Smoky Slow Cooker Ribs #KingOfFlavor

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The countdown to the football season is almost over! As a Philadelphian, I am very much in Eagles territory, where Sunday (and Monday night) schedules revolve around the birds. A huge part of watching the game (at least for me) is obviously the food!

 

One of my favorite game day foods is a rack of ribs. I don’t have a grill, so my go-to method to get fall-off-the-bone ribs is to use my slow cooker.

The best ribs have a little bit of heat to them, don’t you think? This recipe brings both some heat and smokiness with the use of two El Yucateco hot sauces: Red Habanero Hot Sauce and Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce.

I actually picked up three of El Yucateco’s hot sauces at Walmart (you can never have too much hot sauce on hand!) I found them in the Hispanic Food Section.

El Yucateco Red Habanero Hot Sauce is a combination of red habanero peppers, tomato, spices and seasonings. What sets El Yucateco apart from other hot sauces is that it has less vinegar, so the flavor (and kick!) of the pepper comes through more. The red habanero sauce is a great pantry hot sauce and is a great addition to everything from a Bloody Mary to wings. The tomato flavor in the red habanero hot sauce also makes it a great addition to a barbecue sauce!

El Yucateco’s Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce is made from fire roasted habaneros and has an awesome smoky flavor without being overpowering. This hot sauce works great with red meat, chili, and even chocolate! The Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce adds the smoky flavor of barbecued ribs to my slow cooker version!

El Yucateco also has a Green Habanero Hot Sauce, which  is a combination of green habanero peppers, garlic, spices and seasonings. This hot sauce is perfect with lighter foods — chicken, seafood, veggies, etc.

I’ve included two methods of cooking these ribs, based on if you’re watching a day or night game. I’m not going to lie, the results are best when you can cook the ribs at a lower temperature for a longer time, but are really delicious both ways!

 

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs baby back ribs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons El Yucateco Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoon El Yucateco Red Habanero Hot Sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Pat dry your ribs with a paper towel. Combine the salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl.

Sprinkle the ribs with the mixture and add to a cookie sheet.

Preheat your oven to broil. When preheated, add the ribs and broil for 10-15 minutes, or until they begin to brown.

While waiting for the ribs to broil, add the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, Black Label Reserve and Red Habanero Hot Sauces, garlic cloves, tomato paste, and cocoa powder to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.

When the ribs are finished, remove from the oven and add to your slow cooker. If your ribs don’t fit, cut them in half so they easily fit in the slow cooker. Pour the hot sauce over the ribs, being sure to really coat all of the ribs in the sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (for a later game) or on high for 4 hours (for an earlier game).

When finished cooking, remove the ribs from the slow cooker. Add the leftover barbecue sauce from the slow cooker to a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add to a bowl and pour over ribs, if desired.

I like to serve ribs with cornbread for game time food, or over mashed potatoes with extra barbecue sauce for a dinner.

The ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce brings a touch of heat and smokiness, a great combination!

These ribs were a hit! The barbecue sauce was SO tasty!

How do you plan to bring on the flavor for football season?