Last week, I got an e-mail from Kathie Veilleux.  She’s Leanne Pinkham’s sister and they both entered the 2013 Moxie Recipe Contest.  I asked her the standard question.  Do you like Moxie? She doesn’t, but you don’t have to drink Moxie to think Moxie.

Kathie, a 51-year-old sister, wife, mother and grandmother lives on Pattee Pond in Winslow, Maine.  Even though she says she’s not much of a cook, she’s well-known by friends and family for her chili, homemade chicken soup, and chicken and dumplings.  She grew up working at the little Mom and Pop general stores of North Anson, places like Jackson’s, Welch’s, and Rugh’s, and says “I remember many folks coming in to buy Moxie.  It’s nostalgic and it’s sooooo Maine that ya gotta love it just for that!”

So here we have a woman who doesn’t like Moxie and she’s not much of a cook.  Why is she entering The Moxie Recipe Contest?

“My sister Leanne loves Moxie and we enjoy doing things together.  This is our second year and I believe we’ll be experimenting and participating for years to come.  What’s funny is that my grandkids were with me when Leanne and I were experimenting with recipes last week and they LOVED the Moxie.  They served as our taste consultants and judges.”

She also said “I love a challenge…give me a challenge and I’m on it!”

That’s the spirit of Moxie!  Give me a challenge and I’m on it!

I am still on the hunt for a grill, so I couldn’t experiment with Kathie’s Smokey Moxie Pork Wings.  I took the easy way out and drove to Lewiston’s new open-air barbecue joint on Oxford Street, near the old Grand Trunk railroad station.  Moose’s Barbecue Kitchen, owned by Ron Kyllonen, serves up chicken, ribs, and sandwiches with traditional sides like baked beans, cole slaw, and mac & cheese.

There was no Moxie on the menu and I told Ron I’d be back with a complimentary case of the distinctively different beverage for him.  I’ll tell him about Kathie’s wings and I’ll throw down a challenge for 2015.

Until then, for smoked ribs with Moxie, here’s Kathie Veilleux recipe:

Smokey Moxie Pork Wings

Parboil 1 pound of pork wings (or ribs)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter

Add 2 cloves garlic minced and 1 clove size piece of fresh ginger minced.

Simmer two cans of Moxie until reduced to 1 ½ cups liquid.

Add:

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
¼ cup molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon McCormick’s Smokey Paprika

Combine all and simmer down until thickened or about 1 ½ cups of liquid.  Let cool at least to room temperature.  Marinated the pre-cooked wings overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat on grill until meat is falling off the bone.

Serve and enjoy!

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m.