Country-style ribs were on sale last week, so I purchased a bunch to try out this recipe. I halved the recipe and cooked the ribs in the crock pot on low for around 8 hours. The original recipe is posted below, but I took some liberties in using lime juice instead of orange juice for the ponzu substitute, and I did not broil the ribs. I'm not sure if it's because the liquid didn't completely cover the meat that made the meat a bit more dry, but overall it was a bit dry and quite salty. It was much more balanced chopped up and sauteed with green beans, and I imagine it'd also be great for fried rice, but I'm not sure I'd make this again without figuring out what I did wrong.
Crock Pot Asian-Style Ribs from The Crepes of Wrath
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds pork ribs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ponzu sauce (if you do not have ponzu sauce, use an additional ¼ cup of soy sauce + the juice of ½ an orange)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated or minced
1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot chili oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
sesame seeds, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Grease the inside of your crock pot with non-stick spray or oil. Add in the ribs. Whisk together the soy sauce, ponzu sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha and chili flakes, then pour over the ribs. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
When ready to eat, remove the ribs from the pot (they will be fall-apart tender, so do this gently) and place them on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to broil.
Pour the sauce into a pot. Whisk together the corn starch and water, and pour it into the sauce. Whisk the sauce over medium-high heat until bubbling, then baste the ribs in the sauce. Broil the ribs for 2 minutes or so, until bubbling and slightly caramelized. Serve garnished with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. You may want to serve this alongside rice or your favorite vegetable.