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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Ribs Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium onion (coarsely chopped)
  • 1 red bell pepper (seeded and coarsely chopped)
  • 1 piece of fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
  • 6 garlic cloves (crushed and minced)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 can pineapple juice (6 ounces can of frozen concentrate)
  • 1 jar apricot jelly (12 ounces)
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce plus 2 tablespoons
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar plus 1 tablespoon
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 racks of baby back ribs about 1 ½ pound each (halved)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Place onion and red pepper into a food processor and process until finely chopped; transfer mixture to a bowl.
  2. In another bowl mix together the tomato paste, ginger, and garlic.
  3. Using the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat cook the onion and red pepper for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato paste mixture to the skillet and continue cooking until fragrant and then stir in the pineapple juice, a ¼ cup of the soy sauce, ¼ cup vinegar, jelly, sugar, and red pepper flakes; continue cooking until sauce is slightly thickened.
  5. Salt and pepper the ribs and lightly spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Line the ribs around the edges with the wide ends pointing down(kind if making a circle). The ribs will slide down a little bit. Spoon the sauce over the ribs letting some of the sauce run down the back of the ribs. Cook on low 4-5 hours or on high for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours or until ribs is tender.
  6. Remove ribs to a platter and tent with aluminum foil.
  7. Run the sauce through a strainer to eliminate the solids and defat the juice; discard the solids. (if you don’t have a fat separator pour the mixture into a ziplock bag – when the fat rises to the top poke a small hole in the bottom to drain the juice stopping the draining process before the fat starts to come out of the bag. Discard the fat with the bag).
  8. In a small saucepan cook the juice over medium heat until reduced to about half. Mix the remaining soy sauce with the cornstarch and stir it into the sauce, cooking and stirring until sauce thickens and then stir in the remaining vinegar.
  9. Slice the ribs between the bones and place them in a large bowl, pour the sauce over the top, and toss the ribs until well coated.
  10. Serve hot.