Crockpot Sticky Beef Ribs
If you love your ribs sweet, sticky and extremely tender, then think about making them in the crockpot! There is just something about the slow cooking process that produces the most tantalizing sauce along with “fall-off-the-bone” meat that literally melts in your mouth!
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup 100% all-natural orange marmalade or apricot preserves such as Polaner or St. Dalfour
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red curry paste more if you like additional “heat”
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned brown rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 pounds beef ribs grass-fed preferred if available-see MPM Mini Bites
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 carrots peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
Garnish
- 3 green onions sliced
Instructions
Sauce:
- In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients.
Preparing Ribs:
- Season ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high setting until hot.
- Place as many ribs as will fit comfortably in the pan and sear for about 2 minutes on each side.
- Place ribs on paper towels to drain off excess fat. Repeat process with remaining ribs. (There should be sufficient fat in the pan to continue searing without adding more oil.)
Assembly:
- Arrange ribs on bottom of a 6-quart crockpot. Place vegetables on top of ribs.
- Pour sauce over, allowing to coat.
Cooking
- Cook on High setting for 1 hour and Low setting for about 7 hours (or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours) until ribs are very tender and are starting to fall off the bone.
- If possible, mix up ribs and vegetables with a big spoon about 1/2 way through to ensure even cooking. As crockpots vary, adjust cooking times as needed.
- Remove ribs and vegetables to a large bowl. Skim fat off from the top. (Or as I did, make the ribs the day before and refrigerate overnight, allowing fat to congeal making removal easier and more complete.)
Finishing:
- Pour sauce into a medium pot. Boil for about 8 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces in volume by about half.
- Add vegetables and ribs back to the crockpot; add sauce, tossing with a large spoon to coat.
- Reheat ribs and vegetables in crockpot on High setting for 15 to 20 minutes if still warm from cooking or for 1 to 2 hours on Low setting if refrigerated.
- Transfer ribs and vegetables to a large bowl; garnish with green onions.
Notes
Make Ahead and Storage Tips: ribs, vegetables and sauce can be prepared and assembled in crockpot up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. If possible, cook one day prior to serving to make fat removal easier and more thorough (see above) Reheat leftovers in crockpot on Low setting for 1 to 2 hours or until hot, stirring occasionally.
Go for grass-fed if possible. Not only is grass-fed better for you, it is also leaner therefore producing much less fat when cooked than conventional beef ribs. Are grass-fed beef ribs more costly? Not always. In fact, I was told when I bought these at my local Whole Foods Market that grass-fed beef ribs are often less expensive than conventional!
Making this dish the day before serving is recommended. As beef ribs inherently contain quite a bit of fat (even grass-fed), it is easier to remove after congealing into a thick layer upon refrigeration. Also, this is one of those dishes that becomes more tender as well as develops a richer flavor with additional cooking. If not possible, skim off as much fat as you can after cooking, prior to reducing and thickening the sauce.
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