Crock Pot Ribs

For new years this year we packed up our casa and headed to Bethany Beach, DE with some friends for the long weekend. There were 5 couples, three with children and all who were hungry. Since a couple of us are also quite competitive we decided to hold the first annual Crock Pot Wars on New Years Eve. Each contestant had to cook a majority of their meal in the slow cooker but other than that there were no rules or regulations specified. We ended up with three really tasty entries, a seafood creole, a nutella bread pudding and my entry, crock pot BBQ ribs.  This recipe comes from the blog: http://www.mmmisformommy.com and she says her recipe is an adaptation from Americas Test Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Revolution.

Crock Pot Ribs with Garlic Spinach and Smashed Potatoes

I made them once for the hubs to see how it would work and then again for the large group. I tweaked the sauce a bit to make it more of my own but I must say they turned out fall off the bone tender and delicious!

Spice Rub
1 tbs dark brown sugar
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs paprika
½ tsp salt and pepper

Sauce
6 oz ketchup
2 tbs molasses
2 tbs sriracha
½ c marmalade
¼ c vinegar (I used apple cider)
1 tsp ground mustard
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and let it simmer on the stove for 10-15 min. I made the sauce ahead of time and stored it in the fridge.

Crock Pot Ribs held up by beer cans

In a small bowl, mix together the spices for the rub. Cover both sides of the ribs with the spice mix and let them sit overnight. The original recipe just had you drop them directly in the pot but I think the extra time in the rub really bumps up flavor. Arrange the ribs around the pot so they are standing up right with the meaty side against the stoneware. The first time I made the ribs they slid down the side of the pot so on my second run I used crushed empty beer cans to hold the ribs in position which worked really well. Pour sauce over the ribs and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Remove the ribs from the pot and place fat side up on a cookie sheet topped with a wire cookie rack or grill rack so that they will be surrounded by air. Use reserved bbq sauce to baste ribs and broil them for about 15 min basting every 3-5 minutes and turning them over half way through the process.