Danish Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce

One of our neighbors gave us some Danish baby back ribs he orders. (He raves about my blueberry jam every time Gary sees him). I decided the ribs deserve a special BBQ sauce before we eat them. Gary tried the sauce on a frozen burrito without my having blended it and he said it was the best BBQ sauce he's ever tasted. Maybe he just says that so I'll keep cooking. What do you think?

Homemade BBQ Sauce

1 small onion diced small and lightly caramelized in olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced & sauteed one minute with onions
4 ounces of tequila
(bourbon would probably be better to use - next time)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes - 14.5 ounces
1 can tomato paste - 12 ounces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of dark molasses
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
2 teaspoons of dried Spanish tarragon (substitute cumin)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 dashes of fish sauce (leave out if you don't have)
4 dashes of hot sauce or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Saute onion in small amount of olive oil on low heat till just browning. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the alcohol to deglaze the pan. Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste. You can use a smaller or larger size can if you wish. Add in all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil then simmer on low for at least 30 minutes. The idea is to let all the ingredients meld together and the sauce to thicken. The sauce will turn a rich brownish red and will be shiny. Cool sauce, then blend in a blender or leave chunky if you prefer.

When I was cooking the BBQ sauce the whole house had the fragrance of a BBQ restaurant. Really makes one hungry for something BBQ'd. This recipe made a pint and two half pints of BBQ sauce.  Gary said he'll buy me some bourbon for the next time I make BBQ sauce. This morning Gary said he'd eat the BBQ sauce just plain. I think he really did like it.

I cooked the Danish baby back ribs loosely tented in aluminum foil at 325 F for 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes then serve. If desired you could crisp under broiler last 10 minutes or so. There isn't much eat on the Danish baby back ribs but they were very tender and delicious.

Be Safe, Be Well