slow cooker: boneless pork ribs

The excellent supermarket in West Hollywood, which apparently has its own dedicated butcher shop and consequently offers the best and most varied cuts of meat that I've located in any supermarket in my area, sells something they call "boneless pork ribs." 

Now obviously, these are not actual ribs, because (duh) ribs are bones.  I deduce that they take a rack of ribs and instead of cutting to include the bone, they cut to exclude it.  The advantages: you get all the very flavorful meat (and fat) with none of the hassle (and waste).  A 24-oz package of these bad boys is a 24-oz package of delicious edibility.

Anyway, I've discovered that these are ideally suited to the slow cooker.  The fat is so evenly distributed through the meat that after a day in the Crock Pot, you get some very tender, and very flavorful, Good Eats.

So, the latest assembly with these.  Components:

• 24 oz pkg boneless pork ribs (5 slabs, each cut in half, into pieces each approximately 1.5 x 2 x 4 inches)
• 7 medium carrots, scrubbed and trimmed, and cut into 2" lengths
• 3 large cloves of garlic, smashed & peeled
• 1.5 onions, cut into pieces of varying size (little pieces dissolve, big pieces remain for noshing)
• 1 snack cup of pineapple tidbits, without juice
• a tiny swirl of agave nectar
• 1 tbsp good sherry
• 1 tsp organic soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp Satay spice mix
• 1/2 tsp red curry
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• healthy dusting (each) of coriander, kosher salt, ground cayenne, and allspice.

Please note, I probably used more of the spices than this states.  I am a little free with the measurements. 

This combination was heated through on HIGH for a little over an hour, then the heat was turned down to low and the cooker was left alone for, let's see, nine hours.  At which point the meat was falling-apart tender, the cooking liquid was richly flavored, and the apartment smelled terrific.

I served this pot roast with "Forbidden Rice" (Chinese black rice, which is really dark purple and which is one of my favorite low-starch starches).  Two generous servings for dinner, and there is enough for each of us to have it again tonight (though not quite so generously).

The recipe could easily be stretched to lavishly serve four, simply by adding more vegetables to the pot.  I suggest beets, turnips, or parsnips - or one of each.

Notes on the combination: I am apparently incapable of cooking without onions.  If you can't eat them for some reason, I'd recommend fennel as a substitute for flavor and texture. 

Pineapple serves as a meat tenderizer, which isn't really needed with a cut like this but IMO you can't be too tender.  It also adds a tangy acidic note that reduces the fatty affect of the untrimmed meats I prefer to use, and takes the flavor profile toward barbecue, no matter what other seasonings you use. 

For a similar-yet-different approach to pork, see:Tangy Pork Pot Roast with Delicata

Comments

[R K Young]

"Free with the measurements." As in, eh--a little more couldn't hurt!