Jessie Peter St. Petersburg, FL

My husband is a BBQ genius because he figured out a way to use a good cut of fish and his backyard grill to make the most unique and gourmet presents for our friends and family at Christmas. He gets slabs of skin on salmon, portions them out and uses a homemade recipe with brown sugar, spices, white vinegar and seasoning to "cure" the salmon and then hot smokes it on the grill. He's also used a more BBQ type sauce as well before smoking the salmon for a sweet and tangy version. We then package slices of the salmon using a food saver vacuum. I am a graphic designer so I designed some fun custom labels for the packages and we put them in a decorative tin from our local dollar store. Voila! A extremely creative and economical present that rivals those fancy treats at Harry and David or Dean and DeLuca, and people raved about it until the NEXT Christmas! You can also add a little recipe slip for salmon spread, which uses the smoked salmon, hot sauce, cream cheese and a little lemon. It is always gone immediately when we make this for parties. A fun and creative way to use a backyard BBQ - something different. The entire thing costs less than $20 and makes presents for several friends, coworkers and family.

Ralph Schuster Scottsdale, AZ

COur BBQ's are SPECIAL !!! We have NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE, but F O U R chefs!! #1) great Grandpa #2) grandson #3) grandson by marriage to granddaughter #5) great Grandson 7yr old they're all most interested in cooking, and do a fabulous job it's not good enough to BBQ the ribs, and chicken ,,, OH NO !!! it has to be marinated overnight in a brine of your great sauce, diluted with some red wine, secret ingredients of herbs, and a dash of coffee (?) unbelievable !!! BUT : it turned out with a taste that blew everyone away !!! This was accompanied with Japanese cucumber salad, fab (homemade) baked beans, macaroni salad, baked potatoes, with ALL accompanying extras, and tossed green salad ... nobody came from the tables hungry!!!

Bettie Baxter Eugene, OR

I have been making my own BBQ sauce for 49 years. My BBQ sauce is famous among family, friends and co-workers. In the rare occasions, such as too short of notice for a BBQ or just plain laziness, I have tried using 3 very famous BBQ sauces--and did I EVER hear about it! Until I picked up a bottle of Cattlemen’s BBQ sauce! Even the two who are the most adamant about not using any other BBQ sauce finally admitted Cattlemen’s BBQ sauce was the closest to mine they'd ever seen. The story of how & why I invented my sauce is kinda interesting. I had never eaten BBQ before I married my husband. We traveled a lot due to my husband’s work, & consequently, wound up at a BBQ restaurant shortly before they closed. I know now it was because the meat was dried out, but after tasting that BBQ, I swore I'd never eat BBQ again. Three years passed by, & one day in Lawton, OK, we walked into this restaurant, & the most heavenly aroma assailed my nostrils!!! I had no idea what it was, and ordered something (don't even remember what!) When they brought our food, there was this smell--I wound up trading my husband plates. Later, I began craving that delicious food. So I went to the store, buying what I seemed to taste in it & VOILA, my BBQ sauce was born...only I boil my meat in it, quite often, & people really seem to love that!!!

Francisca Mesian Newport News, VA

Surf and turf barbecue skewers 12oz piece of sirloin or rump steak, cut 1in thick 12 headless raw tiger prawns 3 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp paprika ¼tsp Tabasco sauce ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce salt and freshly ground black pepper For the Garlic and Parsley Butter: 2oz butter 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley finely grated zest of ½ lemon 1 tbsp lemon juice 4 x 10in bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes Method 1. Cut the steak into roughly 16 x 1in cubes. Peel the prawns, leaving the last tail segment in place. 2. Mix the olive oil with the garlic, paprika, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and plenty of salt and pepper. Dip the prawns into the marinade, lift out and set aside on a plate. 3. Stir the cubes of steak into the marinade and leave for 15 minutes. 4. Thread 4 pieces of steak and 3 prawns alternately on to the skewers now and then, until the steak is done to your liking and the prawns are just cooked through, about 10 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, put the butter and garlic into a small pan and leave to the side of the barbecue to melt. Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. 6. As soon as the kebabs are cooked, lift them onto 4 plates, spoon over the garlic butter.

Chrissy Zeeman Manassas, VA

Ginger Salmon 1 cup soy sauce brown sugar honey fresh ginger ground pepper 1/2 white onion 2 green onions 2 sprigs rosemary parsley 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 stick unsalted butter bread crumbs Salmon with scales Charcoal grill hardwood charcoal mesquite and hickory wood chips Prep the bbq first. Start with your hard wood charcoal to one end of the grill (not in the center). Create smoke packets with a mix of mesquite and hickory chips (pre soak them 2+ hours prior) While the fire is setting start on the stove with the sauce put the soy sauce, ginger, pepper, onion, green onion, parsley, rosemary, orange juice, honey, brown sugar in the pot. Add the honey and brown sugar to taste. The sauce should be sweet and not salty. Let it simmer for about 4 minutes. After, the 4 minutes add the 1 stick of butter and let it melt. Once melted take it off the stove. Strain out all of the ingredients so it's just the sauce. Prep the salmon with a light coat of bread crumbs, pepper, and finely chopped ginger. Make sure there is a light coat of the bread crumbs all over the fish but not completely covered. Before placing the fish on the grill drop a smoke packet on the charcoals. Place the fish scale side down opposite the coals. Immediately brush on the sauce to all parts of the fish. Cover the lid for approximately 10 minutes. After, 10 minutes brush on more sauce and cover for about another 10 minutes. The fish should be crispy on the edges but moist in the middle. Check the fish for this consistency. If it doesn't check it every 5 minutes until it does. Do not ever flip the fish!!! When it's time for the fish to come off the scales may stick to the grill this is ok. On the serving plate drizzle a little more sauce on the fish. I usually leave a bowl with the left over sauce near the fish in case anyone would like extra sauce.

Jerry Marshall Ft. Collins, CO

I make fantastic smoked baby back ribs (or any other type of ribs for that matter). I start by soaking about 2 quarts of large hickory chips in water for several hours. After starting my charcoal in a chimney starter, I separate the hot coals into two piles and put them on either side of the grill. Meanwhile I allow the ribs to come to room temperature and apply a rub mixture. I scatter the wet hickory chips on each pile of hot coals and place the ribs on the grill as far away from the hot coals/hickory chips as possible. The hickory should start smoking after just a few minutes. Now it's time to put the ribs on the grill and close the grill lid. Allow the ribs to smoke until the chips stop smoking or (if your grill has a thermometer) until the temperature inside the grill cools to 200 degrees. As the grill starts to cool, pre-heat your oven to 225 degrees. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and cut into individual rib. In a large bowl, toss ribs with Cattlemen's BBQ sauce, transfer to an appropriately sized, oven safe dish or half sheet pan with raised sides, place in oven and back for 3 to 4 hours. All I can you is have some of these ribs with your favorite side dish(s) such as potato salad and you can die happy. If you wish to cook more ribs than you can eat immediately, vacuum pack the extra ribs and freeze

Chris Huss Corona, CA

Chris Huss Corona, CA I grew up in Chattanooga, TN where folks grow up with the smell of bbq all around them. I still heed old tricks I learned as a boy. I like to soak hickory and mesquite chips overnight and toss 'em into a little 6" cast iron skillet just before I put the meat on. The chips are able to smolder and smoke up my steaks so they taste just right when I start brushin' 'em with Cattlemen’s BBQ Sauce. When company's on the way we like to quarter boneless, skinless chicken breasts and toss them into a freezer bag with 1/2-2/3 c of Cattlemen’s BBQ Sauce to marinate. I cut up 3-4 good sized potatoes, a couple of carrots, a handful of fresh mushrooms, 2-3 cloves of garlic, a bit of red onion, and finish things off with a tbsp of capers and some palm or artichoke hearts if I can find 'em in the refrigerator. I sometimes drizzle a little bourbon on just for an extra touch. Put the chicken at the bottom of a Reynolds Foil Pouch, the potatoes next, and pile the rest on top. Seal the bag, put it on the grill and greet your guests. By the time they get settled in and are ready for a second beverage, Cattlemen’s Chicken in a Sack has saved the day.