What are you BBQing?

Before we talk BBQ, I want to thank the men and women who serve and have served. You are the reason we have our Independence. Thank you!

As this wonderful, holiday weekend approaches where fireworks light the sky, parades entertain, and friends and family celebrate, I thought it would be fun to talk BBQ. I mean seriously, who goes out to eat on July 4th?

What will you be grillin' or smokin'?

Hot dogs, burgers, chicken, ribs? Maybe some pulled pork or beef brisket?  Any of the above will soothe my growling tummy. As long as it is on a wood-fired grill or smoker and not one of those fancy gas or electric dohickeys. It just ain't the same.

Do you do a fruit salad? Or just go for the slices of watermelon WITH seeds? Give me a good old-fashioned watermelon and a seed spitting contest any day.

What's for dessert? Cookies, cake, or my favorite...Strawberry shortcake WITH whipped cream!!

Have any great recipes that you will be using this weekend for your family and friends BBQs? I am not a fan of bottle barbeque sauce so when I grill or smoke some meat I pull out the ingredients and slave over a hot stove and make homemade sauce. Yummy!

I mean truly, isn't homemade anything the best?!

Here is the recipe I use and friends and family have come to expect and enjoy. I like my sauce like I like my men...hot and spicy. The best part about this recipe is you can make the sauce hot and spicy or not.

Sauce Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar (vinegar is the best part of the recipe and key to a good BBQ sauce)
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (I actually use Turbinado sugar)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard (I actually used dry yellow mustard and the kind you put on a hot dog)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (use Mexican chili powder if you want more heat to your sauce)
Tabasco sauce to taste (I use habanero Tabasco sauce)

To make the sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, including Tabasco sauce to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Set aside. Pour some of the sauce in a small bowl to use for basting the ribs. (I don't actually baste. I leave sauce to everyone's taste.)

Have a Happy 4th of July! May you and your family eat and enjoy each others company all weekend long.

Denise

While Mondays are for work, Sundays are for...

lazing about and grilling out.

I spent Sunday afternoon lazing about on my hammock in the backyard and smoking my first pork babyback ribs.

I told you I would share my homemade BBQ sauce with you so here you go.


The Sauce:
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar (vinegar is the best part of the recipe and key to a good bbq sauce)
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard (I actually used dry yellow mustard and the kind you put on a hot dog)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (use Mexican chili powder if you want more heat to your sauce)
Tabasco sauce to taste (I use habanero Tabasco sauce)

To make the sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, including Tabasco sauce to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Set aside. Pour some of the sauce in a small bowl to use for basting the ribs. (I don't actually baste. I leave sauce ro everyone's taste.)

The Ribs:
2 to 3 slabs baby back pork ribs

I went ahead and soaked the ribs the night before in a brine, the same brine I used on pulled pork. You don't have to do this but what the heck.

Make sure to remove the membrane from the back of the baby back ribs. It's totally disgusting but definitely the right thing to do. Then use the rub from the recipe I shared last week. Click here for rub recipe.


Cook the ribs for at least 4 hours at 200 to 220 degrees. The longer you cook the more tender and the more smokey flavor you get.