Secret Sauce

Tonight, we may get snow. Today, I will use the grill on a 70 degree day.

BBQ spareribs is a frequent request, and it’s all about the sauce.

Shirley would sometimes bring leftovers for lunch from her weekend BBQ.

I got a taste.

The sauce blew me away.

She claimed it to be a family secret, locked in the vault.

I persisted. Our friendship evolved at a time when we both needed a confidante.

We were about the same age, and at first glance, couldn’t have been more different. She was a black woman, a mother and wife at age 17, high school dropout, worked her way up as a corporate secretary.  I was a college educated white woman, resisting motherhood, looking for job fulfillment.

We shared an office. We bonded from the first day.

She corrected me early on, “I am not black, I am brown. You are not white, you are pink.” We both laughed about it. We had frequent discussions about race relations.

But mostly, we shared what we had in common… family, home, relationships, feelings, expectations, health issues. Life.

She gave in on the family secret, and I have been blessed to use her recipe.

Every chance I get.

Shirley’s BBQ Sauce

1 bottle Open Pit (0r any unflavored) BBQ sauce.

1 medium onion, diced small.

2 TBS fresh lemon juice.

Pulp from ½ lemon, chopped.

¼ cup sugar.

2 TBS A-1 Steak Sauce.

2 Tsp Hot Sauce.

Stir all ingredients and cook over low/medium flame just until it starts to boil. Stir often to prevent sticking. Allow to cool, it will thicken.

Additional tips:

*Dry-rub the meat with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours. *Pre-bake the ribs at 350 degrees for 30 minutes before grilling. *Add sauce late, maybe 10 minutes before removing from grill.