Aaahh, Memorial Day weekend, the official kickoff of summer. A season that makes me eat too many cherries until my stomach is turning in satiated circles, gobble up corn– sliced from the cob and sauteed with butter and chives, or grilled and slathered in sweet cream butter, and the grandaddy of them all, the BBQ, is belching smoke into the warm summer sky.

Now I don’t live in Memphis, or Kansas City, or Texas for that matter, I live in Berkeley, CA. And I don’t own a massive BBQ, a smoke pit, or a galvanized steel drum, in fact I do my barbecuing on a very modest hibachi; but this does not negate my desire for smoky, charred BBQ, slathered with tangy, slightly sweet sauce. What could be better than homemade sauce? Rich, piquant, the reddish color tinging the fingertips, and melting to a smoky, sweet flavor, caramelizing delectably.

Early in the week, preparing for the holiday to come, I whipped up a batch (no, it was more like a gallon) of homemade BBQ sauce. Who knew a handful of condiments, thrown together with some dried spices, would make such a delicious condiment? This sauce is true American style BBQ, containing a bit of sugar balanced out by a bit of acid, for that perfect sweet-sour combination.

Now in the summer I grill a lot: tuna steaks, tandoori style chicken, whole red snappers, and butterflied chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon juices, and fresh sage. Weeks will go by and I will not have tasted “true American style BBQ,” and I can’t say that I miss it. But sometimes I get a hankering for something traditional, the carnivore that lies within me calls out for a barbecued brisket. And now I can oblige, with some rib-sticking homemade sauce of my own.

This makes a relatively large amount of sauce, but it can be stored, refrigerated, for up to six months. Stored in mason jars, it is also the perfect gift for your barbecuing friends.

“Q” Sauce

46 ounces tomato catsup
2- 12 ounce cans tomato paste
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons dried mustard
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried ginger
2 bay leaves
3 teaspoons garlic granules
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
juice of 1 lemon

Mix all ingredients together, and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour sauce in clean mason jars, if desired, and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.