Chris has had frozen ribs in his freezer for approximately one month now. Every weekend he asks me to make them, and every weekend we end up being so busy that we forget.

After driving 30 minutes inland to go hiking only to discover that the trail was closed for the day, we had to come up with a new plan. The only logical solution when you are prevented from taking part in weekend exercise is to eat – we made ribs.

It was also dreary and cold this weekend so we brought out the slow cooker instead of risking rained-on ribs.

I wanted to spice things up a little, literally and figuratively, by ditching the classic BBQ ribs and going for an Asian flare. You can never go wrong with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce my friends. Never.

These were quick and easy to make, and we loved them. Chris may or may not have eaten an entire rack of leftovers on his own for lunch today. Ok, he definitely did – impressive, I know.

The key to success with these is getting that crispy outside so you must slide them under the broiler for a few minutes before serving.

Warning: The ribs will begin falling apart as you pull them out of the slow cooker…this is a very good thing. Don’t forget to slather them with sauce…then dip them in more sauce. The sauce is fantastic.

Asian BBQ Slow Cooker Ribs

Only slightly adapted from Cooking Channel.com

Ingredients

1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sweet asian chili sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 large racks pork baby back ribs (4 to 5 pounds)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the ginger, garlic and green onions until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and 1/2 cup water. Whisk until fully incorporated. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Sprinkle the ribs liberally with salt and pepper and place in an upright position in the slow cooker. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours, turning over halfway through.

Strain the sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan and remove any accumulated grease from the top. Combine 1 tablespoon water with the cornstarch and whisk together in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the sauce until thickened and serve with the ribs.

Slather the ribs in the sauce and char on a hot grill or under the broiler, 1 to 2 minutes per side, before serving with the remaining sauce

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Lauren