Getting Lucky in Kansas

We arrived at our motel in Ottawa, Kansas after 7:00 last night, in a downpour. We have driven 1200 miles in two days, on track to get from Tucson to Cape Cod in five days.

There were "restaurants" all around us: Applebee's, Wendy's, McDonald's! We really wanted barbecue, so we looked in the Yellow Pages and there was indeed a barbecue joint--and they delivered! I ordered a rib plate and a chicken plate with spicy sauce, and twenty minutes later it arrived. $7.85 per plate. A miracle.

We had been lugging around a bottle of champagne, waiting for something worth celebrating--and this was definitely it.

Dry Rub and Barbecue Sauce

My previous post was about ribs--I was too lazy to include the sauce recipe then, so here it is.

These are both adapted from the 1997 revision of Joy of Cooking (I use this book so much--I loved the early version I received as a wedding present in 1969, but this is the one I refer to now).

Southern Dry Rub for Barbecue

1/4 cup toasted and ground cumin seeds, or cumin powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup chile powder (substitute part paprika if you're a weenie, or some cayenne if not)
1 teaspoon mace
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper

Mix thoroughly. Rub into ribs or chicken and refrigerate up to 24 hours before grilling.

Barbecue Sauce (to serve on the side)

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup or less brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
Up to 4 tablespoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger, or some fresh grated
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon slices, or a small lime cut in half

Simmer together for 5 minutes. You can also cook this in the microwave, but be careful. Remove citrus slices before serving.