Hot Dog Days
August 16, 2007

It’s hot and sultry—the dog days of summer— and the only foods I really want to eat require no utensils. That means hot dogs, pork ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, and watermelon. Why do we call this period ‘the dog days’? Eons ago, when the night sky was free of artificial light and smog, people visualized shapes in the sky by connecting the dots of stars. Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. During late July Sirius is aligned with the sun. It was so bright that people believed the earth received heat from it, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, ‘the dog days’ after Sirius. Doggonit, I think the best way to weather this weather is to whip up a batch of my Mom’s amazing BBQ sauce, slather it all over hot dogs, ribs, and chicken— and eat it with my hands!

Pat Myette’s Famous BBQ Sauce
one—fourth cup celery; finely diced
one—half cup green bell pepper; finely diced
one—half cup onion; finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3— 12 ounce bottles chili sauce
1 cup ketchup
one—half cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
3 tablespoons VT maple syrup (dark is better)
one—fourth cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons seasoning  salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons chili powder
2 — 3 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
one—half teaspoon red pepper flakes
one—half teaspoon gumbo file powder

Sauté celery, bell pepper, onion in oil in large saucepan over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add chili sauce, ketchup, and  the rest of the ingredients. Simmer gently over low heat, covered, for 1 hour. 

Cool sauce then store in clean glass jars in the fridge; lasts several weeks.  Recipe makes about 4 12 oz. jars. (Pat’s Testing Note: “This sauce comes out different EVERY time I make it—measurements are not precise!”)

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008