There's no better way to celebrate Father's Day than to gather on the deck or patio for a festive early summer barbecue. Whether you fire up a gas grill or light charcoal, cooking methods may vary for your feast of beef, pork, chicken or fish, but what really makes a barbecue are the sauces applied to the meat.

A certain sense of adventure goes along with the barbecue experience. Many sauces have a distinctive regional character that speaks to the culture and tradition of their origin. These two sauces, from Kansas City and Louisiana's Creole community, are among the most popular.

SUCCESS TIPS

• Cook spareribs, country ribs, beef ribs, beef short ribs, chicken, fish, ham, sausage and any other small cuts by using the indirect-heat method. Direct heat tends to dry meat out, producing a tough product.

• Barbecue sauces will keep in a covered jar for up to a week refrigerated and can freeze well for several months.

• Use non-aluminum pans with acidic ingredients (tomatoes, lemon juice, vinegar, etc.), as the acid reacts adversely with aluminum, producing an unpleasant taste.

Kansas City's barbecue gourmets love smoke, along with a thick, sweet sauce. Dark molasses, ketchup and pungent yellow mustard meld to provide the basis for this hearty, distinctly American sauce taste. The liquid smoke flavoring conveys the essence of meat done slowly in the famous Kansas City barbecue pits and ovens. If you like spicy barbecue, try adding one to two tablespoons ground cayenne pepper. This sauce works well with beef, pork or chicken, but can overpower fish.

KANSAS CITY BARBECUE SAUCE

½ cup cooking oil

1 Vidalia (or similar sweet) onion, finely chopped

¼ each green and red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ cup dark molasses

1 bottle (16 ounces) ketchup

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

¼ cup yellow mustard

½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavor

1. Place cooking oil in a large, non-aluminum saucepan, then saute onion, green and red peppers and garlic until soft (about 10 to 12 minutes).

2. Add remaining ingredients and continue to simmer slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Prevent sauce from burning by stirring frequently.

3. Let rest for at least one hour after cooking to allow the flavors to fully meld before applying to the meat.

Makes four cups.

Creole barbecue sauce has the same basis as many other Louisiana sauces, a unique combination of onions, celery, green bell pepper, tomato and garlic. This variation adds thyme and oregano, along with dark molasses, brown sugar and white vinegar to build a special barbecue flavor. As it cooks, the sauce acquires a spicy, thick complexity of tastes that harmonize with almost any cut of beef, pork, chicken or fish. For a more fiery sauce experience, bayou cooks add extra cayenne to this recipe to really turn up the heat.

CREOLE BARBECUE SAUCE

1 cup cooking oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced garlic

16 ounces tomato puree

1 tablespoon Creole or Dijon mustard

¼ cup white vinegar

½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup dark molasses

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Pinch each ground thyme and oregano

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 bay leaf

1. Place oil in a large, non-aluminum saucepan, then saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until soft (about 10 to 12 minutes).

2. Add remainder of ingredients and simmer slowly for 10 to 15 minutes, frequently stirring to avoid burning.

3. Adjust flavor to taste by altering the amounts of sugar, spices and vinegar. Cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes after changing seasoning.

4. Let rest for at least one hour after cooking to allow flavors to fully meld.

5. Store covered in refrigerator. Sauce will be even better the second day.

Makes 6 cups.