Barbecue Rub and Sauce

By HomeCookin

These recipes were designed to cover 3 whole racks of baby back ribs (about six pounds). If you’re cooking spare ribs or like a heavy coating of rub, you might want to double the ingredients. You can store the extra in a sealed jar for later use (both the rub and sauce are also good on grilled salmon and any cut of pork).
The recipe refers to the sauce as “straightforward,” but I’ve never been served anything that even closely resembles it. It’s sweet, thick, chunky and packed with a variety of flavors. I prefer a little extra heat to offset the sweetness. If that’s your thing, ladle some sauce into small pot and add some cayenne and/or finely diced fresh jalapeños.

Ingredients

• Sauce
• 4 to 6 servings
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped
• 2 cups white onions, chopped
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 large dried ancho chili, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups bourbon
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté green onions, white onions, and garlic until tender. Mix in all remaining ingredients, adding bourbon last. Simmer sauce until thick and reduced to 7 cups, stirring occasionally, about one hour.
• Spice Rub
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Coat ribs and let sit refrigerated overnight.

Preparation

Step 1

Directions are included with the ingredients