Sorry for the fuzzy pictures - I took them with a phone because I forgot my camera...
Thumbits are basically sliced steak which you put on a slice of bread (only one, so this is an open-faced sammie), and dip the whole thing into a delicious sauce. As the story goes, thumbits are a Miller family invention and tradition. When my Aunt Mondi met my Uncle Mac, his family invited her family over for an evening by the lake. Well, my aunt's family is Persian - you know, rice and lemon type people - so it was kind of hilarious (as they tell me), watching them roll up their sleeves and dive into these messy little sandwiches. I kind of love the image of my mom and her skinny-mini sisters eating these things :)
My Uncle Mac first told me the story of thumbits last summer and, after a year of waiting, I was super duper happy to find that we'd get to sample them.
The evening started off with ice cold margaritas. I am including the recipe because my Uncle makes the best margaritas I've ever had:
First, salt the rims of your glasses
Then, in a blender mix 1 can of frozen lemonade, 1/2 the lemonade can full of Tequila, and 1/2 the can full of triple sec
Add 2/3 blender full of ice and blend until the ice is chopped up nicely
Pour into glasses
Okay, now onto the Thumbits:
What you need are 2-3 nice steaks. He used once that were about 1 1/4 inches thick.
(I should probably insert here a little tribute to my Uncle's excellent BBQ skills. I've never had a steak or burger grilled like he does it. It's an art I am going to try and learn his secrets this summer.)
Okay, so after you've seasoned your meat on both sides with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce, grill it to a nice medium or medium rare.
To make the thumbit sauce (this makes the meal, so don't skip it!), heat about 1 1/2 cups Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 stick of butter over the stove. I know, I know, 1 stick! Honestly, I am going to cut this down to a half stick next time. You need the flavor and viscosity the butter adds, but there was that unseemly layer of colored fat over the sauce when we poured it out, so for my own sake, I'll use less butter.
Take a baguette, split it horizontally, and butter both sides with softened butter.
Right before serving, warm the bread in the oven so the butter melts and the bread is heated through.
Slice the meat into 1/3 inch slices. Remember to let the meat rest a bit before slicing, so the juices don't run all over the place.
Pour the thumbit sauce into ramekins - 1 per 2 people.
We serve this with onion slices marinated in olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Let them marinate for about 2 hours and its cuts the usual bite that lingers on your tongue.
Get to dunkin'!!!! YUM YUM YUM
