Quick BBQ on the gas grill (don't sneer)

The first outdoor grill we owned came in a box.

We had just moved to SF from NYC and had our first legitimate outdoor space (a 3rd floor deck). We did not yet own power tools, had not yet cultivated a "just call the handy man and let him deal" sense of entitlement, and had a rather underdeveloped method of "combining strengths" to tackle such an annoying, seemingly impossible task. Most of that day is scarred from my memory but I do recall that fitting the very last screw into place required me using all my might and both hand and feet while the Mr. furiously turned away with a butter knife, simultaneously enlightening the neighborhood on the proper usage of a number of choice phrases he'd learned in the Army.

There is no excuse for why we moved that thing in when we bought this house but mercifully some one more newly wed than we actually wanted to fight over getting it started at their house, and so we "helped them out" with a donation and got our first gas grill. Now we have one attached to the natural gas line so we don't even run out of gas anymore and it is pure heaven. I know, I know, it isn't BBQ if there ain't no wood involved. My So Cal Foodie Friends are synchronized eye rolling at his very moment. I'm sure my South Carolina host is ruing the long hot day he spent coddling those ribs adding just the right combo of fruit wood and organic cherry juice only to have them consumed by one so clueless. Those people aren't kidding when they invite you for a BBQ. But this is not my area of expertise and so we make do.

If you make the chilli powder from the Tyler Florence Grilled Shrimp recipe we made this week, you will have enough left over to create a few more dishes. My son and I decided to try to make some BBQ sauce using our version (the one using Guajillo in place of Ancho) and it worked out really well. The substitution might be the key as the Guajillo has a very smokey flavor on it's own, so the fact that I am smoker-less and wood grill challenged was kind of balanced by the sauce itself.

In the morning we tossed some boneless pork chops in a basic brine of salt, sugar, smashed juniper berries and black pepper, with some fresh rosemary our neighbors gave us added in for an extra boost. When we got home around dinner time the kids were pretty hungry so we wanted to get it done fast! My son helped me figure out how to get the right flavor from our sauce with out cooking it down for ever.

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 large onion grated on the bigger side of a box grater (grating is key the boy was right on here)

2 Tablespoons of the chilli powder we made earlier in the week

1 Tablespoon tamarind sauce

1/2 Cup ketchup

Sautee onion in butter for 2-3 minutes just to get the natural sugar started, add the powder to mingle the flavors and cook over med-low heat for another 2-3 minutes stirring often so as not to scorch the mixture. Then add in the tamarind sauce (we used a left over container from take-out Indian food that was lurking in the fridge) and the ketchup, stirring to combine and keep from scorching another 4-5 minutes.

Voila! Neither too hot nor too sweet, although you could adjust the seasoning in either direction or add vinegar and it would probably taste good too. It looked so good that we added a boneless skinless chicken breast just to see how the sauce would work on something not brined and it was perfection in less than an hour. Sliced it all and served over dressed arugala salad with rice and steamed broccoli dressed in a touch of lemon butter. I know the broccoli part is weird but I had one that needed to be cooked and it was actually a nice addition to the meal. Next time I would make extra as there wasn't enough left over to dip in or use as a condiment on BBQ pork sandwiches today, and it would be fun to try a version with more heat and vinegar too, Let me know if you do!