Sometimes a recipe just pops out at you and you know it's going to be good. I've learned to trust my instincts when it comes to culling recipes from the many books, newspapers, magazines, and internet sources out there. Since discovering crockpot cookery, I've been on the lookout for good recipes to try and came across one in our local newspaper recently. What I especially liked was that there was no pre-browning (I hate dirtying an additional pot). You do need to plan this out because it requires a day of marinating. Marinating foods before slow cooking allows the seasonings to develop more fully. You can get away with a few hours of marinating, but I think a full day is better.
I followed the recipe exactly--this time--but will probably cut the cooking time by a half hour or so next time since the ribs looked done before I shut off the crockpot and will use regular carrots and not baby carrots since I prefer their texture. The dish was cooked perfectly and reheated beautifully and without drying out. In fact, I forgot to take a photo the first night; these were Larry's leftovers the next night.
MARINATE
2 1/2 - 3 lbs bone-in country style pork ribs
1 12-oz bottle dark ale or stout (( used Fosters)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs lemon peel, grated or shredded
1 tbs dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Place ribs in a large, self-sealing plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Add all marinade ingredients, seal bag, and turn to coat. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
COOK
1/2 lb small red or Yukon potatoes
12 oz fresh carrots, cut into pieces
Place potatoes and carrots in bottom of a 5-6 qt crockpot. Transfer ribs to bed of vegetables. Pour ale marinade over all. Cover and cook on high heat about 4 hours (or low heat for 8-9 hours).
FINISH
2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup water, if necessary
Remove pork and vegetables from crockpot. Measure and strain 2 cups of cooking liquid (use some water, if needed). Add cornstarch to water, mixing to make a slurry. Add strained liquid to a medium saucepan and stir in slurry over medium heat. Cook until thick and bubbly. Serve sauce with ribs and vegetables.
I think this recipe and method would work equally well with beef short ribs.
