Slow Cooked Chipotle Country Ribs

Nope. This is not a traditional New Englandy-type dish, but what can I say? We’re living in a global society and this is the world wide interweb, after all.

Start with ribs that have good marbling. As the fats melt away, the ribs transform into tender nuggets of falling-apart goodness. Chipotle peppers and cider stew together with the ribs, creating a smoky, piquant and mildly sweet sauce. Browning the ribs after slow cooking forms a nice crisp crust.

Since country ribs are not the leanest source of protein, I decided to even out the decadence by serving it with nutrient-rich roasted carrots and simple steamed quinoa.

Slow Cooked Chipotle Country Ribs - serves 4 – 6

2.5 – 3 lbs boneless pork country ribs
2 T canola oil
1 dried chipotle pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 t granulated garlic
1/4 C tomato paste
3 T brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 C apple cider

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add garlic and chipotles and allow to soften for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, and stir until combined, forming a paste. Stir in the brown sugar and cider. Allow to simmer lightly for 5 minutes.

Arrange country ribs in the slow cooker. Pour sauce over the ribs, adjusting to be sure they are all coated and covered.

Set the slow cooker to low and cook 6 hours.

Spoon off any excess fat. Using tongs, remove the ribs from the slow cooker, allowing excess sauce to drip off. Set the ribs aside. Increase slow cooker temperature to high and allow the sauce to cook an additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle to medium high. Arrange the ribs on the griddle and brown on both sides to form a crisp crust, about 5 minutes each side.

Serve with the sauce on the side or drizzled over the top.

Ingredient origins: Hormone Free Country Ribs – These guys came from the supermarket, so I know not where they came from. Shopping in a hurry before the storm. But they are hormone free, vegetarian fed (which means cornfed, but you can’t win ‘em all); Canola oil – California; Dried Chipotle pepper – New Mexico; Granulated garlic – California; Tomato Paste – Italy; Brown Sugar – Florida; Worcestershire sauce – California; Apple cider vinegar – Vermont; Apple Cider – Maine.