Crock pot then oven finished St. Louis style pork ribs are so good! Low and slow is the name of the game. Even though these take awhile to cook, they are super easy and well worth the effort.
I was originally going to slow cook then grill these ribs. But with the weather in the 90s here in central Iowa and high humidity, I wasn't in the mood to deal with a hot grill. So crock pot and oven finishing did the trick!
I'm not a fan of ketchup-y BBQ sauce on my ribs so I try different coatings that are lighter and lean more to the mustard side.
I served these with some good ol' Iowa corn on the cob and sauteed veggies from our garden: eggplant, zucchini and peppers. If you make these, let me know what you think!
Ingredients
One rack of St. Louis Style Pork Ribs
One onion - peeled and cut into chunks
Two or three whole jalapeño peppers
1 Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke
1/2 cup of water
Rub:
Sonoma Seasoning Blend from Allspice (or your favorite blend that has cayenne pepper and/or paprika)
Kosher Salt
Garlic Granules
Sauce:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons of Heinz 57 sauce
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon of Lola's Hot Sauce (or your favorite type of hot sauce)
1-1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of concentrated lime juice
1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle Chile, Morita Powder from AllSpice or your favorite chili spice
Kosher salt to taste
Directions
Make sure the ribs are at room temperature before adding to crock pot. Pat dry and remove the membrane on the back of the ribs (optional). Lay out on a cutting board or large flat cooking sheet and sprinkle both sides liberally and separately with the rub ingredients, seasoning to taste.
Place the cut up onion and peppers in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour in the water and liquid smoke. Add in the ribs, rolling them up to fit the pot, bone side in and on its side. Set on top of the onions and peppers (not touching the bottom or the sides). Cover and cook on high heat for 2 hours; then turn to low and cook 2-1/2 more hours. Try not to remove the lid. The meat should be fairly tender at this point but not falling apart.
Preheat your oven to 280°. Carefully remove the ribs from the crock pot with tongs and lay flat on a baking stone or platter. Brush the sauce on the back side (bone side) first then the meat side. Leave the meat side up. Feel free to put the peppers and onions on the pan to bake with the ribs. Not sure if you need to but I think that the aromas continue to flavor the meat.
Bake for 1/2 hour uncovered; baste with more sauce; then bake for another 1/2 hour, loosely covered with foil.
Uncover the meat, baste one more time. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil the meat until the sauce starts to bubble and brown. Serve with your favorite sides!
Right out of the oven and ready to serve!
