Nov 15-16 Slow Cooker Asian Ribs

Nov 15     the Buffet at the Niagara Casino - it was what one would expect it to be
Nov 16    Slow Cooker Asian Ribs

We spent day two of nokidapalooza grocery shopping in Buffalo, New York and then dining on buffet fare at the Niagara Casino. We are both HUGE fans of Wegman's and your cheap American cheeses and sody pop (Shack is addicted to cherry coke zero which means that we need to do regular runs to Buffalo to fill the truck to the rafters with it).
Wednesday was the day that Little Shack was coming home so I wanted to make something that he would really like. I wanted to do ribs, I needed to be out much of the day and I wanted to use asian flavours so I began my internet hunt. Lots of bloggers swear that they get fabulous results with ribs in a slow cooker so I decided to give it a try. I found a recipe on Mmmisformommy that was pretty close to what I wanted, flavour wise, so I used that and tweaked it a bit. She is a fellow Canadian food blogger who is one of the six (along with myself) who is being featured in the holiday issue of Eat In Eat Out magazine and I swear to god that I found her recipe through tastespotting before I realized who she was.
These ribs were pretty awesome. They were falling off the bone, sticky and sweet - the only thing I would do differently is to perhaps add some chili flake or something to give it a little kick but it was certainly packed with flavour and I can't wait until I can make these again in the new year.

Sticky Slow Cooker Asian Ribs
serves 3-4
adapted from a recipe on mmmisformommy

4 lbs pork side ribs
Paste:
3 tbls dark brown sugar
2 tbls chu hou paste 
2 tsp grated ginger or ginger paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil

bbq sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mirin
3/4 cup water3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbls ginger paste
2 tbls soy sauce
1 tbls ketchup
1 tbls smoky bbq sauce like Bulleye (I used my Wegman's Kansas style of course)
1 tbls cornstarch

If your ribs are in long racks, cut the into serving sized sections. Make the paste and coat the top sides of the ribs with it and let them sit for about an hour or more.

Get your slow cooker out - if you don't have one I can only ask why not? I fought the slow cooker for years and years and once I used it, I was sold. It's a really useful kitchen tool, especially for busy people.
Anyway, stand your ribs up, meaty side against the walls of the crock pot, like this:

Put all of the sauce ingredients, except for the cornstarch, in a pot and bring to a boil. When it's boiling, add the cornstarch and let it boil for another 30 seconds to a minute. Pour that sauce over the ribs, cover and cook them on low for at least 6 hours and up to about 8 hrs.

At that point, remove them very carefully and lay them out on a rack place on a foil lined baking sheet and tent with more foil. Strain all the liquid left in the slow cooker into a pot and let it sit for a few minutes so you can skim off most of the fat. Bring it to a boil and let reduce for about 15 minutes or until it's halved in volume.
Preheat the broiler and brush the ribs with the reduced sauce and broil them for about 10 minutes. Don't put them too close to the broiler or they will burn and keep an eye on them.