Crockpot Adventures: Spare Ribs

Like a total crazy person, I signed up for a MOOC (massive-open online course) to learn some new computer programming skills. It’s been challenging and quite fun, but the midterms have been scheduled over time periods where I have to take them on the weekend, which seriously cuts into my food preparation time. (Those MIT jokesters say the midterms should only take “2 hours” but give us 12 “in case of slow internet connections.” My internet works fine; it’s my brain that’s a little slow!)

[Total side note: I have no idea how they will ever sufficiently monetize the MOOC system to make it economically worthwhile, but, at the moment, this little experiment in online learning offers dozens of FREE courses on a wide range of topics taught by some of the brightest minds in their fields. Check out Coursera or edx and take advantage of the offerings while you can!]

Anyway, whenever the hustle and bustle of life leaves less time for kitchen fun (or, when I’m feeling lazy), it’s time to bust out the crockpot for some slow-cooking magic. For easy-peasy-fall-off-the-bone-and-melt-in-your-mouth pork spare ribs, throw some onions, garlic, and broth in the bottom of the crockpot, rub ribs with spices, cover, and cook. About 10-15 minutes of effort from start to finish yields dinner 10 hours later. (And leftovers.) Awesome.

Crockpot Spare Ribs

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (or 2 small)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 c. chicken broth
• ~4# or so pork spare ribs
• A few tablespoons seasonings of choice (I had a batch of this rub)

1. Cover bottom of crockpot with onion and garlic. Pour chicken broth over top.
2. Rub ribs on all sides with seasoning. Place on top of onions (I stood them up so I could nestle everything in). Cover (I put some aluminum foil on before the lid) and cook on low for 10 hours.
3. Serve with sides of choice and BBQ sauce if desired. Enjoy!