops near extinction, Brock also grows a number of indigenous antebellum crops including James Island (Jimmy) Red Corn, Benne Seed and Sea Island Red Peas. “The sea island red peas tell a wonderful story,” says Brock, “and have such a wonderful, earthy flavor.”

Brock shares his recipe for Baked Sea Island Red Peas – one of his favorites – for great summertime eating with anything cooked outside on the grill. During the cooler months, the the long simmer in the oven keeps the kitchen cozy with warmth and sweet aromas.

Baked Sea Island Red Peas

Ingredients

1 cup of diced Benton’s Bacon
1 large onion, medium dice
1 large Anaheim pepper, medium dice
5 pickled ramps, rough chop
1 pound dried Sea Island Red Peas (soaked overnight)
½ cup Medjool dates, rough chop
1 cup Western North Carolina BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons sorghum
3/4 cup Kentucky bourbon
2 bay leaves
Salt, white pepper, smoked paprika, hot sauce, Worcestershire and dry mustard to taste

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, render the diced bacon. When the bacon is rendered of all it’s fat turn up the heat and crisp the bacon. Add onions and pepper and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Place remaining ingredients into the pot and place in the oven for two hours at 250F. Stir every half hour or so to make sure they aren’t sticking.

Note: I found Western North Carolina BBQ sauce at Whole Foods. Here’s chef’s recipe if you’d like to make your own.

Western North Carolina BBQ sauce

4 cups cider vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

1 ⅓ cups ketchup

¼ cup butter

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons mustard powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Place the vinegar, sugar, ketchup, butter, hot pepper sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, mustard powder, salt, and pepper into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Remove from the stove and pour into a heatproof bowl. Cover, and refrigerate the sauce for 2 days.

Strain the sauce through a mesh sieve to remove the red pepper flakes. Store the sauce in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving