The slow cooker chef: a great slow cooked spare rib recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Pork Ham Bacon Sausages | 6 comments
Photo: Slow cooked spare ribs
To celebrate Jalopy’s heroic performance passing her M.O.T. with flying colours, I ordered an organic belly of pork from The Carter Street butchers in Fordham. I also remembered to ask for the bones. Daniel, the butcher does not ‘bone out’ the joint but slices them off as a rack of spare ribs.
What could be better than sticky sweet and sour ribs for Saturday night? As I was working that day I decided to try and find a recipe that could bubble away all day in the slow cooker/crock pot. I found Lyn Utsugi’s tempting recipe for Gingered Spareribs with Brown Sugar and Soy and spotted in the comments that several people had cooked their ribs in a slow cooker. So I browned the ribs bunged them in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and set the dial to low. I left the cottage kitchen wondering how they’d turn out as the vinegar pervaded the room with eye smarting wafts.
When I returned seven hours later the ribs were tender and the sauce was delicious. I didn’t have 3lbs of ribs (as per the recipe) just 475g but I cooked the same amount of sauce and it was a perfect amount for dipping and pouring over the rice. As suggested, I removed the ribs and thickened the sauce with cornflower. We guzzled these with Chinese style glazed carrots, peppers and onion.
Meanwhile the belly of pork is curing in the fridge, so this weekend we’ll be tucking into our own home cured and smoked bacon again. The free range organic bacon is light years away from the ordinary belly of pork bacon and keeps much better even with our low salt cure.
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Hi Rachel
We love ribs too and the slow cooker. If I get home from work and something is already bubbling away, supper doesn’t seem such a big effort.
I love cooking but sometimes I just want to eat something easy. The slow cooker has become a real friend.
Hi S.O.L.
Wel worth tossing into the slow cooker if you have one!
Hello Pamela
I’ve heard that Remoskas are the last word in economical cooking dso it might work.
A slow cooker is a good investment though. It enhances every flavour. I bought one initially because someone tipped that steak and kidney is easy and to die for cooked in a slow cooker. This was spot on. Most things that I’ve cooked in it since then have been superb. We bought our on sale (half price). I’d always thought that they were a silly extra thing for the overburdened kitchen. After a year, I’d bite the hand of anyone who tried to steal it. We haven’t even tried to make rice pudding in it (apparently superb).
Hi Amanda
Having been sniffy about a slow cooker, I’m now a convert. Things taste better.
Hello Heidi
We have quite a few slow cooker recipes on our blog. I use it more and more.
It’s not our rib recipe. It was created by Lyn Utsugi check the link on our post and was so good that I didn’t even try to tweak it.
I am definately trying these. My slow cooker is often in use but I usually tend to use it for stews.
Your rib sauce looks soooooo rich!
Pamela, definately buy a slow cooker as they tenderise even the toughest meat. If you were to buy a medium one you could always cook in bulk and then freeze yourself a few meals for those nights when you’re to tired to cook!
Also there are some great “slow cooker” cookery books with interesting recipes.
Okay you’ve persuaded me – the slow cooker will be christened VERY soon. These sound great.
I’m definitely going to try this one although I don’t have a slow cooker. I have been looking for one but most of the ones I have seen don’t have the auto feature which you recommend. I did see a dinky one with auto in the window of a shop in town a week ago but it had gone the next day, I imagine they would order one for me if I asked. I can’t justify buying a full size model just for me, on space or money grounds, but I’m not sure that dinky versions are worth the hassle either. I think I’ll just try them in the Remoska.
My mouth is watering
My kids adore ribs, I love the slow cooker, so this sounds ideal for our family. The last batch of ribs I did in it I put them in still frozen and when I got home form work they were so tender. Perfect for a busy working mum. Thank you.