Recipe Sunday: Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

My dad's birthday was this week, so we made him a special meal when he and my mom came for their weekly visit. (It's so awesome to get weekly visits from grammy and grandpa!) My dad is a lover of ribs so I thought I'd try this slow cooker rib recipe I've had pinned for a while. We've never had a grill so I've never made ribs before but this was a delicious way to cook ribs without having your oven on all day. We also had a green salad, some pasta salad and pink lemonade--the perfect summer meal!

Easy Barbecued Ribs

via Mmm is for Mommy

 

 

4 lbs pork (baby) back ribs-leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together

3 tbsp sweet paprika

2 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

S&P to taste

2 cups barbecue sauce

Vegetable oil spray

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P. Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well. Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. (My Crock Pot cooks really fast, so I did about 4 and a half.)

 

Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully (as they are very tender) remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on (my dad used a turner in the center and I had tongs on each side to remove them), bone side up. Set to the side. Skim any fat that has risen to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes. Put your oven’s broiler on to heat up and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element. When the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3 or 4 minutes. Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for 4 minutes. Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

For dessert, I made Schneeballen, which is a deep-fried pastry my dad fell in love with while on vacation in Germany this summer. Mine didn't look quite this pretty but they sure tasted delicious!