LAURANAV Hello. Let's cook.

There are a lot of food and cooking blogs out there, and I’d like to think that LAURANAV represents what actually happens in someone’s kitchen. As we go along, you’ll see the shortcuts that I use—and I welcome hearing about yours. Tonight’s dinner is a perfect example. After all, I’m a just regular person. Someone who goes to the grocery store to buy a somewhat ethically-produced whole chicken (read Meet LAURANAV for a bit more info on this) and can’t find one. Someone who doesn’t have the wherewithal to turn on the oven when the heat index is over 100 degrees.

Since there wasn’t a whole chicken to my liking, I picked up some Greenwise beef ribs. I have never in my life cooked ribs—they were too ribcage-like for me as a kid—so what compelled me? Well, two bucks a pound didn’t hurt. But I figured I couldn’t screw them up too badly, because I have a secret barbecue-beef-in-the-slow-cooker weapon: Dreamland Barbecue sauce.

If you don’t live in the South, you may not know about Dreamland. It was a little hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that got famous for its ribs and sauce. Now, it has franchises and offers more than just ribs and white bread, and thankfully, they sell their sauce (they even ship it!). It’s spicy and tangy, and surprisingly runny. The following recipe is barely a recipe, but I have to stress the importance of quality barbecue sauce. I may be opening up a can of worms on this one (barbecue wars are more intense than some of the sauces), but I can’t help it. These aren’t pick-up-and-eat ribs—they will fall apart, and are great on some fresh white bread with another spoonful of sauce. Remember your napkins!

Lazy Dreamland Beef Ribs
Serves however many you want

Some beef ribs (pork ribs would work, too)
Really good barbecue sauce (recommended: Dreamland)
An onion and/or peppers, sliced into large pieces

If you’re feeling ambitious, sear the ribs in a little bit of vegetable oil (about 2-3 minutes per side). Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker; I recommend adding some water or beer (half a cup or so) to stretch out the sauce. Be sure that the sauce coats the bottom of the slow cooker as well as the meat. Set it on HIGH for 6 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Serve with more of the barbecue sauce. Throw some veggies on the plate for good measure.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 9:06 am and is filed under Beef, Main dishes, Recipes. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.