(Family Features) - When you want to give your backyard barbecue that authentic smokehouse flavor, the message is in the bottle — the barbecue sauce bottle, that is.

We all know that barbecue sauce is great brushed on ribs, brisket, and chicken, or drizzled over grilled pork tenderloin or steak. But it can do so much more.

Mix barbecue sauce, to your taste, with a vinaigrette salad dressing and it becomes a smokehouse salad dressing or a great marinade for chicken, pork, or beef. Add a little barbecue sauce to your hamburger or meatloaf mixture for a bolder, smokier flavor. Create a signature smokehouse burger by grilling a burger and topping it with barbecue sauce, a slice of smoked cheese, and a strip or two of crispy bacon. Glaze chicken or pork with barbecue sauce during the last 10 to 15 minutes of grilling. Keep turning so the food glazes, but doesn't burn. Offer barbecue sauce as a dipping sauce for grilled shrimp or oysters. "Barbecue isn't just about hot dogs, burgers, and chicken anymore," says Rick Browne, cookbook author and host of the public television series "Barbecue America." According to Browne, with a great barbecue sauce on hand any backyard barbecuer "can bring that authentic barbecue taste to any dish they cook and become master barbecuers at home." Browne's favorite barbecue sauce? It's Cattlemen's Barbecue Sauce, available at your local grocery store.

Try this delicious Rick Browne original:


Serves: 3 to 4

1 cup brown sugar
12 ounces cola soda
1/2 cup Cattlemen's Authentic Smoke House Barbecue Sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 pounds meaty pork spareribs, cut into 3- to 4-rib portions

Combine the brown sugar, cola, barbecue sauce, onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and pepper; stir until mixed. Place the ribs in the sauce mixture and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Drain ribs, pouring marinade into a saucepan. Boil marinade for 12 minutes. Reserve half for basting and serving on the side. Grill ribs over high heat for 1 minute per side. Cook covered over indirect heat of grill for 1 hour or until ribs are no longer pink near bone, turning often and basting with remaining sauce. To thicken reserved sauce, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Mix into reserved sauce. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute until thickened. Cattlemen's sauce is available in three great flavors: Authentic Smoke House, Golden Honey, and Award Winning Classic all in convenient 18-ounce bottles. For more information about Cattlemen's, please visit www.cattlemensbbqsauce.com.

SOURCE: Cattlemen's Barbecue Sauce