It's a weekend afternoon, and I am hosting the guys; it can only mean one thing, of course, ribs will be served. By no means am I insinuating that ribs are exclusively a men's thing, but the ladies seem to not favor the idea of the “finger food” as much as their counterparts?
But ladies, don't run away from this recipe too quickly; just don't expect to have clean fingers while enjoying those delicious ribs. The dirty finger factor from eating those ribs is one reason why kids will enjoy those as well.
The slow cooker has come out for this one. I have so many other things on the go that the idea of just throwing a bunch of stuff and some meat in a big pot for the day to self-cook is so attractive!
So this is what I have done. As much as it was a quick decision to make, I did take the time to really consider what I was going to blend together to make the ribs super tasty.
From experience, I know that this particular group is quite fond of the sweet-and-sour combination, so I used homemade ketchup on one side of the spectrum and then countered that with some apple cider vinegar.
It can be quite an experiment if you don't have your portions right, but in the end, it really worked out for the better.
I personally love cooking ribs in the slow cooker because the meat truly falls off the bone when it's finished. There's limited fuss and lots of flavors. Also, so long as you are good at not overcooking the meat, this method of cooking really works well to retain moisture and keep the meat really juicy.
I used spare ribs for this recipe, but baby back ribs could also be used instead. Compared to baby back ribs, spare ribs have more meat and are also fattier, so the end result is usually more tender.
If you decide to prepare baby back ribs instead, the cooking time will probably be reduced because of the fact that they contain less meat. If you are uncertain about the type of ribs you're buying, simply ask your butcher, and he'll be able to explain it all.
Those slow-cooked ribs are excellent when served with a simple coleslaw, like one of those found in the cookbook. The beet and walnut salad is also a great choice to go along with that dish.
Slow cooked pork ribs recipe
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork spare ribs
- 5 tablespoon homemade ketchup
- ¾ cup water or homemade stock
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
- It's really quite easy to get this recipe started. In the slow-cooker pot, combine all the ingredients except for the ribs.
- Give it a really good mix because when you cook this way, you don't have to stop and stir; therefore, you want to make sure the sauce is consistent and you don't get flavors in one bite that you won't get in another.
- Once everything is combined, give the ribs a good rub with the sauce, place them in the pot, cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. The cooking time may be long, but the reward is well worth it.
- Serve the ribs with the cooking liquid as a sauce.
📖 Recipe
Slow cooked pork ribs recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork spare ribs
- 5 tablespoon homemade ketchup
- ¾ cup water or homemade stock
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce optional
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- It’s really quite easy to get this recipe started. In the slow-cooker pot, combine all the ingredients except for the ribs.5 tablespoon homemade ketchup, ¾ cup water or homemade stock, 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Give it a really good mix because when you cook this way, you don’t have to stop and stir; therefore, you want to make sure the sauce is consistent and you don’t get flavors in one bite that you won’t get in another.
- Once everything is combined, give the ribs a good rub with the sauce, place them in the pot, cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. The cooking time may be long, but the reward is well worth it.3 lbs pork spare ribs
- Serve the ribs with the cooking liquid as a sauce.
Alma Pritchard says
Love this recipe. Cooking it in the slow cooker for 3 hours on HIGH made the meat super tender with a nice flavour. I didn't have any apple cider vinegar so this is optional. I did thicken the liquid with a mixture of cornflour and water. Will definitely make this again.