Today is Memorial Day here in the U.S. I get an extra day off from work, and if it stops raining long enough, I’ll probably go outside and do some long-overdue yard work. I’ll probably grill some hotdogs and sweet corn, maybe make some forbidden potato salad later to enjoy with MJ. Many of you will no doubt spend the day similarly with your families and friends.

Popularly, we’ve all come to think of Memorial Day as the beginning of Summer – when you can bring out your white shoes and sundresses. And there’s nothing wrong with any of that.

But I ask you, while you’re standing over your barbecue or puttering in your garden, to Stop. For just a moment. Look around you. Take in the day and your surroundings. Inhale deeply. And Remember.

Remember the men and women in uniform – both military and those we now refer to as “first responders” – who gave their lives in defense of our freedoms. Whatever we feel about war, these brave souls responded to their country’s call and made the ultimate sacrifice in our names.

But for them, many of us would not have gardens to putter in or barbecues to stand over, or the food to put on those picnic tables. But for them, some of us wouldn’t even be here today, including me.

We are free and we are safe. Remember. And say Thank You. Even if it’s just a moment to yourself.

**Update: There is an actual “Moment of Remembrance”! At 3:00 p.m. today (whatever your time zone), please take a moment to remember and reflect.**

Yesterday was Memorial Day here in the U.S. A day during which we remember all the servicemen and servicewomen who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. Political considerations aside, how many of us would volunteer to put ourselves in harm’s way, to go wherever and whenever we’re ordered? I say right up front that I do not support our military’s presence in Iraq (Afghanistan is another thing altogether, and those poor bastards have gotten screwed miserably since Bush decided to use 9/11 to as an excuse to finish what his daddy couldn’t. And I do use the term “finish”, loosely). And how do we celebrate our heroes? Why, barbecue, of course!

Anyhoo, while Summer doesn’t technically begin until June, Memorial Day is sort of the de facto unofficial start of Summer. And even though it ALWAYS rains on Memorial Day – and yesterday was no exception – we are as American as the rest of the country when it comes to Summer holidays, no matter what, we grill. Even though here in South Florida we generally do our barbecuing in the winter, when we have our best weather. Shoot – it’s already broken 90 degrees about a dozen times already, down here. But I digress.

I took a package of chicken breasts (on the bone) out of the freezer to thaw and thought about what I wanted to do. I must have watched four straight hours of Food Network’s grilling marathon, looking for inspiration.

I went into the kitchen, grabbed a ziploc bag and just started throwing in stuff that, to my warped and confused brain, seemed like maybe it should, oughta go together. Maybe. Well, as things turned out, MJ really, really, really loved it. To the point where he insisted that I drop my cob and write down what I did, before I forgot and he’d never see it again (a frequent occurrence around here over the years when I just start throwing things into a pot or a pan because I need to use something up). So I did. And then I thought I’d share it with you. I take no responsibility if it doesn’t turn out for you. I have no guaranty that it will turn out again for me. But what the hell. Think about it as an exercise in thinking way out of the box – or the bottle, for that matter.

RJ’s BBQ Chicken – May ’08

Kraft Char Grill BBQ Sauce approx 1/2 cup (I think any plain, pedestrian bbq sauce would do)
Kosher Salt — a heavy pinch
Tabasco Chipotle Sauce — 6 or 7 good shakes (because I love Tabasco Chipotle Sauce and use it in a gazillion things)
Worcestershire sauce – 4 or 5 good shakes
Hot Madras Curry Powder – approx. heaping tblsp (ok, you might need to visit the Indian grocery for this and the next ingredient)
Meat Masala Curry Powder – approx. heaping tblsp
Garlic Powder – approx. teaspoon
Black Pepper – approx. 1/2 teaspoon
Approx. 3 lbs. chicken breasts on the bone (this actually turned out to be 3 ginormous pieces), but you could use thighs, I would think, too.

Mix together in a ziploc bag, add chicken, zip bag and massage into chicken. Let sit while heating the grill and prepping everything else. Put on greased, hot grill, skin-side up, close top and turn grill down to medium. Grill approximately 35-40 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces) without turning.
Even with all that spicing, it really wasn’t spicy at all. Seriously. Maybe just the tiniest tingle, but not hot at all.

Best advice? Do something weird every once in awhile. When your heart’s in it, you’d be surprised what works.

Additional (or should I say, Accidental) flavor notes: I haven’t had the chance to try one of the after-market “smoking” options available for grills like mine (small, round, no bells and whistles), yet, but I did lay several ears of corn (sans silk, husks intact) on the grill, as well as a foil pouch of fingerling potatoes, seasoned with a little kosher salt, black pepper, rosemary, and drizzled with grapeseed oil. Interestingly, I found that every element picked up some flavoring from the others: the chicken picked up some smoky sweetness from the charring corn husks, with the tiniest hint of rosemary; the corn picked up a rumor of rosemary; and the potatoes got some of the corn husk smoke. It was really cool the way everything complimented each other.

P.S. — No sooner did I get everything on the grill and closed the lid, than it began to rain.