blue artichoke

Welcome to pork week! If you pay attention to the old adage that you are what you eat, we're swine. First, the pork tacos, then the Philippine-style pork for Wandering Gullet, followed by a second helping of pork tacos and, lastly, ribs last night for dinner. These weren't just any ribs, but crock pot ribs. Too hot to cook inside + too hot to stand over a grill outside = crock pot. I'm always on the lookout for good and/or interesting crock pot recipes, and I know a few of you folks are too, so I'll share this one with you, with the following disclaimer: These probably aren't the best BBQ ribs you'll make, but they may well be the best ones you make in your crock pot on a hot summer day while you watch tv or play video games or clean your house or whatever it is you do when you're home and not standing over a hot stove.

Spicy Country Ribs

hands-on time: 15 minutes
total time: 4 1/2 hours or 7 hours

These ribs are meatier than baby-backs and tend to have fewer bones. Serve them with biscuits and coleslaw on the side.

1 small onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 pounds pork country ribs

Combine the onion, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, Worcestershire, chili powder, and oregano in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in the ribs. Cook on low heat for 6 hours, or on high for 3 1/2 hours. Using tongs, remove the ribs from the cooker and arrange on a broiler pan. Heat the broiler. Pour the juices from the cooker into a bowl and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to hasten the separation of the fat. Remove and discard the fat. Pour the defatted juices into a saucepan; boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Broil the ribs about 6 inches from the heat until browned. Serve with the sauce.

makes 4 servings
Real Simple, March 2004

This is fast to assemble and easy to clean up, especially if you use a crock pot liner bag and line your broiler pan with foil. The sauce is pretty good, but for even easier assembly, you could just use a cup or so of your favorite BBQ sauce. I used boneless pork country-style ribs, cut in half for easier serving. For those without a crock pot, or with central A/C, or who don't mind heating up the kitchen, you can also make this recipe in a Dutch oven. Combine the sauce ingredients, add the meat and cook for 3 hours in a 325º oven.

Getting to Know All About You: If you are what you eat, we're porky pigs. What're you?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)