Today brought with it a beautiful cold spell, which I am pretty sure every single person in California was excited for. I am sitting, writing this post, sipping on a glass of red wine and listening to the rain. RAIN people!!!! It hasn’t rained here in so long, and I have missed it so so much (coming from Northern Ireland, I have rain in my blood). Haha my husband literally just texted me saying ‘it’s raining!!!!’ just in case I missed it. God bless his cotton socks.
Anyway, in celebration of this cool snap, I pulled out the slow cooker and popped in some ribs. I have made this recipe approximately 20 times, and it is perfect every time. It is foolproof. And seeing as it’s a pop everything in the pot, and relax kinda dish, it’s perfect for a weeknight. No finesse required, and minimal ingredients. I slather it in a homemade asian inspired bbq sauce just before serving, and everyone needs a shower afterwards (especially the kids).
If you like your ribs on the stickier side, you can always slather the cooked ribs in the bbq sauce, and pop under the broiler for a couple of minutes on either side before serving. This ‘sets’ the sauce and makes it a bit stickier, whilst crisping up the edges.
See how ‘fall off the bone’ these guys are!
Are you looking forward to Fall? What is your favourite thing to pop in the slow cooker as the weather starts to change. I would love to hear what you think, so be sure to leave me a comment, and brighten up my day 🙂 Have a great weekend.
- 2.5 lb pork ribs I used baby back
- 2 tbsp chinese five spice
- 1 onion peeled and halved
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce not tomato kethcup
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chinese five spice
- Cut the rack of ribs in to 4 smaller pieces (kitchen scissors are great for this). Sprinkle the chinese five spice onto the raw meat, and rub in with your hands
- Pop the cut onion into the bottom of the slow cooker, arrange the ribs on top, close, and cook of high for 4 to 5 hours. Until the meat is tender and falling off the bone
- minutes before the ribs are finished, combine the tomato sauce, dijon, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder and chinese five spice in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes
- To serve, slather the cooked ribs with the bbq sauce
- If you like a stickier rib, pop the slathered ribs under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes on both sides (optional)
Michelle says
This looks amazing and I love ribs. Anytime I can save time cooking is a win win!
Whole Food Bellies says
Oh I know right!! My poor slow cooker is overworked these days 🙂
karissa says
I love using the slow cooker.This meal looks tasty! I wish cold weather would come back to California. It was 108 yesterday.
Whole Food Bellies says
Oh I know Karissa – I am in California too!! We had like 2 cooler days – I think I jumped the gun with my excitement – the hot weather is back!
ana says
I am a vegetarian but I do love me some Asian cuisine. Have you got any vegetarian recipes?
Whole Food Bellies says
Oh I have lots and lots of vegetarian recipes Ana 🙂 We only eat meat once or twice a week, so a huge amount of my recipes are veggie – I have been posting a lot of chicken and meat lately though…I didnt even realise 🙂
alexandria waning says
I keep saying to myself, make ribs. But then I get nervous. This looks like a recipe I’d like. They look yummy.
Whole Food Bellies says
Oh it took me forever to get confident making them – this slow cooker method is my go-to way now, coz I absolutely cannot stuff it up 🙂 I just change up the spice rub, depending on my mood!
Crystal Green says
You had me at BBQ ribs. BBQ ribs are one of my favorite foods to eat. This looks like a really simple recipe to make. I like the fact that the ribs fall off the bone when they are done. Thanks for sharing.
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks for stopping by! I was never a huge fan of bbq ribs, coz I hate the mess, thats all changed now 🙂
chelle says
Looks amazing! I’m usually not much for ribs but these look so good.
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks chelle 🙂 I was never a huge fan either, until I met my husband – and he is addicted 🙂
Debra says
These look SO amazing! Just what I like!
Whole Food Bellies says
🙂 Thanks Debra!
Eva @ Kidminds says
I don’t eat meat anymore, but I cook ribs for husband. It’s a perfect game day food. And I always cook them in a slow cooker. So much better than keeping an oven on for 3 hours!
Whole Food Bellies says
Definitely Eva! And at least in the slow cooker, it means you have the rest of the kitchen to prep food for yourself, while the hubbies meat cooks 🙂
Jenn says
Mmmm, these sound delicious! I use my slow-cooker more in the summer to avoid heating up the kitchen, but my best pot roast always comes from the slow cooker, and that’s much more a warm-weather food 🙂
Whole Food Bellies says
This was the first year I pulled my slow cooker out in the summer Jenn – I had it set up on the back porch, and it was perfect for keeping the house cool on 100+ days – don’t know why I always felt like it was a winter thing!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
Oh my! These ribs look and sound absolutely delightful and SO easy to make on a weeknight! When it starts cooling down here, I plan to whip these up for our family because I know they’ll be well-loved!
Thanks for sharing!
Whole Food Bellies says
I hope you enjoy Erin! Yeah, I was so excited for the cooler weather and slow cooked meals….I jumped the gun, and the heat is back :/
Cynthia @craftoflaughter says
I could swear I could smell those ribs from here! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe for these delicious looking ribs!
Whole Food Bellies says
Haha thank you Cynthia 🙂 They smell pretty awesome – my husband was on nightshift for the week when I made them, and they made him wake up 🙂
Katie says
These look amazing! I looooove ribs in the slowcooker, best way to do them in my opinion!
Whole Food Bellies says
Oh totally agree Katie – I can never get them quite as tender when I do them any other way!
Michelle says
Yum! I love how this looks, I know my husband would love it too. Thanks for sharing!
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks for popping by Michelle!
Sarah says
I wish I could send some of this UK rain your way! I’m the opposite of you – originally from Arizona now living in England and it’s just so WET. I love it, but I do miss the sunshine!
These ribs sound amazing! Anything with a sticky Asian sauce just has to be good!
Whole Food Bellies says
Oh I would GLADLY accept some rain! Last year we went to Seattle for a weekend, just so the kids could see some rain and jump in puddles 🙂
Joscelyn | Wifemamafoodie says
Yum, I love any Asian-inspired dish! This looks so yummy and I like the fact that it’s made in a crockpot. Makes dinner much easier for me! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Whole Food Bellies says
Thanks for stopping by Jocelyn! Yes, I am a HUGE fan of my crockpot (especially with kids)….makes dinner so much easier!
Logan Can says
These look AMAZING! Seriously, I just ate and now I’m hungry again! know what I will be cooking this weekend!
Whole Food Bellies says
Haha thanks Logan! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Ros Emely @ stressfreemommies says
I love Asian flavors, this looks amazing!
Stacey @ Stacey Homemaker says
“God bless his cotton socks,” is seriously the best thing I’ve heard all morning! So funny, I’m going to start saying that to my fiancé hehe OMG your ribs look so tender and delicious! I will definitely be making this, I love anything I can pop in the crockpot and forget! Question….what is chinese 5 spice?
Whole Food Bellies says
Haha glad I could make you laugh 🙂 Chinese 5 spice is just a blend of spices with cinnamon, star anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, white pepper and liquorice root in it (don’t know why 5 spice….) My local supermarket isn’t very progressive, and they have it in the herb/spice section, so it should be fairly easy to get hold of (now that you have heard of it, you will see it everywhere!)