• August 25, 2008
• Vol. 70
• No. 8

Bill Engvall's Backyard BBQ

By Maureen Harrington

The Texas-Born Comic Pulls on His Cowboy Hat and Pulls Out the Dry Rubs to Grill Up Dinner for His TV Family

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From PEOPLE Magazine

In Texas you learn two things as a kid: How to drive and how to barbecue," says stand-up comic and Galveston native Bill Engvall. Which explains why—although he now lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif., near where he tapes TBS's family comedy The Bill Engvall Show—the actor keeps a collection of BBQ seasonings in a kitchen cabinet. "And I still barbecue every chance I get," he says. "Rain, shine or snow."

Fortunately it's sunny on July 29, as Engvall and his wife, Gail, host a barbecue lunch for his costars Nancy Travis, Graham Pierce Martin and Tim Meadows. A few hours before the guests arrive, Engvall, his "secret sauce" bubbling on the stove (recipe on next page), decants a bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet. "I'll drink a beer while I cook," he says, gesturing to a tub filled with Shiner beer, "but we like a really good Cabernet with barbecue."

Fans needn't worry that Engvall has shed his down-home roots: He always wears a straw cowboy hat while he grills. Is he ever tempted to try a different accessory? Nah. "Goofy aprons," he says, "are for amateurs!"

More From This Article

The Menu

FROM THE GRILL Chicken Rib eye steak Venison sausages

SIDE DISHES Potato salad Baked beans Fruit salad Watermelon slices Corn on the cob

DESSERT Peanut butter cookies Ginger cookies Peach cobbler

The Playlist

"Let Me Down Easy," and "Wicked Games," by Chris Isaak "He's a favorite, and these are my two favorites of his," says Engvall.

"Beach Baby," by First Class "It's upbeat and talks about a time when life was simpler."

"Don't Fear the Reaper," by Blue Oyster Cult "Whenever it comes on, my wife sings and bops to it."

"Love Will Find a Way," by Pablo Cruise "Hey, honey, do you recognize this?" Engvall calls to his wife, Gail. "We listened to this in college."

His Secret Sauce Recipe

1 12-oz. jar of your favorite BBQ sauce 1/2 cup Cabernet wine Juice of 1 lime 2-3 dashes of soy sauce A few pinches of dry Cholula seasoning A pinch of Texas Salt Lick Rub