Sweet & Smoky Slow Cooker Ribs with Featherlight Wasabi Mash & Wilted Chard
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
  • Slow Cooker Ribs:
  • 2 racks pork ribs
  • Rib rub (see below)
  • Bourbon barbecue sauce (see below)
  • 1 cup lager beer or chicken stock
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • .
  • Rib Rub:
  • 2 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 3 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp seasoning salt
  • 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • .
  • Bourbon Barbecue Sauce:
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp light molasses
  • 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tsp liquid smoke
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • .
  • Featherlight Wasabi Mash:
  • ½ head cauliflower, cut into large florets
  • 2 Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1 Tbsp wasabi paste
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • .
  • Wilted Chard:
  • 1 bunch red chard
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp bacon fat or butter
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
  1. Mix all your rib rub ingredients in a bowl. Rub your pork ribs down with rib rub. Really massage it into the meat so the rub becomes paste-like. Place your ribs in the slow cooker with the meaty sides resting along the sides of the slow cooker pot. Pour in beer/stock and liquid smoke. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.
  2. In a medium saucepan, add all your barbecue sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced slightly and thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Wasabi Mash: Boil cauliflower and potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender. Drain and mash well. Add butter, milk and wasabi and mash to incorporate. At this point, I like to use my immersion blender to really whip the potatoes, since the wasabi lends itself really nicely to ultra smooth mash, but that step is totally optional. Add more butter, to taste (although I appreciate we're all trying to be healthy- this is a rib feast, go wild!).
  4. Wilted Chard: Trim the ends of your chard stems. Cut the stem portions into ~1/2 inch pieces and set aside. Cut the leaf parts into ~1 inch pieces and set aside. In a large frying pan, heat the bacon fat or butter. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned. Add chard stems and cook 2-3 minutes until tender. Add chard leaves and cook for 2 minutes, until bright green and lightly wilted. Remove from heat, add fresh lemon juice. Salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Gently remove ribs from the slow cooker and place the ribs, meaty side up, on the lined baking sheet. The meat should be very tender at this point. Brush a generous amount of barbecue sauce over both the ribs and then place them in the oven under a hot broil for 5-6 minutes, until the barbecue sauce is bubbling and sticky. We don't need to cook the ribs anymore, this is just to get the sauce nice and sticky and seal it on to the meat.
  6. Serve ribs immediately with a side of mash and wilted chard.
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/sweet-smoky-slow-cooker-ribs-with-featherlight-wasabi-mash-wilted-chard/