Students Like The Grilling They Get From This College Dean

The dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services grilled up a tasty welcome for more than 1,000 UC students and hundreds of faculty and staff at the college’s sixth annual barbecue on Oct. 1. Hungry crowds lined up on the lawn between the Teachers College and the UC College of Law.

Lawrence J. Johnson’s prize-winning homemade barbecue sauce is a college favorite. The college cookout is a party he plans throughout the year. “A lot of the ingredients come from my garden. I’ll be canning vegetables throughout the year, so as I’m canning, I think about different things I can do for the cookout. The tomatoes, pickles, beans and some of the ingredients in the barbecue sauce are from my garden,” Johnson said.

Johnson produced 22 quarts of barbecue sauce for the cookout. Other preparations included:

• Marinating 100 lbs. of ribs in beer and garlic and then pre-cooking them for faster preparation on the grill.
• 40 lbs. of chicken ready for the grill
• 350 hamburgers
• 400 hotdogs
• 100 veggie burgers
• Preparing four gallons of his vegetable medley for the grill. This dish features summer squash, onions, sweet peppers and his homemade marinade.
• Two gallons of three-bean salad from his garden
• One gallon of homemade pickles and a gallon of pickled tomatoes
• Peeling 100 lbs. of potatoes for potato salad with his homemade dressing. The salad also includes 48 hard-boiled eggs.
• Shredding the ingredients for four gallons of coleslaw with Johnson’s raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Other college staff supplied the baked beans, pasta salad and desserts. Many helped with the setup and with serving the students. Johnson declares, “It truly is a college-wide effort to make this cookout a success.”