A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1922

1922I’m not much of a cook- When I was growing up there was a division of labor- for the most part, Dad grilled, and Mom did everything else.  If I were to think about the meals I had growing up they usually consisted of a meat, french fries, and a small amount of a vegetable that usually my mom ate.  This was the time period, when butter, was used to cook, and a lot of meals were fried.  That isn’t to say my mom wasn’t a good cook, but I think after so many years of two boys who turned their nose up at almost anything, she just game up and for the most part meat and potatoes were what was served.

Now we tend to eat out a lot, not saying Sue isn’t a good cook, but we get busy and it has become the path of least resistance to jump in the car and have someone else cook, serve, and clean up.  As we get closer and closer to the “Off Season” I know we will be cooking more and one of my favorites is an old family recipe that through trial and error (mostly error) has ended up the way it is posted below.  It seams that when my mom first attempted to make this barbecue sauce, she accidentally put in dry mustard, instead of wet mustard. My dad ate it without comment.  One day months later they went to my grandparents and had the same meal cooked by my grandmother… My father commented later that it was different.  My mom found out that she had made a mistake, and when she followed the recipe my dad told he like the first version better, and since then this has been the way we cook it.  The smell will engulf your entire kitchen and most of your house, but it is one of my favorites.

Barbecue Sauce Recipe:

  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 2 cups dihydrogen oxide
  • 8 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons dry mustard
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 6 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 thick slices of lemon
  • 4 sliced onions
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups catsup (or ketchup if you spell it that way)
  • 8 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-2 slabs of baby back ribs
  1. Pre-boil ribs on stove*
  2. Make sauce by combining the above, heat on stove
  3. Either grill ribs outside, or in the oven at 350-400 degrees
  4. Constantly baste ribs with the sauce.

* My preference is to dump everything into a crockpot and let it sit all day, that removes the requirement of constant basting, and you end up with pulled pork.