Crockpot Ribs

I recently developed a love affair with Trader Joe's.  My mom has always been a big fan but I was holding out.  And I'm not sure why because I love unique + healthy things.  We went yesterday and Bob said he will never go back.  If I wasn't obsessed with groceries, I would feel the same way.  It is SO crowded in there!  I mean, it's half the size of a normal grocery store with the same amount of people (if not more).  We had to fight to get to the English muffins (and then we realized they're called "British muffins" there).  Here are a few of my favorite purchases:

I'm not trying to pretend that these aren't still cookies.  But I do feel better about eating them :)

....Again, still chips, but I have reduced guilt after eating them.

My mom introduced me to this yogurt last time we were there and she was not messing around.  This might be the best yogurt I've ever had.  Life changing.

 

Also, just so you know, Trader Joe's has the best steaks.  We're steak snobs over here and they have never disappointed us.  

 Well, as the title shows, I made ribs today.  I made them once before and they didn't turn out as tender as I would have liked.  Probably because I put them in the oven and got too impatient.  This time I decided to use the crock pot.  Thank goodness for the crock pot, by the way.  I would spend way more precious time checking on things in the oven. 

This recipe came from my grandma's favorite cookbook.  For the sauce you need:

1 cup ketchup

2 cups water

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp salt

The recipe calls for a huge amount of ribs.  I used the same amount of sauce no matter how much meat I had.  I feel that you can never have enough sauce.  

So then I ventured away from the recipe for the cooking part of it.  I sprinkled some onion powder on the ribs.  If you're normal, you could throw in some sliced onions instead.  I combined the ingredients for the sauce and heated everything up on the stove (per the recipe).  After that, I put the ribs in the crock pot and poured the sauce on top.  I let them cook on low for about 8 1/2 hours.

At this point, they were already very tender and about the fall off the bone.  I then popped them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 35 minutes.

This is how they turned out.

They were definitely an improvement from the first attempt.  Bob still isn't a huge fan of ribs in general, but his dad is.  And he said they were delicious.  So I'm going to take his opinion seriously.  I love the sauce in this recipe.  It's basic but really flavorful.  Never, ever will I make ribs outside of the crock pot again!  Dinner was cooked, eaten, and cleaned up by 5:40 tonight.  That almost never happens in this house.  (we tend to eat on the late side)  I couldn't believe I have all this extra time to write this post, do some lesson planning, and read my new book, The Art of Racing in the Rain :)  Quality Sunday evening.