Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs

Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs (2 to 4 servings, depending upon your appetite!)

  • 1 full rack (about 3 lbs) pork baby back ribs

Dry Rub Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, use what you have)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 8 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (usually found near the hot sauce in the condiment aisle)
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark, use what you have)

1 tablespoon cornstarch & 1 tablespoon cold water, for thickening the sauce

-Place the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until combined.

-Using a sharp knife, score the membrane on the underside of the rack of ribs so that you can easily

separate the ribs after they've cooked.

-Rub half the dry rub onto the bottom of the ribs, then flip it and rub the top with the remaining dry rub.

Arrange the rack in your slow cooker by curling it around the sides of the pot.

-Prepare the sauce: Place the ground black pepper, ground ginger and onion powder in a large bowl. Stir

to combine. Crush in the garlic. Add the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, balsamic

vinegar and brown sugar. Stir to combine.

-Pour about 2/3 of the sauce (about 2 cups) over the ribs in the slow cooker, flipping the ribs so that they

are completely coated. (Reserve the remaining sauce--later, you will thicken it with the cornstarch to

brush on the cooked ribs.)

-Cover the crock pot and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. (The ribs will cook more evenly if you flip

them about halfway through the cooking.)

-When the ribs have finished cooking, take the sauce that you've saved and put it into a (2-quart)

saucepan. Stir the cornstarch and the cold water together; after it's combined, stir it into your reserved

sauce in the saucepan. Heat the sauce over medium heat and bring it to a boil, whisking constantly, until

it thickens. When the sauce thickens, turn off the heat.

-Remove the ribs from the crock pot and place onto a foil-lined baking sheet or a broiling pan. (Discard

the sauce that is in the crock pot.) Pour about half of the thickened sauce from the saucepan onto the

ribs.

-Brush the sauce onto the ribs until they are well-coated. If desired, place the ribs under your broiler

for a couple of minutes, until the sauce starts sizzling and the edges start to get a bit crispy and charred.

-Using a sharp knife, slice the ribs and serve them with the extra sauce for dipping.