Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs

Mmm...ribs. I love ribs! Who was so sad when the Layton Tony Roma's closed? Me. Ribs are something I've never dared try to cook, because who wants to eat dry, tough ribs? Not me. Then a friend of mine said that he cooked his in a Crock Pot and they were sooo tender. I got brave, searched Allrecipes for an appropriate recipe and gave it a try. I wasn't brave enough to cook them when all the kids were coming over, so Bruce and I had these totally delicious, fall off the bone, tender ribs all to ourselves. The sauce stays thick, even after cooking all day. *Note to acid reflux sufferers: Although these were delectable in every way, I was up in the night for 2 nights in a row. But it was worth it! I'm sure a different sauce would solve the problem. I will make these until I die.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs- 8 servings
4 lbs. pork baby back ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c. ketchup
1 c. chili sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
4 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. Worchestershire
1 dash hot sauce (I skipped this)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season meat with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes. Drain fat. In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients, plus a bit more salt and pepper. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs and turn to coat. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until ribs are tender. I didn't get back to these for about 10 hours, just so you know.

Photo Tutorial!

The obligitory raw meat photo:

 Sauce ingredients before the whisking:

And after:

This is what the ribs looked like after the 30 minutes at 400 degrees. there was not enough fat to drain.

In the Crock Pot, waiting for the sauce:

And here it comes!! Cooking can be so exciting!