I was running a little behind Sunday morning. I had a family gathering I had to get to, and I had forgotten to get the ribs started in the crock-pot until we were about to walk out the door. Most of the time this takes about 20-30 minutes to prep. I had 10 minutes, tops. I took the ribs from the fridge and grabbed the crock-pot. I had put the ribs in the fridge to thaw either the night before or two nights before. I'm not really sure, actually. Either way, they were still basically frozen solid. I didn't really have time to do anything else and this was what I had planned for dinner. I peeled the foil off of them and threw them into a frying pan with some oil to brown the sides. Like I mentioned, I was short on time so I cranked the burner up to high. This was probably not the best idea, but I didn't care in the least. Once they got going, there was smoke all over my kitchen and they were somewhat "well done" on the sides, but I figured no one would notice after they sat in the crock-pot covered in BBQ sauce all day. I had achieved getting them "browned" and that was all that I needed to do. I ran my finger quickly down the ingredient list and dumped everything into the crock-pot. I didn't measure the barbecue sauce. I just poured until it looked good, tossed on the crock-pot top, and ran out the door. Luckily, I remembered to turn it off of warm setting and onto low so it would actually cook (I've been known to forget the knob a few times, but have always caught it, luckily.)
When we got back home later in the day, I forgot about making anything to go with the ribs. Somewhere around dinnertime, my kids and my stomach started nudging me toward the kitchen. I whipped up some buttered potatoes and brown-sugar glazed carrots as quickly as possible and got the plates ready for the ribs. When I stuck the tongs in the crock-pot to grab the ribs, I grabbed and nothing came out. I tried it again with the same result. I peered into the crock-pot and started wondering if I was crazy or not. I kept thinking, "I did put the ribs in, right??!". I realized the ribs were so tender, I couldn't grab them. I finally scooped them up and got them separated onto plates. When I cut the kids' ribs up, I never needed any pressure. The fork slid right through them. I would love to claim credit for this, but I think the crock-pot probably should get the credit. Even with all the rushing we managed to have a fantastic dinner and my kids decided the food was acceptable for consumption. Since the kids have done so well complaining...um I mean trying new food...over the past week, we are taking a few nights off from the freezer. Last night we had spaghetti and tonight we are having hot dogs. I will still be posting blogs however, so make sure you check back. I have one already lined up for tomorrow (with pictures) and I have one planned for Thursday as well.
Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was too hungry to remember!
As always, Happy Cooking!
Crock-Pot Ribs
From: ThePeacefulMom.com
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. country style ribs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Lawry's Seasoning Salt to taste
- 1 and 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (Jack Daniels Sauce is delicious!)
- 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
Instructions
- Coat crock pot with olive oil. Brown ribs in a heavy skillet in about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle ribs with Lawry's Seasoning Salt and place in crock pot. Cover with barbecue sauce (we like Jack Daniels Sauce) and Liquid Smoke. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Notes
Alternate Directions
Brown ribs in a stainless steel or iron skillet with enough olive oil to coat the pan. Sprinkle ribs with Lawry's Seasoning Salt and place in a 9x11 glass baking dish. Cover ribs with BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until ribs are cooked in center. Baste with BBQ sauce every 30 minutes if desired.
The crock pot ribs are more tender. The baked ribs are firmer
Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots
From: my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook- 14th Edition.
1 lb peeled baby carrots or medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar (I always add a little more)
dash of salt
black pepper
In a medium saucepan cook carrots, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; remove carrots from pan.
In the same saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and salt. Cook and stir over mdm heat until combined. Add carrots. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until glazed. Season to taste with pepper.
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