This weekend somehow signals the end of carefree summer days and the beginning of more serious projects and activities. 

Send off summer with fun, fun barbecuing.  Ribs sizzling with spicy, yummy sauce are hard to beat.  For the best results, try using a rub to cover the ribs, and start them on a higher heat, say 450 to 500 F to sear both sides.  Then reduce the heat to a much lower heat, less than 300 F.

Let the ribs slowly grill and melt out the fat.  When both sides are grilled to your satisfaction and done as you like; start brushing with your favorite sauce, or wait and let those who like them naked or un-sauced have them the way they like and those who like some finger lickin’ sauce add the sauce to their satisfaction.

Meanwhile during the last 20 minutes of grilling the ribs or if putting sauce on--during that time, place husked corn on the cob on the grill and rotate as each side gets lightly seared on some kernels.  Enjoy the corn with the ribs and try squeezing lime juice over the corn and then sprinkling on caribe chile flakes.

Personally, I always like to make my own sauce.  You can “tune up” the heat to please yourself, or conversely make it milder if you wish.  You can add any kinds of spices and ingredients to create your very own concoction.  And, my newly re-published Barbecue book is just the answer for finding a great range of all kinds of barbecue sauce recipes as well as fun “Pit Stops” or Barbecue restaurants to go to for Finger-lickin’ fun.

My Barbeque book is generally available for $15.95.  If you want one autographed, the cost is only $12.95 plus media rate or cheapest postal rate for shipping.   

Here’s my favorite sauce recipe, which keeps very well when refrigerated and be frozen for longer keeping.

Jane’s Best Barbecue Sauce

This is my all-time favorite Barbecue sauce.  It will keep almost forever and is the best on Barbecued Pork Ribs and Chicken.

Yield: approximately 1 ½ cups

2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or butter

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

12-ounce bottle ketchup

6 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoons dark brown sugar, packed

1 to 2 Tablespoons pure ground hot red chile, or to taste

1 to 2 Tablespoons pure ground mild red chile or to taste

¼ teaspoon pequin or cayenne pepper

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. Melt the bacon drippings in a two quart saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is transparent.

2. Add the remaining ingredients through the liquid smoke, reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to use it.