Sweet and Smoky Ribs

Last week I handed my 9 year old the latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and said "pick anything you want and I'll make it."  I was not surprised when he brought it back to me in a few minutes and said "here mom, I want ribs."  This kids LOVES his ribs.  Almost every time we go to a barbecue restaurant (which is a lot, this is Kansas City, folks!) he orders ribs.  The good news for me was, one of our local grocery stores had a special on baby back ribs - buy one, get one free!  I hustled on over there and picked up a couple of racks of ribs on Saturday!  It was perfect because we had dinner plans with friends on Monday so I decided to make them then.  The problem is, I'm no griller or smoker.  The grill is my husband's department and smoking meat is quite the revered art form around Kansas City, so teaching myself those methods would take way too much time, not to mention it would probably send my husband into some kind of cooking identity crisis. Baking was out of the question; no one wants their oven on for hours when it's 90 degrees outside.  What to do, what to do...CROCK POT!  I know you're shocked.  I modified the rub to include smoked Spanish paprika, added a little bit of liquid smoke to the mix and voila!  Ribs that (almost) taste grilled/smoked over wood chips.  I let them cook on low all day with the rub on them and let people add sauce at serving time because we like our ribs dry at my house.  If you want to add sauce, feel free but wait until the last hour of cooking or so, though, so the sugars in the sauce don't burn as the ribs cook all day.  This would be a fabulous recipe for your 4th of July cookout if you want a shortcut on everything but flavor!  

 I served this with Blue Cheese Coleslaw, Cheesy Corn and Jack Stack Baked Beans.  Enjoy!

  
Sweet and Smoky Ribs (adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray, July/August 2014)

For the rub:

2 T. salt
1/4 c. smoked Spanish paprika
2 T. chili powder
2 T. garlic powder
2 T. cumin
2 T. sugar
1 T. cayenne pepper
1 T. black pepper
1 T. dry mustard

For the ribs:

2 racks (about 5 lb.) baby back ribs
1 T. liquid smoke (I like mesquite or hickory)
1/4 c. water
BBQ sauce for serving, if desired

For the rub:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well to combine.  This can me made in advance if desired.

For the ribs:

Cut the ribs in half with a sharp knife then stick them in a 6 qt. slow cooker to make sure they all fit and the lid fits tightly.  Now take them out of the slow cooker and rub them down with the spice rub, using all of the rub.  Place the ribs back in the slow cooker and pour in the liquid smoke and water.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.  Serve with bbq sauce if desired.

Makes about 14 servings (2 ribs each at 252 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com