First Attempt: Ribs (Method #3 - Slow-cooker)

So awhile ago, I was shopping, and I saw ribs on sale. I have never made ribs, so I bought some.  I posted on Facebook and tagged a few foodie friends rib-masters to give me some pointers.  One, a friend I have known since fifth grade, gave me no response.  The second didn't want to share his secrets at first.  I promised I didn't need secrets, just a bit of technique & strategy coaching. (I am still working on getting him to share his meatball recipe). He then replied so no one else could see his post with his overall method. He has cooked his ribs for our family twice before. I do not blame him at all for being secretive.   Method #1

Unexpectedly, a friend of a friend (the non-responsive one) whom I've just met posted and said she was a ribs fanatic and posted her favorite ribs recipe.Method #2

Even more unexpectedly, one of the youth from church that recently went away to college proceeded to post his favorite ribs recipe.  The bonus...it was a slow-cooker recipe! Method #3

So, the day after Thanksgiving I am trying to deep clean the house and parent three children while The Man of the House gives us a new bathroom floor with our male-good-friend/god-parent of Cashew.  Female-good-friend-godparent was coming over after work for food and dominoes.  With all the busy going on in the house the last thing I wanted to do was mess up the whole kitchen and need to clean it up again with a big cooking project, so I went for  the slow cooker ribs.

OMG, they were good. I would recommend them for even the most novice cook. Easy and delicious.

Season the ribs with salt & pepper. Brown your ribs under the broiler for fifteen minutes.  Flip. Repeat. (I put mine in my roasting pan).

In the slow-cooker mix two cups ketchup, one cup chili sauce (I used Franks hot barbecue), some oregano, smoked paprika, & thyme, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, & a 1/2 cup brown sugar. Oh, the recipe called for a table spoon of hot sauce, but FGFGP and they boys dont like spicy food, so I didn't want to overdo it.  Some Tobasco, Blazin' wing sauce from BWW's or some cayenne might be good.  You could totally mix & match the sauces and spices for different flavors. The recipe didn't call for the thyme & paprika, but I thought they sounded good.

After you are done browning and the sauce has come together, put the ribs into the slow cooker & cover with the sauce. Set on low and let 'em sit for 6-8 hours.

You might consider cutting the ribs into segments so they are submerged in the sauce and get a good braise, but because I was home all day, I kept bathing the ribs in the sauce with my giant silicone basting brush. I think they would be fine if you didn't.  This could totally be a middle of the week meal.

The friends brought over a head of leaf lettuce. We had beer for the grown-ups, a green salad, and left over sweet potatoes from the day before. There were NO leftovers. You have to try this technique.  They were so good, I might not even need to try technique #1or #2. Might not, but I probably will anyway, but seriously, NO leftovers.