Saturday, January 5, 2013

Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs



Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs

2 1/2 to 3 pounds of country style, boneless pork ribs, fat removed
1/2 cup water
BBQ sauce (we used Famous Dave's Original BBQ sauce)

Dry Rub:
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
several grinds of black pepper (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)

Combine all dry rub spices in a small bowl.  Sprinkle rub over all sides of the ribs.  Put 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add ribs to slow cooker.  Set to low and allow to cook for about 4 hours.  [Note:  I often put the dry rub on the ribs several hours or the night before I plan to make the ribs to let the spices "soak in".  Season the ribs with the spice rub and wrap tightly in plastic and keep in the refrigerator until read to cook in the slow cooker].

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 13x9x2 baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray (such as PAM).  When oven is preheated, remove ribs from slow cooker and place in prepared baking dish.  Cover with BBQ sauce as desired and bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Baking the ribs in the oven after cooking in the slow cooker gives the meat a firmer texure (*).  I chose 400 degrees for the temperature since I was also baking cornbread to have with this meal.  A lower temperature would also be fine if you are preparing other side dishes in the oven.

(*) Alternately, you can remove the ribs from the slow cooker, drain the liquid from the slow cooker, return the ribs to the slower cooker, and add BBQ sauce; then cover and cook for another 15 minutes.  This is a great option in the summertime to avoid heating up your oven.



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My husband and I were discussing expenses and our family finances the other day.  I am typically pretty darn frugal but, despite that, we do spend a lot on groceries.  I could do a better job saving money on groceries... period.  For example, I could wait for expensive ingredients to be on sale and only buy them then (why are bell peppers so expensive!).  I could do a better job of looking at the weekly ads from the grocery store and plan meals around what is on sale on a more consistent basis (especially beef/poultry/pork).  Since it's a New Year, I think I am going to set a few goals related to this.  My goals are rather loosely formed but I know I can save money if I plan better each week.

On my way out the door to the grocery store this week, my husband remarked, "country style pork ribs are on sale" (which they are frequently) so we had these tonight.  I spent only $70.00 at the grocery store this week and it's kind of fun to try to figure out what meals we can make based on what is already in the freezer, refrigerator, and kitchen cupboards.

This week we are having the following:
I think each week, maybe I'll report on what I spent at the grocery store and what meals we are planning.  Maybe this will help keep me on track.

As I was going through the cupboards, I was coming up with more ideas of things I can make with on-hand ingredients. I also found some pancake mix that expired in 2010! Doh!

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