Growing up my mom we ate a lot of lamb on Sundays. I asked my mom why that was and she told me it was my Dad’s favorite meal. She would roast a leg of lamb with bone in on Sunday and we would eat it for 3 nights in a row in one form or another but always with some incredibly bright green mint jelly on the side.

My mom didn’t prepare a mint sauce like I’m suggesting you try here. It just wasn’t her style of cooking but it couldn’t be easier. I’m not sure you could go to the supermarket and buy a bunch of fresh mint like you can today. I guess we could have grown some in our garden, but I remember the garden was reserved for beets, carrots, parsley, potatoes, & tomatoes.

This recipe for mint sauce comes from Barbara Kafka’s Roasting, A Simple Art and is the perfect accompaniment for my roast leg of lamb recipe. It can be used right away or made ahead of time and served later.

Mint Sauce

Ingredients

1 bunch of fresh mint, about 4 ounces
1/3-cup boiling water
1-tablespoon sugar 
 1/3-cup cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Prep

Wash the mint leave and pat dry. Remove the leaves from the stem and discard stems. Finely chop the leaves

Start boiling the water.

How to Prepare Mint Sauce for Lamb

Put the mint in a small container and add the water to it. Stir in the sugar and let stand until the water is cooled off enough to touch it. This should take about 15 minutes. Stir in the cider vinegar and sea salt.

That’s it. Serve immediately or reserve to use later.

If you like garlic, you are going to love the traditional Latin condiment chimichurri sauce. Although there are many different variations, it is basically a simple combination of parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and some seasonings.

Although Chimichurri sauce originated in Argentina, it has become popular throughout the Latin American countries and now here in the United States. My friend told me in Argentina they use it as commonly as we use ketchup. He said there is always a bowl on the table and when it starts to run out they just make another batch and add to what’s there.

You can buy it commercially, but don’t bother. It is so easy to make and so much better fresh than anything you’ll find in a jar.  If you don’t use it all one night, save the leftovers to serve with something the next night. It goes great with chicken, steak, pork, and fish, just about anything. I have a slightly different variation for the sauce at my recipe for Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce.

There are lots of stories how the name Chimichurri came about. I like the one that says it was invented and named after an Irishman whose name was Jimmy McCurry. The local Argentineans could not pronounce his name correctly so instead they called him and his sauce Chimichurri. Not sure if that is true or not, but it makes for a good story.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This recipe came from one of my favorite cooking magazines, Cuisine at Home. No advertising, just recipes and techniques. Basically you are cutting up pork tenderloin into 2-inch pieces that cook very quickly and can dry out if you are not careful. They wrap bacon around each piece of meat to add flavor but it also prevents the pork from grilling to quickly.

The bacon-wrapped pork chunks are skewered, basted with the Chimichurri sauce and grilled. In the article, they warn you not to put to many chunks of pork on a skewer and to be sure to leave some room between the pork pieces so the bacon is exposed and will cook evenly.

I didn’t follow their directions very well and had to spread them out while I was cooking. It would have been a whole lot easier to just use a few more skewers. And speaking of skewers, they suggest threading the pork on two skewers instead of one. Adds stability, making it easier to flip them without having the pork spinning out of control.

I did follow their instruction and they are right. It is easier to turn them and I’ll be trying this technique on all future shish kabobs.

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For those of you who are barbecuing today, here is a special treat from Chef Terrell Garrett. It is his very popular barbecue sauce that has been ten years in the making and according to Chef Terrell is close to perfection. This bbq sauce starts with a dry rub that Chef says is an integral part of the recipe

As you can see from the ingredient list, this is going to make a large amount of sauce. Chef Terrell says it needs to be refrigerated and depending on how much barbecuing you do, you may consider cutting the recipe in half. Alternatively, if you have the equipment and experience, you can always bottle some for better storage or even gifts.

I think you are going to enjoy this sauce and would love to hear your comments. If you have your own special barbecue sauce, please tell us about it in the comments section below.

Chef Terrell Garrett’s Barbeuce Sauce Recipe© 2007

The dry rub is listed first.

• 1/2 cup chile powder
• 1/4 cup hickory flavored salt
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Mix thoroughly and save in a glass jar or zip-lock bag.

Barbeque Sauce Recipe

• 4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 6 cups water
• 6 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard
• 1 1/3 tablespoons  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup spice rub,(see previous recipe)
• 4 each lemons (juice of)
• 8 cloves minced garlic
• 3 cups chopped white onion
• 1/4 lb. unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Turn heat to medium and stir well to melt sugar and dissolve mustard.  Bring to a boil carefully (stirring often), reduce heat to medium low and allow mixture to simmer until onions are done stirring frequently. (approximately 20 minutes.)

Then add:

• 10 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup liquid smoke

Stir mixture well and bring back to a simmer for approximately 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Let stand to cool, overnight is best.

Caution!

1. Always cook this recipe in a well-ventilated area.  The smell can be overwhelming.

2. Stirring is very important to prevent the sugar from scorching or burning.

3.NEVER substitute another vinegar for apple cider vinegar.

4. Don’t spend a lot of money on ketchup, the cheaper the better.

5. To add heat add 1-1/2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes.

6. The sauce can be bottled for longer life but must be processed in a canner, which gives it an indefinite shelf life.  However, when opened, the sauce must be refrigerated.