The Best Barbecue West of Wherever They Have Really Great Barbecue

Give a man some barbecue and feed him for a day. Teach a man to barbecue and feed him for the summer. –Unknown

This is one of our favorite barbecue recipes. I made it for Father's Day and it was so good, I skipped the photo op so I could get down to eating.

Barbecue Sauce
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• Combine ketchup, onion, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire, chili powder and garlic in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally; reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 2 cups

Notes:
• Use with beef, chicken or pork.
• For grilling, brush on meat during the last 5 minutes of cooking; serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping.
• Mix sauce with shredded chicken or beef or pulled pork for great barbecue sandwiches.
• For baking, see below.

Barbecue Ribs
2 lbs. country-style boneless ribs {beef or pork}
2 cups barbecue sauce

• Heat oven to 275˚. Place meat in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour sauce over meat and cover baking dish.
• Bake, covered, for 3 to 4 hours.
• Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or baked potatoes, veggie of choice and fresh watermelon.
Serves 4

Notes:
• For baked barbecue chicken, bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes {until chicken is no longer pink}.
• For large groups, use a ratio of 1 cup sauce to 1 pound meat.

I made strawberry shortcake for Mother's Day and meant to post the recipe a while back. Since I'm sharing great food that makes days to celebrate the special people in our lives a little bit more special, I'll throw this one in too. We celebrated Mother's Day with Mr. Bug's family. I estimated that there would be about 40 people there. I think there were 38. To make sure I had enough for everyone, I used 3 dozen eggs and 10 pounds of strawberries. It was quite a party.

Angel Food Cake
1½ cups egg whites {10 to 12 large eggs}
1½ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup sifted flour {cake or all-purpose}
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar

• In an extra-large mixing bowl, allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, sift powdered sugar and flower together 3 times; set aside.
• Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till soft peaks form {tips curl}. Gradually ad sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating till stiff peaks form {tips stand straight}.
• Sift about one-fourth of the dry mixture over the beaten egg whites; fold in gently. Repeat, folding in remaining dry mixture by fourths. Pour into an ungreased 10" tube pan. Gently cut through batter to remove any large air pockets.
• Bake on the lowest rack in a 350˚ oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake {leave in pan}; cool thoroughly. Loosen sides of cake from pan; remove cake.
Serves 12

Notes:
• The recipe calls for a tube pan, but I used a Bundt pan instead and it came out just fine.
• The powdered sugar and flour are sifted no less than five times; remember to sift them before you measure them.
• When you turn your cake, if it is too high to set the pan down, use the built-in legs on the pan. If you didn't use a tube pan {or it doesn't have legs}, invert over a metal funnel or a glass bottle with a slim neck. If you don't have a glass bottle or a metal funnel, you can get creative and use books of equal height tucked just under the rim of the pan to prop it up so you don't squish the cake while it cools, hanging upside down.
• For chocolate Angel Food Cake, add ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder when sifting powdered sugar and flour together.

Strawberry Shortcake

3 lbs. fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar

• Wash strawberries and remove stems. Cut strawberries in quarters {or more, for larger berries} vertically. Sprinkle with sugar and gently stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour {up to overnight}.
• Stir strawberries before serving; serve over Angel Food Cake, topped with whipped cream.
Serves 12

Notes:
• For more {or less} strawberries, use a ratio of 1 tablespoon sugar to 1 lb. of strawberries.
• If you're going to go to all the trouble of baking an Angel Food Cake from scratch, you darn well better make the whipped cream too {instructions on container of cream}. It just tastes better. Unless, of course, you're dairy-free in which case you'd just leave it off all together.