Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs
If you're looking for a change from typical barbecue ribs, you'll enjoy this recipe my mom always prepared on birthdays and special occasions. The tender ribs have a slight sweet-and-sour taste that my family loves. I usually serve them with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad or coleslaw.
If you're looking for a change from typical barbecue ribs, you'll enjoy this recipe my mom always prepared on birthdays and special occasions. The tender ribs have a slight sweet-and-sour taste that my family loves. I usually serve them with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad or coleslaw.
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
- 20 oz pineapple tidbits undrained
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup green pepper thinly sliced
- Carbohydrate 92.9620067165793 g
- Cholesterol 313.989177023556 mg
- Fat 65.1542322016832 g
- Fiber 2.34963148076635 g
- Protein 79.8223581798141 g
- Saturated Fat 32.6624835542123 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (911g)
- Sodium 1052.19581642849 mg
- Sugar 90.612375235813 g
- Trans Fat 4.50334388226567 g
- Calories 1271 calories
Step-by-step
- Place ribs in an ungreased 5-qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the ribs.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Thicken the sauce if desired.
Treating canned and fresh pineapple as identical ingredients causes the meat to dissolve into an unappealing mush during long cooking cycles. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme that breaks down collagen rapidly, transforming solid pork into shredded mush within a few hours at slow cooker temperatures between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Canned pineapple tidbits undergo thermal processing that deactivates these enzymes, making them safe for an eight to ten hour simmer without compromising the structural integrity of the boneless country-style cuts. Mixing the cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, minced garlic, tomato sauce, sliced onions, and green peppers in a separate bowl ensures even distribution of the thickeners and acids before contacting the protein. Thinly slicing the onions and green peppers allows them to break down completely into the sauce, acting as natural body-builders alongside the tomato paste. Overcrowding the five-quart slow cooker prevents proper heat circulation, so arrange the meat in a single overlapping layer rather than packing it tightly upward. Testing for doneness requires checking that the pork yields easily to the tines of a fork with zero resistance. Reducing the resulting cooking liquid in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat for ten minutes concentrates the sugars if a glassier coating is desired.
