Slow-Cooker Pork Ribs [Plus a Meijer LPGA Ticket Giveaway!]

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Meijer. All opinions are my own!

The key to fall-off-the-bone ribs is….THE SLOW-COOKER! Allow the pork ribs to slow-cook for a few hours, then finish off the grill with delicious Meijer BBQ sauce. YUM! Heads up: this is PERFECT for Father’s Day!

Ribs are one of those things that are synonymous with summer….and especially grilling! Have you ever tried to just throw a slab on the grill without pre-cooking? You’ll end up with some tough, leathery ribs. NO BUENO!

By using the slow-cooker, you allow the ribs to get nice and tender before grilling. You can fit about 2 racks per slow-cooker, depending on the size. As far as the TYPE of ribs to choose, that’s up to you. The two common picks are: St. Louis or Baby Back. I feel like Baby Back style are more popular, maybe from the infamous Chili’s commercial. But, in my opinion, you get much more meat and flavor from St. Louis style ribs. They have a flatter bone and you get much more for your money.

During the summer, Meijer has quite a few sales on pork. I look for a price point of $1.99/lb or less for ribs and $1.19/lb or less for a pork butt (for pulled pork…recipe coming soon!). When I see a sale, I stock up for 1-2 meals!

Before placing in the slow-cooker, I like to marinade with a dry rub for about 24 hours. The dry rub will add flavor to the meat, plus the brown sugar will caramelize slightly once you put it on the grill. Don’t add the BBQ sauce until the very end of grilling, though! We love the Meijer Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ sauce…which we also stock up on when it’s on sale. The sauce is thick and smoky, with a kick of sweetness from the brown sugar.

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Slow-Cooker Pork Ribs

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds of St. Louis Pork ribs from Meijer
• 1/3 cup Meijer light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 bottle Meijer Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ sauce (or favorite variety)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and spices to create the dry rub.
2. Remove ribs from package and rinse well. Pat dry. Sprinkle dry rub on ribs. Massage onto both sides.
3. Place ribs in a 9x13 dish and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 4+ hours. I like to let sit overnight.
4. Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Set to High for 4 hours.
5. Add ribs, curling into a circle standing up. Cook, flipping half way through.
6. Carefully remove ribs from slow cooker...heads up: they're super tender now.
7. Preheat grill. Cook on 2 minutes per side, adding BBQ sauce at the end.

Once you remove the ribs from the slow-cooker, they’ll be super tender, falling off the bone. Cooking on LOW can also be done, just bump up the time to 6-8 hours. The dry rub will get some moisture from cooking, but don’t worry. It will crisp right up on the grill. TRUST me, these will be your new favorite ribs!

Did you know Meijer started here in Grand Rapids? Every year, they have a huge LPGA Classic tournament for their Simply Give program. Since 2008, the Simply Give program has helped neighborhood food pantries in the Midwest keep their shelves stocked–raising more than $26 million over the years! The LPGA Classic will run from June 13-18th here in the Grand Rapids area.

Last year they added The Grand Taste which was SO much fun for the whole family. There is a huge area set up with food and beverage samples from participating restaurants, breweries, and Meijer vendors. To take a break from the feast, the Grand Taste ticket holders can enjoy the LPGA tournament, also. We spent Father’s Day there last year and left stuffed and with a nice golden tan. This event can’t be missed if you’re in the Grand Rapids area! Carla Hall and Cat Cora will be returning this year as celebrity chefs!

I have set of tickets to give away so you can check out the Grand Taste, too! Hey, maybe we’ll run into each other! You MUST be able to attend the event in Grand Rapids, MI. To enter:

1. Leave a comment below stating what your favorite summer BBQ recipe is.
2. BONUS entry: share on Facebook tagging @DashOfEvans! (leave link in comments below)

GOOD LUCK!

Th

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