Above is Erik’s lunch made from the leftovers of Tuesday night’s meal: Pork ribs (yellow) recipe below, salad (red), fried apples and homemade bread (green), balsamic vinegar and oil in jar for bread and salad, prunes, and raisins (purple).

I am convinced that the very best pork ribs are cooked in a crock pot. Tuesday night I tried a new recipe that called for baking them, and although the sauce was way better than my old recipe, the ribs weren’t nearly as tender and juicy. From now on I’ll be using the new sauce recipe with my handy dandy super-sized crock pot (I bought the biggest one I could find when we got married, and I never regretted it).

Use any pork ribs you like; I’ve used them all: loin back, country-style, spareribs. (P.S. Lenie, I think this would work okay with beef ribs too, but you might want to adjust the seasonings a bit. I like more of a pepper/herb/lemon beef rib, and less sweet.)

Cut up the ribs as needed to fit into your crock pot (this is where having a big one comes in handy, I can usually just cut a big slab in two), and remove the inner skin if desired (I usually do, it makes serving and eating much easier).

In a bowl mix together:
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice (I just squeezed 1/2 a lemon)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water

Pour this mixture over the ribs in the crock pot, and set on low all day. This needs to cook for at least 8 hours, so I get mine in around 9am. If it stays in the crock for a few extra hours, no harm will come to it.