Grilling for the Feast of the Archangels

Today is the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Saint Gabriel is named twice in the New Testament -- when appearing to Mary at the Annunciation and when foretelling to Zachary the birth of John. However, it is commonly supposed that he was also the angel who spoke to Joseph and the shepherds. The angel Raphael appears only in the Book of Tobias in a capacity as healer and protector of Tobias. Saint Michael, meanwhile, appears twice in the Old Testament and twice in the New. He is famous for his role as protector. Many people learn the Prayer to St. Michael in their childhood and it is one worth invoking as an adult, too:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

We have some powerful intercessors in the archangels!

In honor of St. Michael's role of conquering the devil, I made a "deviled" barbecue sauce from p. 273 of A Continual Feast. Together with the fiery kick to my sauce, I added a special ingredient to the charcoal itself -- alder wood chips. There are many different woods that can be used to add flavor when grilling (hickory and mesquite being perhaps the best known) and I was very happy with the results. Be sure to soak them in water for at least an hour before grilling so that they smoke rather than burn.

After preparing the barbecue sauce, all that is left to do is marinating the meat -- and grilling the hell out of it!