Love Barbecue But Want to Stay Indoors? Grab Your Trusty Slow Cooker
A package of country style, boneless ribs, a cup of barbecue sauce, and a couple of veggies— you’re ready to fashion a pot of BBQ in minutes of prep time. No sautéing, no lighting the grill—it’s a great mid-week treat.
Slow cooking offers a chance to layer the ingredients so the veggies lay on the bottom and the protein lays a top, about an inch from the bottom. There is a lot of liquid in the pork—it will produce its own braising liquid.
I’m now a devotee of rice bowls—where you stack bits of cooked sides atop cooked rice, add a fermented veggie, some sauce, maybe toasted sesame seeds, and eat your way down—it’s somehow tastier than on a plate!
INGREDIENTS: Serves 3-4
- pork – 2 LBS+- country style ribs, [boneless preferred]
- Yukon gold potatoes – 6 to 8, small, halved
- Bell peppers – 1 large, 1-inch pieces
- onion – 1 medium, 1 inch pieces
- barbecue sauce – 1 cup
- salt
- pepper
- fresh herb to top [chives, scallions, parsley]
Left: Veggies Brushed with Sauce Right: Pork on Top Brushed with Sauce
When slow cooking a lot of liquid will exude from the meat, so a good rule of thumb is to place the veggies on the bottom and after placing the meat on top, add enough water or stock to reach about a quarter the way up the meat.
INSTRUCTIONS: If you have time, salt the pork a couple hours before adding to cooker
- Trim any heavy knobs of fat, but leave ample streaks for flavor; season well with salt
- Prepare the veggies
- Place the veggies in the bottom of the cooker in a single layer, so it provides one inch of a base to rest the pork on
- Brush a half cup of barbecue sauce over the veggies
- Add the pork in a single layer, then spread on the other half cup of sauce
- Set slow cooker on high for one hour, then reset to low and cook for three + hours
- Temp the meat; it’s done at 190º or higher
- Remove the contents with tongs and slotted spoon to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm
- Pour liquid into a skillet and bring to a simmer to reduce: a few minutes, taste for seasoning, then pour over the dish
- Serve topped with fresh herb or scallions
Left: Reduced braising liquid Right: Served with Apple Sauce [or More Barbecue Sauce]
PLANNED-OVERS:
Chunk the pork and use it to flavor stir fries, or top rice bowls. I actually look forward more to these dishes than a straight barbecue dish of pork
Left: BBQ Planned Over Pork Over Rice with Steamed Broccolini Right: BBQ Pork Rice Bowl with Pickled Daikon, and Steamed Greens
Recipe by B. Hettig
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I’ve made pork in slow cooker for decades, seasoning and browning a big hunk first to get some crust and then slow cooking it over halved onions and 1/2 cup water in cooker until the pork pulls apart, several hours later. Drain and reserve the liquid for future use, then pour BBQ sauce into cooker and cook o low another hour. But this variation sounds great, a more complete meal, and I can’t wait to try it for a fall football game. Go Bills!
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Yeah, I hear you on the browning ritual. I wanted to see if I could skip the step to up the EVR: Effort Vs Reward in time saving and ease of prep. I think the umami rich barbecue sauce keeps it close. Now, when I see a package of country style pork, it’s like a bell going off. [Saw a printed T-Shirt—”Does Pavlov Ring a Bell?”]
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