A Taste of Tuesday

Back when David and I were dating, his mom made us some spectacular ribs in a crock pot. Being the great mom that she is, she gave me the recipe. At the time, I had a beloved kitty, Rebel. Rebel was up there in years, and was dying of kidney failure. I knew it was time, but had not yet mustered the strength to have her put to sleep. She pretty much just sat around the house and didn't move, eat or do much at all. Well, I prepared a crock pot of this recipe, turned on the crock pot, and left the house for a few hours.

When I came home, the house smelled -- soooo very yummy -- and Rebel was not just awake, she was actually up on the counter doing a happy dance around the crock pot.  We all ate very well that night. Rebel passed away a few days later, but I have since called this recipe "Resurrection Ribs" because for a few brief shining hours, they brought my Rebel back to life. Enjoy:

Resurrection Ribs

• 3 1/2 lbs pork loin ribs (I have also made this with beef and chicken and it's just as yummy)
• Mix the following together in a flat dish, and rub on meat:
• 1/4 cup splenda brown sugar blend
• Pepper to taste (I tend to use a lot)
• 3 TBSP Liquid Smoke
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (I usually use more -- enough to kill a family of about 17 vampires!)
• (optional) 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cola (I use Coke Zero, it tastes almost exactly like real coke and I can't tell a difference in the end result of the recipe)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce (non HFCS if you can find it -- check the organic aisle of the grocery store)

Spray inside of crock pot with cooking spray.
Layer ribs and onion in the crock pot. Pour in cola.

Cover and cook on low heat 8-9 hours or until tender. 

Remove ribs from cooker, drain and discard liquid. 

Dip the ribs into BBQ sauce, place in cooker, then pour any remaining BBQ sauce over ribs. 

Cover and cook 1 more hour. 

Note: This recipe is pretty lap-band friendly. The meat is tender enough to be tastey, and solid enough to stick around. The last few times I've made this, the meat has been so tender that it all just fell apart.  With the chicken, I saved 1/2 for chicken salad. For beef or pork, you can serve with veggies or fruit, or make open face sloppy joe type sandwiches.