Barbecued Beef Ribs

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 1 large celery rib, finely chopped
3. 1 carrot, finely chopped
4. 1 small onion, finely chopped
5. 3 ancho chiles—stemmed, seeded and cut into small pieces
6. 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
7. 1 cup ketchup
8. 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
9. 1/4 cup molasses
10. 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
11. 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
12. Salt
13. Rack of 6 ribs, at room temperature

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned about 10 minutes. Add the anchos and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, ketchup, vinegar, molasses, sugar and dry mustard and simmer over moderate heat until the barbecue sauce is reduced to about 3 cups, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the saucepan and simmer until thickened and reduced to 23/4 cups, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt.
3. Light a grill. Cut in between the bones to separate the rack into individual ribs. Grill the ribs over moderate heat, turning, until crusty and sizzling, about 10 minutes. Brush generously with the barbecue sauce and grill, turning, until deeply glazed, about 5 minutes longer. Serve the ribs, passing the extra sauce on the side.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

These ribs go well with Cabernet, but their sweet-spicy sauce works better with more affordable bottlings that have less tannin and more up-front fruit.