Bobby-Que

As a student at Oklahoma Baptist University in the early 1970s, I used to take a special trip about once a week to a little rib shack in Shawnee called the Elite Cafe. I didn't have a car, so I would hustle around campus until I could find somebody with a car who would go with me.

Juanita, owner of the Elite, made the best pork BBQ spareribs in a brick oven with an offset firebox. The meat just fell off the bone! But what even surpassed her ribs was her sauce. She had three plastic bottles at each table: green, orange and red. It didn't take this rocket scientist very long to break the code. The green bottle was mild, the red, hot, and the orange, a cautious mix. I still dream about it.

Anyway, Juanita never would give me the recipe for her secret sauce, but I looked on her shelves and tried to figure out the ingredients. In that process, I discovered a few of her secret ingredients. Over the years, I have tried to come up with a close imitation. The following recipe has never quite matched my memory of her sauce, but the dream is still there.

Plan for at least one pound of ribs per person. A slab can weigh anywhere from 3-4-1/2lbs. To prepare the slabs for the grill, remove the tough thin membrane from the backside of the ribs. I usually have to start the process with a knife until I can grab it with my hand and pull it off. This is not necessary, but makes the ribs easier to eat.

I also like to rub in a combination of spices. Any kind of seasoned pepper blend will do, but if you don't have anything on hand, use the BBQ Rub below, which should make more than enough for two slabs of ribs.

I like to use a rib rack and place it tip-side down. The indirect method on a Weber grill is the best for maximizing flavor,[1] unless of course, you have an offset firebox smoker. The ribs can be cooked flat out the conventional way, but you have to watch them closely and keep turning them.

Plan on leaving the ribs on the grill for at least two hours when using the indirect method on the Weber. The ribs should be done when the skin begins to split. Another way to test doneness is to insert a knife between the ribs and twist. If the meat begins to separate from the bone, they’re done. Baste the ribs with Juanita's sauce for another 10 minutes before removing them from the grill. Enjoy with garlic bread or cornbread and coleslaw (See index).

Unless one is from California , and Santa Barbara County in particular, he or she may never have heard of tri-tip. At least my first encounter with this wonderful triangular piece of meat came after moving to Southern Cal. Tri-tip is not a "cut;" rather, it is a whole muscle in the bottom beef sirloin area. Meat packers from all over the country send tri-tips to California .

The best way to purchase tri-tip is by the bag. There are usually 6 tips per bag. Each tri-tip will have a large top layer of fat, most of which needs to be trimmed. There is a very spongy membrane on top of the fat layer that definitely needs to come off. I like to continue trimming the fat down, leaving just a thin layer.

Tri-tips can go right on the Weber as is. The tri-tip Marinade below is awesome. If I don’t have time to marinade overnight or at least 4 hours, I pack them with seasoning. Suzie Q's Brand Santa Maria Style Seasoning[2] is a local favorite, but anything you like will do. If I’m not in too big a hurry, I’ll mix up the following, which works pretty well for tri-tips, and for ribs, chicken and steaks as well:

Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle meat liberally by hand on all sides. Rub in seasoning by hand. Depending on how much meat you are cooking at once, you may not use the whole mixture or you may need to make more.

The most authentic approach to tri-tip Barbecue is "open-pit" with live red oak coals. The oak imparts a distinctive flavor, and once you recognize and develop a taste for it, any other way doesn't quite measure up. When using the open pit method, the meat needs to be turned often and may take up to an hour to cook--depending on the temperature of the fire, the outside temperature and the thickness of the tri-tip. In a Weber Grill, I like to cook them "lid on" for about 25 minutes, fat side up. You can turn them once, placing fat side down, but only for about five minutes, then turn them back “fat side” up.

People often comment on the tri-tip’s tenderness when I serve it and ask what my secret is. Well, it’s not the rub, the marinade, the coals or the grill–it’s the way I slice it. You have to slice against the grain. If you don’t look carefully, you will likely cut a tri-tip with the grain just because of its shape. You wouldn’t believe how many people make this mistake. The meat becomes very tough to chew, so look before you slice and slice against the grain.

I like to use small chickens. When I was a kid, a 3-pound chicken was pretty standard. These days, a 3-3-1/2 pounder is actually kind of hard to find. But it works best if you can find one. Remove the back with a meat cleaver or large, hefty butcher knife and split the breast right down the middle. This will leave two halves for the BBQ. Sprinkle and rub in BBQ seasoning. Cook skin side up, rib cage and bone side down. Grill over medium heat using the indirect method. The last 15 minutes, baste with Juanita’s BBQ Sauce.

Note: If you decide to use the Tri-Tip/Chicken Marinade below, the basting won’t be necessary.

The best way to test for doneness is to pull on the leg to see if the thigh will separate from the breast. If it will, it’s done.

1Tbl crushed garlic
juice of 2 lemons, or 4 limes[3]
coarse ground black pepper to taste (use a lot)
Suzie Q's Santa Maria Style Seasoning (or California Style Garlic Salt to taste)

Wash and pick over beans. Soak in a large pot or Dutch oven in cold water overnight. Drain and add fresh water about 2 inches above the level of the beans. Add minced garlic, onion, pepper and spices. If you use chorizo, you may not need the chili powder. Cook until beans are tender. In a skillet, brown chorizo, then add to beans along with salsa. Serves 6-8.

Place stewed tomatoes in a blender and chop for 2-3 seconds. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and combine with remaining ingredients. If you want to crank up the heat a notch, add diced jalapeños. Hint: A tablespoon of olive oil will help to preserve the salsa, if needed.

This salad can be tossed with another local favorite, now served nationwide; Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Dressing. This dressing was developed by a real rancher at a real ranch back in the early 1960s--the Hidden Valley Guest Ranch on San Marcos Pass overlooking Santa Barbara , California . If you prefer, you can toss it with some Susie Q's or lemon pepper, the juice of a fresh lemon and a little extra virgin olive oil.

1 Sourdough,[5] French or Italian bread
Santa Maria Style Seasoning or garlic salt (to taste)

Mix crushed garlic and paprika into the soft butter and mayonnaise and spread on both sides of a loaf of sliced bread. You can toast the bread on the grill: wrap in Aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes at 350F or broil until golden brown. If you grill or broil the bread, you will have to stand there and watch it or the bread will burn. Close bread sides and slice crosswise into 1-1/2" slices.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, Jell-O and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens; let it come to a boil. Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Fill crusts with whole or cut strawberries. Pour cooked strawberry glaze over the fresh strawberries. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or until set. Serve with Cool Whip or lightly sweetened whipped cream. Makes 12 servings.

[1] Note: It is not uncommon to boil ribs before placing them on the grill. This may insure tenderness, but it will also insure a significant loss in flavor, shifting the focus from the ribs to the sauce. Juanita did not boil her ribs.

[2] SusieQ's Brand can be ordered from http://www.susieqbrand.com/. You can also find a store locater on this site.

[3] For an interesting variation try kiwi instead of citrus juice. I add the soy sauce to a blender and drop in 2 or 3 peeled and sliced kiwis. Give it a buzz and mix in the other ingredients. Kiwi is a natural meat tenderizer and you may be surprised. It really works!

[4] If you can't find these beans, you can order them from: Lompoc Warehouse Corp., 1119 W. Laurel Ave. , Lompoc , CA. 93436. (805) 736-2517.

[5] Locals like San Luis Sourdough. See www.slodough.com for retail locations.