Whether tailgating in a stadium parking lot or barbecuing at home Americans love to barbecue! Barbecue has moved from a summer and regional activity to a near-ubiquitous American experience. According to the Barbecue Industry Association, Americans barbecue about 2.9 billion times each year in every weather condition, and in every season! This fall Cattlemen's® Barbecue Sauce and world champion barbecuers, Mike Mills and Chris Lilly, team-up to share their expertise and award-winning barbecue recipes that are sure to score big with your friends and family.

Mike Mills and Chris Lilly were selected as presenters at the first annual Cattlemen's® Barbecue Immersion event held at the Ritz Carlton" Lodge Reynolds, Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia in October. The intensive two-day event was designed as an opportunity to help develop delicious barbecue recipes and concepts for restaurateurs across the country.

Affectionately known as "The Legend," Mike Mills has earned the distinction of being one of the only "Three-Time Grand World Champions" at the Memphis in May International Barbecue Contest. In the August 2007, Bon Appetit, named Mike's barbecued ribs the best in the country! Mike presides over the pits at his six nationally acclaimed barbecue joints in Southern Illinois and Las Vegas. Mills is also the barbecue guru behind Blue Smoke restaurant in New York City. Mike's book, Peace, Love, and Barbecue, was nominated for a 2006 James Beard Foundation award.

"For the past 14 years, every Grand Champion at the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest at Memphis in May has used Cattlemen's as the secret ingredient in their award-winning recipe," explained Mike Mills. "Not any bottled sauce can command that kind of respect from competitive barbecuers. Cattlemen's quality and versatility allow anyone from barbecue masters to the grilling rookies, to create their own award-winning barbecue sauce recipes."

Chris Lilly is one of America's best-known barbecue pit masters. The Wall Street Journal recognized Chris and Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q as having the best pork barbecue in the country and the Birmingham News named it "Best Barbecue Restaurant in Alabama." Lilly is head chef of the award-winning Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Competition Cooking Team and is the winner of five Memphis in May World Championships.

"Cattlemen's is a leading choice of competitive barbecuers across the country," explained world champion barbecuer, Chris Lilly. "Cattlemen's (Barbecue Sauce) has been around for years and now people at home are now using the bold flavor of Cattlemen's in their own barbecue creations."

So if you are looking for a chance to make the best ribs and pork barbecue this fall try the following recipes from Mike and Chris.

Recognized by Bon Appetit as the "Best in America" you can try Mike's rib recipe at home:

APPLE CITY BARBECUE GRAND WORLD CHAMPION RIBS
Adapted and reprinted with permission from Peace, Love, and Barbecue (Rodale).

4 cups of apple wood chips (you can also use hickory or pecan chips)
4 racks of ribs (about 2 pounds each)
4 cups apple juice in a spray bottle
One Bottle of Cattlemen's® Award Winning Classic Barbecue Sauce

1. Sprinkle the ribs liberally with seasoning, coating both sides. Put them in a shallow pan or on a cookie sheet and cover them with clear plastic wrap or a lid. Refrigerate them until youre ready to use them.

2. Soak the apple wood chips in water for half an hour. Drain.

3. Start your grill and be sure the temperature is between 200 and 210 degrees.

4. Once the temperature is steady, place the ribs on the rack, bone side down. Cook ribs bone side down.

5. Cover and smoke or grill the ribs for about 2 hours or until the ribs are done and tender.

6. Check the ribs every 20 minutes or so. When they're sweating, mop or mist them with Cattlemen's® Barbecue Sauce and some apple juice

7. About 10 minutes before you remove the ribs from the pit, mop them with the Cattlemen's® Barbecue Sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 or you can cut the racks in half to serve 8

Craving great tasting barbecue? Try Chris Lilly's award-winning pork shoulder recipe:

CHRIS LILLY'S CHAMPIONSHIP PORK SHOULDER
Adapted and reprinted with permission.

Dry Rub
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/3 cup garlic salt
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper

Pork Injection
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1 whole pork shoulder
One Bottle of Cattlemen's® Award Winning Classic Barbecue Sauce

1. Make the dry rub: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer to a shaker. Store leftover rub in an air tight container.

2. Make the pork injection: Whisk together the apple juice, water, sugar, salt, Cattlemen's® Barbecue Sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Fill a basting syringe and begin injecting the meat. Use about 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) per pound of shoulder.

3. Inject pork shoulder evenly with injection solution.

4. Apply a generous amount of rub onto meat. Pat so the rub will adhere. Coat the shoulder well and refrigerate overnight.

5. Place in a smoker and cook with indirect heat for one hour per pound at 225°F to an internal temperature of 195°F.

Serve with Cattlemen's® Award Winning Classic Barbecue on the side or brush shoulder with Cattlemen's® Award Winning Classic Barbecue Sauce the last 20 minutes of cooking. When done, the pork should pull off the bones easily.

About Cattlemen's®
Cattlemen's® is available in three great flavors; Authentic Smoke House, Golden Honey and Award Winning Classic in convenient 18 oz. bottles. Cattlemen's® Award Winning Classic is the ideal balance of sweet and spice which makes this rich sauce a universal favorite on chicken, beef, or pork. Cattlemen's® Golden Honey is made with pure Grade A honey and a touch of smoke creating a versatile sauce that is ideal on traditional barbecue dishes and seafood or as a delicious dipping sauce for finger foods. Cattlemen's® Authentic Smoke House combines rich molasses and hickory smoke for a full-bodied sauce with a smooth flavor and distinctive dark color that is delicious on all traditional barbecue fare. For more information or recipes from Cattlemen's®, please visit www.cattlemensbbqsauce.com . For more information on Memphis in May, log onto www.memphisinmay.org .

FRENCH'S Foods, a division of Reckitt Benckiser Inc., the maker of CATTLEMEN'S® Barbecue Sauce, is a leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of food and household products. Some other well known, trusted household names in the Reckitt Benckiser Inc. family of products include FRENCH'S® mustards, FRENCH'S® Original and Cheddar French Fried Onions, FRENCH'S® GOURMAYO" Flavored Light Mayonnaise, FRENCH'S® Potato Sticks and FRANK'S® REDHOT® Cayenne Pepper Sauce.

*Trademark of Ritz Carlton
**Memphis in May is a trademark of Memphis in May International Festival, Inc.