low and slow.

When my husband and I were just getting to know each other as friends, the first thing that my husband made for me was ribs with corn on the cob. I remember being impressed... really being wowed by the fact that he could make ribs. I think what really made it memorable was the fact that he used beer as a braising liquid then finished it off with a hefty smearing of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. He had taken the time to put the ribs in the slow cooker before going to work and cooking it on low for about 8 hours. Talk about tender! It was literally falling off the bone!

Since then, he hasn't really cooked that often. Taking on the role as the household chef, I've tried to make it the way that he's done it and failing miserably. The last time that I made his ribs, they turned out horribly soupy. It was okay, but not great. So I decided that I'd leave the beer braised ribs to him and find my own way of making BBQ. Enter the dry rub.

The first time that I saw this mix, I knew that I had to make it. True to the author's words, I had everything in my pantry and it was a jiffy to whip up. When I tried it for making this chicken, what a revelation! It was so flavorful and still moist! So not only did find that I like to use rubs, I like making my BBQ "slow and low".

So taking the cues from the chicken recipe, I looked around the internet to adapt this method to a slow cooker (mostly out of laziness). I found this recipe and took some pointers from there (mainly the cooking times).

Success! So instead of adding any liquid to the slow cooker, I rubbed it down and crusted the ribs with a shit ton of spice rubs. Then I let it cook in its own juices while I was doing my errands. I turned it over about half way through so it wouldn't dry out. Then, since I wanted that caramelized sauce, I slathered my favorite BBQ sauce on it and broiled the sucker for the full 10 minutes. Mmmmm...they turned out exactly like I wanted them to!

They were so moist and tender...almost falling off the bone, but not. For leftovers, I'm gonna be making these into pulled pork sandwiches, lol! And with that... I now have my own style of making BBQ!

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14-Spice Dry Rub Mix
(barely adapted from The Yummy Life)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp celery salt
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp rubbed dried sage
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Or, sift the ingredients into a bowl and whisk them until mixed. Store in airtight container. Makes about 2 cups.

TO USE: Sprinkle dry rub mix on all sides of the meat (chicken, beef, or pork) and rub it in. If you have time, wrap or cover the meat and refrigerate it for 1 hour (or as long as 12 hours) before cooking. The fridge time will enhance the flavor, but it's also good if you cook the meat right away. Grill, pan fry, or bake the meat according to your preference. Also good for seasoning meat in slow cooker.

VARIATIONS:
--For a spicier blend, use hot chili powder (rather than mild) and more cayenne, cumin, black pepper.
--For a sweeter blend, increase the allspice, cloves, mace, and brown sugar.
--For a smokier blend, omit the sweet paprika and substitute all smoked paprika.
--For a low-sodium blend, reduce salt to 1/8 cup.

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Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
(Makes 3 to 4 servings)

1 (3.5 to 4lb) rack pork spare ribs
1/4 to 1/3 cup 14-Spice Dry Rub Mix
1 1/2 to 2 cups BBQ sauce (we like Kraft's Honey Hickory or Sweet Baby Ray's.)

Pat ribs dry. Pat rack very generously on all sides with rub. Place rack in crock pot so that the meatier side is down towards the bottom of the pot. Cook for 6 to 7 hours on low. Halfway through, at the 3 hour mark, turn ribs upside down and continue cooking until tender.

Once the ribs are done, preheat oven to broil. Carefully remove ribs and discard cooking liquid. Place bone side up on a foil lined baking sheet then slather with half the BBQ sauce. Gently turn ribs over and repeat for the meatier side of the ribs. Once the oven is ready, broil ribs for 5 to 10 minutes until sauce has caramelized. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional BBQ sauce as desired.