May is National Barbecue Month. The official kick-off to the peak, outdoor cooking season, bla bla, bla.

Like anybody needs someone to tell us now is the time to get outdoors and cook something. We've only been cooped up indoors for what feels like one of the longest winter seasons in
years.

Yet the HPBA, that's the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association to you, wants us to know that outdoors is the preferred place to cook during the warmer months.  Helloooooo! 

Anyhoo, we've already been cooking outdoors, having taken advantage of a few warm days in April. My husband has the knack for barbecuing as he works outdoors. He can repair a truck, nail up a fence, and play with the dog, all the while grilling up the most amazing ribs or chicken. All I have to do is hand him some meat on a platter and he fires up the grill.

Usually we've been fine with a little salt, pepper and Worchestershire sauce. But this year I decided to try making my own sauces for a little variety.

My first attempt was a dry rub for ribs. Now that may sound dry and boring, but after some tweaking, I came up with a nice spicy rub and as long as you don't overcook the meat, you'll get a juicy rib with a spicy flavor.



              DRY SPICE RUB FOR RIBS

1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup celery salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon coriander
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Combine all the ingrediants in a bowl or jar. Sprinkle over ribs when ready to cook. You can sprinkle on lightly or heavier and rub onto ribs, then cook as usual. This makes enough for 6-12 ribs, depending on size.




Another bbq sauce I finally mastered was the teriyaki glaze. That had always appealed to me, but as soon as I would read the ingredient list, I became discouraged. That's because many call for like 20 ingrediants, so now a nice teriyaki glaze turns is a major project! Who wants to deal with that while barbecuing? Cooking outdoors is supposed to be easier. But I did finally come up with one that works for me. It's easy, tasty and trust me, not complicated at all.

TERIYAKI GLAZE FOR RIBS & CHICKEN

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garlic (minced or from a jar)
1-2 teaspoons corn starch

Combine all ingrediants in a saucepan, except the cornstarch.
Heat ingrediants, while stirring, slowly add corn starch one teaspoon at a time for 2 minutes til the sauce thickens. 
Brush onto ribs 15 minutes before finished cooking.
Makes about 1/4 cup.