REDEYE RIBS WITH CAFE AU LAIT BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the barbecue sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan; add in the shallot, garlic, and celery; cook over medium heat until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.
• Stir in the coffee, ketchup, cream, soy sauce, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, liquid smoke, and brown sugar; bring to a boil.
• Decrease heat slightly and let the sauce simmer until thick and richly flavored, 8-10 minutes, whisking from time to time.
• Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste and more brown sugar (or any other ingredient) as necessary.
• The sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for several weeks; let return to room temperature before serving.
• Make the rub: put the ground coffee, salt, chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, pepper, and cinnamon in a small bowl; mix using your fingers to break up any lumps.
• Place a rack of ribs meat side down on a baking sheet; remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of the rack; repeat with the other rack.
• Sprinkle the rub over both sides of the ribs, rubbing it onto the meat; cover the ribs with plastic wrap and let cure in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or as long as 4 hours (the longer the ribs cure, the richer the flavor will be).
• Meanwhile, make the mop sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add in the brewed coffee, vinegar, and bourbon; let simmer gently until blended, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in the salt and pepper to taste; let the mop sauce cool to room temperature.
• Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium; place a large dip pan in the center of the grill.
• **For gas grill, place the wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then decrease heat to medium.
• When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate; place the ribs bone side down in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat; cover the grill and cook the ribs for 45 minutes.
• Mop or brush the ribs on both sides with some of the mop sauce; recover the grill and continue cooking the ribs until well browned, cooked through, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 30-45 minutes longer (1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours total).
• When the ribs are done, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about ¼ inch.
• Mop the ribs once or twice more with the sauce.
• Just before serving, brush both sides of the ribs with some of the Cafe au Lait Barbecue Sauce.
• Move the ribs directly over the fire and grill until the sauce is sizzling, 1-3 minutes per side.
• Transfer ribs to a large platter or cutting board; let ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the racks in half or into single ribs.
• Serve at once with the remaining Cafe au Lait Barbecue Sauce on the side, or drizzle over the ribs.