Crock Pot Ribs

Every once and a while I get a craving for some fall-off-the-bone-good BBQ.  However, it seems that (around here at least) to get good BBQ, you're going to pay a pretty penny for it.  Even the guy who sells ribs out of a trailer/smoker thing charges $20 for one slab of ribs!  Since I'm not made of money, I figured I ought to figure out how to satisfy my craving at home.  I've heard about people doing ribs in the crock pot, but I'd never tried it, so my good friend, Bobby, and I put our heads together and came up with this recipe:

1 slab of pork spare ribs

1/2 cup seasoning of choice*

1/2 cup 'flavor makers'**

1/2 cup water

1 bottle of BBQ sauce of choice

Rub down the entire rack of ribs with your seasoning.  If you have a really large slab, you may want to use more than a half cup.

Rubbed down!

Put the water and 'flavor makers' in the bottom of the crock pot.  Add ribs (mine were too large to do in one layer, so I just folded them over to make them fit).  Cover with lid and turn the crock pot on low.

Let roast for about 8 hours.  

Ready to Roast!

Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and CAREFULLY remove the ribs to your covered baking sheet.  Mine were falling off the bone so I had to use a large spatula to scoop them out.  Cover in your BBQ sauce and pop them in a 350 oven for 10-20 minutes (watch them and pull them out when the sauce begins to caramelize but don't let it burn.)

Before

After

Serve hot and enjoy with a light summer salad!

*Seasonings*

I used a rub made for pork but you can use Cajun seasoning, jerk seasoning, basic salt and pepper with a little cumin...whatever floats your boat.

**Flavor Makers**

"Flavor Makers"

OK so this one REALLY makes a difference.  I've actually done this recipe twice now to get it perfect and I tried something different each time.  You've gotta add a little something into that water to give the meat flavor.  You can use just about anything your little heart desires.  The first time, I used tri-colored peppers and onions that had been sauteed (they were actually left overs from dinner the night before but had great flavor).  The second night I chopped up an onion, threw in a spoonful of minced garlic and a splash of soy sauce.  The flavor of these things really gets into the meat!  You could do chipotle peppers if you like a spicy flavor or you could do liquid smoke if you want the smokey flavor without the smoker!

These were SOOOOO good!  I'll definitely be making these more often now that I know it's so easy!  Be sure to use foil on your baking sheet, though...it's so much easier to just throw that away than to scrub at stuck-on BBQ sauce! 

Braised Beef Tenderloin

Recently, I purchased a package of pre-seasoned beef tenderloins.  The first one that I cooked, I baked in the oven...and I did so 'blind' as I do not have a meat thermometer (I know...shame on me...).  Needless to say, it was overdone and dry.  Since the package contained FOUR tenderloins, I figured I'd better either get a meat thermometer or find a better way to cook it.  You'd think that I drove my happy ass to the store and bought a meat thermometer.  Nope...of course not...that's too easy!  Instead, I set out to find a better way to cook it without one.

The first recipe I tried was for a braised beef tenderloin.  Most people probably wouldn't think to braise a tenderloin...I certainly hadn't thought about it before now.  Turns out, it's very good.  It cooks the meat evenly without overcooking it...it retains moisture and flavor, too.  Above all...it's crazy easy!

Braised Beef Tenderloin
1 petite beef tenderloin (mine was about a half a pound...the package in the photo contains 2)
4 cups of your broth/stock of choice (I used half beef and half homemade veggie stock...that's what the frozen cubes are)
Vegetables and seasonings of choice for flavor (For this recipe, I used a half cup sliced mushrooms, half a small onion and 2 tbsp minced garlic)


1.  Bring broth, seasonings and vegetables to a simmer in a large saucepan.

2.  Add meat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

3.  After 30 minutes, remove meat to serving dish and slice.  Serve with any veggies that were in the broth and spoon a little broth over the top.