Barbecue For Real

More Grillin' (and chillin')

Back again.

Last evening, I grilled some of my zucchini. I'm not even going to bother with a recipe, because it was just a procedure, really: I peeled a medium-sized zucchini, and sliced it lengthwise (as pictured). I put it into a shallow plastic food container---you know, the kind you store leftovers in---and unceremoniously dumped in about a quarter-cup of bottled Italian dressing. I let it sort of hang out in the fridge for ninety minutes or so, then grilled it (high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes per side). It really couldn't have been easier, and it tasted fresh and delicious.

What else is new? I've decided to combine my two blogs into one humongous "superblog" (my other blog is located at http://240brick.blogspot.com). Here are some recipes that I'd posted in the past couple of years.

John's Barbecue Sauce
1 (one) 8-ounce can "no salt added" tomato sauce
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup bourbon (I use Jim Beam Black Label)
1 TBS Sriracha (or any favorite chile sauce)
1 TBS balsamic vinegar*
1-2 TBS honey (depending on your sweet tooth)
1/2 tsp smoke liquid (about a capful)
1 TBS garlic powder
anywhere between 2 tsp-3 TBS John's Barbecue Rub* (depending on how much you like it)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
(*for added "zing", substitute 1 TBS vinegar solution from pickled jalapenos for the balsamic vinegar)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, use a whisk to combine the tomato sauce and molasses. When the molasses has thinned-down a bit, REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE STOVE and add the bourbon. Stir for about 30 seconds, then return the pan to the stove.
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring after each addition. [ Add only 1 TBS of honey to begin with; taste the sauce. If you like it even sweeter, add another TBS. ]
Reduce heat to lowest setting, and allow the mixture to simmer (uncovered) very slowly until the volume is reduced by about half (15-30 minutes...keep checking!).
Yields about 1 cup of sauce.

This stuff is thick, sweet, and oh-so-much better than anything you can buy in a plastic bottle.

John's Barbecue Rub
(note: all ingredients are of the "dried" variety)
2 TBS rosemary leaves
1.5 TBS Kosher salt
1 TBS paprika
2 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper*
1 tsp ground white pepper*
3/4 tsp celery seed
(* the amount of black/white pepper can be adjusted upward, to suit your taste)
Using a mortar & pestle (an electric spice mill will work, too), grind the rosemary leaves and the thyme together with the salt (the salt will aid in the grinding of the herbs). When the mixture resembles fine sand, add the remaining ingredients and continue to grind, to incorporate. There will be a few larger bits of rosemary leaves...this is a good thing!
This recipe produces enough rub to cover 3-6 pounds of meat (depending on how heavy-handed you are). Any leftover amount can be stored indefinitely (covered container) in the fridge.
Originally intended as a rub for pork, but this stuff can be used on chicken or salmon with great results.