Trailer Food Diaries
Rockin Rolls: A trailer food concept with Thanksgiving roots
The Rockin Roll’sAustin-based food trailer concept was founded off one holiday and one holiday alone: Thanksgiving. Owner Richard Flores reminisces, “Since I was little and sat at the dinner table with my family and enjoyed all the blessings of Thanksgiving, one of my traditions was to cut my dinner roll in half and fill it with turkey, stuffing and cover it with gravy and eat it like a sandwich. Tada! Rockin Rolls was born!”
The Joan Jett sandwich is the replica of Flores' childhood Thanksgiving creation. It includes oven-roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, brown mushroom gravy and chipotle cranberry served wedged inside a scrumptious dinner roll. You can purchase the Joan Jett for $6.50 year-round at Rockin Roll trailer, which is posted up on East Sixth and Waller Friday and Saturday evenings and late nights. Due to popular request, they are also mobile Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Richard “Poundcake” Flores and Jacob “Sloppy J” Medina’s menu board contains items reflective of their love for good music and good food. You might try the Janis Joplin, which has a slow-cooked pot roast with onions, carrots, celery and seasoning topped with mashed potatoes. The Chino Moreno contains fried chicken and gravy, while the Axl Rose is a blend of ground beef and Sloppy Joe spices. For vegetarians, they offer the Kurt Fauxbain, a meatless version of their Kurt Cobain dish. Chips and drinks can be purchased for $1.00 extra each—free refills are available for Ozzy’s Bat Blood Red Kool-Aid and Jimmy’s Purple Haze Grape Kool-Aid.
I couldn’t squeeze the dinner roll recipe out of them just yet, but in the case that you need an excellent roll how-to, here is one my dad makes every Thanksgiving—it's my personal favorite.
Jimmy’s Thanksgiving Rolls (Courtesy of Jimmy Haskell Harelik, Cross Plains, TX)
- 1 c. milk
- ½ c. sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt
- 6 Tbsp. shortening (butter)
- 1 c. warm water
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 pkg. yeast
- 3 eggs beaten
- 6 c. flour
Scald milk; stir in 1/2 c. sugar, salt & shortening. Cool to lukewarm; measure warm water & 2 Tbsp. sugar into a bowl; sprinkle in yeast and let stand undissolved.
Stir; add lukewarm milk mixture; add & stir in eggs.
Add & stir in 3 c. flour, beating until smooth. Add & stir in 3 more c. of flour & knead. Place in greased bowl & brush top lightly w/ melted shortening. Cover w/ towel, let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk; about 1 hr. & 25 min.; make out in any kind of rolls.
Drop 3 round spoonfuls in a sectioned muffin tin. Let rise maybe a half hour and then bake 350-400 degrees for 20 minutes.
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