Hi guys, Long-time-no-write!

I thought I had gone into blogging retirement but I stumbled upon this recipe and it was so good and easy to make I just had to share. Besides the fact that these ribs are saucy, fall off the bone, roll on the floor delicious, they can also make for a very quick supper!

How can a slow cooker recipe make for a quick meal?

I recently went rogue and bought baby back ribs. The rules of my house are that during the week, it’s fish, lean meat and vegetarian recipes. Although, I didn’t hear my husband complaining when I placed the plate in front of him 😉 So, anyway, now that I bought them, I had to figure out the best way to make them. The method had to be hassle free and quick but everybody knows that the best ribs are cooked slow and low, but ain’t nobody got time for that!

I decided on a recipe in which I could cook the ribs overnight in the slow-cooker to tenderize them. In the morning, I removed the ribs from the slow cooker to cool and put them in the fridge. I washed the slow cooker and put it away. When I got home from work, all I had to do was take them out of the fridge, pre-heat the oven, slather them with BBQ sauce and bake them for just about 20 minutes. While the ribs were baking, I quickly steamed some green beans, boiled a few potatoes and popped open a container of coleslaw and that was it! We haven’t enjoyed ribs like that in a very long time and dinner was done in a snap. Clean up was easy too.

I know that you can boil your ribs in water or Dr. Pepper or Coke for a couple of hours but I don’t want to bother with that, having to be there to supervise the process. A slow cooker takes that tedious step away.

Notes: 

• A rack of baby back ribs usually weigh between 1.5 to 3 pounds. Mine were 1.6 pounds or 740g. Apparently, the less they weigh, the better they are because it means they come from a younger piglet and are therefore, better tasting…uhhhh. 
• Most people can eat a whole rack to themselves but the other night two racks fed 4 people but I had lots of sides ; string beans, boiled potatoes, pickles and coleslaw
• Halve your rib racks for an easier fit in the slow cooker
• BBQ Sauce: I used a 50/50 blend of Stubbs Original and Stubbs Sweet Heat. It was the perfect balance of savoury and sweet with just the right amount of heat.

Ingredients

About 3 pounds baby back ribs, trimmed (membrane removed from the back of the ribs)

• Note: I halved my rack  for an easier fit in the slow cooker.

Kosher salt

About 1 cup water

1/2 onion, sliced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (see note)

Equipment: 

Slow cooker (I have a large 6qt)

Large baking sheet

Parchment paper

 

Directions

Season ribs with salt (and other desired seasonings. I had some bbq coffee rub on hand so I sprinkled some on but it’s not necessary)

Pour water into slow cooker

Place ribs in the slow cooker. You can stand them up on their sides or stack them on the bottom. I prefer to stand them on their side , placing one rack in front of the other (see pics)

Top the ribs with onion and garlic.

Cover with lid and cook on Low for 8 hours (or on high for 4 hours.)

Remove ribs from the slow cooker. They should be very tender.

Discard liquid, onions and garlic

Cool and refrigerate if you are baking them at a later time.

Baking the ribs

(Remove ribs from refrigerator)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Transfer ribs to a baking sheet (to prevent sticking and for easy clean up, place a piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet)

Coat ribs generously with BBQ sauce.

Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce caramelizes, approx 20 minutes.

You will love them!

Yours truly,

Stephanie M.

I got this amazing recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228498/slow-cooker-baby-back-ribs/

 

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