Unlocking a Barbecue Recipe

It’s 1975 and Joe Stellini, maitre d’ of the hip and hopping Luau restaurant on Rodeo Drive, is on his way out.

So what does he take with him? The Luau Barbecue Sauce, the recipe that made his employer rich and famous, of course.

Before anyone could say “ribs,� the recipe, safely under wraps in a vault, began making Stellini’s own restaurant in Beverly Hills famous. (The recipe, incidentally, came out of hiding after the Luau’s demise in 1979.)

Why did he do it? “You think I’m telling you all my secrets?� Stellini joked.

The recipe itself is no joke. But its secret ingredient is more than a surprise. It’s shocking. Now it can be told that Stellini’s is a restaurant whose reputation flourished for years on the strength of a recipe in which the main ingredient is . . . catsup. Some chutzpah !

But the recipe works. It works so well that celebrities such as Stallone, O.J. Simpson and numerous others wouldn’t dream of a Monday night football evening at Stellini’s without the Luau’s--I mean Stellini’s--ribs.

STELLINI’S “LUAU�

BARBECUE SAUCE

2 cups tomato catsup (preferably Heinz)

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup Chinese barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons dry white wine

20 to 25 beef ribs

Combine catsup, sugar, garlic, barbecue sauce and wine. Pour over beef ribs and marinate several hours or overnight in refrigerator.

When ready to cook, remove ribs and place on grill over medium hot coals or under broiler 4 inches from source of heat. Cook, basting often with marinade, until browned and done as desired. Makes 6 servings at 4 ribs per person.

Note: Store remaining barbecue sauce in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. If using less-tender beef ribs, steam before broiling.