BBQ Slow Cooker Ribs

Hello and welcome to “Adventures in Slow Cooking!” .. is what I feel like in my house these days, ever since I unwrapped my slow cooker on Christmas day. I can’t help it, I love experimenting with my slow cooker!

And I also have to offer up some apologies - I've neglected the blog the last week or so because I have been super duper cramming for an exam. It is now thankfully over, and I am making the most of my new-found free time! Basically, while I wait nervously for the result, I take my mind off it by cooking some delicious new foods. Win win.

I have long been told that my (vegetarian!) aunt has a great knack for making ribs in the slow cooker, and this was one of the first things I was keen to make in mine. You can of course use a “bought” BBQ sauce and that would make this recipe incredibly quick and easy (even moreso than it already is), but where is the fun in that?! You could also substitute the beer for chicken stock, or even water.

I’ve adapted the BBQ sauce recipe from a Jamie Oliver one, and I really love the depth of flavour and spice in it, alongside a tempered sugary-ness. I cannot stand sweet and sour/tangy, and this is more smoky/spicy with a hint of fruity-sweetness. I’ll be using this exclusively for any BBQ sauce related needs I may have in the future.

I served mine with a bunch of sweet potato fries and the end product was DELISH.

serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients for the ribs

• 900g pork ribs
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 pepper, roughly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300ml beer
• 300ml BBQ sauce, to finish

Ingredients for the BBQ sauce

• 1 onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 small chilli, deseeded
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp fennel leaves
• 6 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• ¼ tsp mixed spice
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 100ml honey
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 75ml pasatta
• 1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 120ml apple juice
• Salt and pepper

Method

Begin with the ribs. Cut them so that they will fit into the slow cooker easily.

Make a rub for the ribs – combine the paprika, garlic powder, honey, sugar, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce, alongside enough water to make a thick paste.

Smear this spicey paste all over the ribs and season, Let sit for a few minutes while you finish off the rest.  Obviously if you have an hour to spare let it marinate for longer, but I was running low on time. 

Chop the veggies, and layer it all in the slow cooker – first the rubbed ribs, then the veggies, and finally pour the beer over the whole thing and pop the lid on. Cook on high for 3 hours 45 minutes.

When you’ve got the slow cooker going, make a start on the BBQ sauce.

Blitz the onion, garlic, chilli, herbs and spices, and the orange zest in a food processor.

Heat the oil and fry this aromatic sludge for approx. 5 minutes.

Drizzle over the honey and cook until all smooth and incorporated. Add 150ml of water (I swirled this around my food processor to get the last few bits of paste out before pouring in). Stir and allow to cook for a few more minutes.

Pour over the orange juice. Now, add the rest of the ingredients, and bring to the boil, before reducing the heat and simmering until thickened. Mine took about 20 minutes.

Sieve to get a glossy smooth sauce, and set aside to cool and thicken up a bit more.

After about an hour of the ribs cooking, I threw a few teaspoons of the BBQ sauce on top of the ribs into the slow cooker.

Near the end of the rib cooking time, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Once the ribs are done, remove the veggies and place the ribs on a baking tray. Coat them with the BBQ sauce (keeping 2-3 tbsp back) and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slather over the remaining sauce.

Serve immediately!