Barbecued Shrimp

When I first met Beez, he ate only pizza, hamburgers, and steak. He was not interested in anything else, especially vegetables. After almost 30 years now, he has turned into a wonderful cook. He will try cooking and eating almost anything (and sometimes even vegetables), indoors and out.

Last night, we prepared a superb meal together--barbecued shrimp, carrot salad, and focaccia. It was just one of those memorable meals that comes together with the perfect company, the best conversation, and the tastiest food.

The shrimp recipe is actually called "A Fine Mess of Barbecued Shrimp," and it comes from Bill and Cheryl Jamison's wonderful cookbook, Born to Grill. There is an online version of the recipe on The Global Gourmet.

Creole Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
Juice of 1 medium lemon
5 plump garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Super Wooster Sauce or other Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled but with tails left on and, if you wish, deveined

Super Wooster Sauce or other Worcestershire sauce, or Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce, or both.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir to heat through. Place the shrimp in a plastic bag or shallow dish, pour the sauce over them, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Fire up the grill, bring the temperature to high (1 to 2 seconds with the hand test).

Remove the shrimp for the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Transfer the shrimp to a well-oiled grate or, preferably in this case, to a well-oiled small-mesh grill rack. Grill the shrimp uncovered over high heat for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until just opaque with lightly browned edges. If grilling covered, cook the shrimp for the same amount of time, turning once midway.

Serve the shrimp hot, with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce on the side for customizing the flavor.