Joy of the Crock-Pot... Pork ribs go in; 10 hours later, dinner comes out!

This meal combines two of my major loves:

1. Pork

2. Being lazy

I basically adore my crock pot.  The concept of being at work and knowing that there is something meaty and delicious waiting for me to eat as soon as I get home is one of the best things ever.  I also really enjoy slow cooked meat in general.  It's comforting, especially on a cold day (p.s., it's the middle of April and there is an inch of snow on the ground.  WTH, weather?!), and it's usually cheap.  Which is important because the cost of GM/GE grocery store meat is outrageous, much less the cost of meat from real animals.

This is also fast enough to prepare that I can do it in the morning before going to work.  Which, considering how much I like to sleep in, means it's REALLY fast.  I also served a green leaf salad with ranch dressing - my first home made ranch dressing.  It was so good; I will never buy store made ranch again!

100% local, except for the spices, wine, and olive oil:

Crock Pot Apple Cider Ribs

• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp paprika (I prefer smoked over sweet, but it's up to you and how spicy you want these to be)
• 2 tbsp mild or medium chili powder
• 1 tbsp cayenne
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Two racks ribs, cut into half racks
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 inch chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup white wine
• olive oil

Combine  first 7 ingredients and rub onto ribs.  You could do this the night before to save even more time in the morning.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan.  Sear ribs on both sides in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan.  I tend to do them one at a time.  As the ribs are browned, layer them on the bottom of the crock pot.

Quickly saute onions, carrots, and garlic in the same pan, seasoning with any leftover rib rub.  Pour on top of ribs in crock pot.

Add apple cider and wine to deglaze pan.  Pour over the contents of the crock pot.

Cook on low for 10 hours.

Eat.

Nap.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp chopped fresh chives (from my garden!)
• 1/4 tsp dry dill (or 1 tsp fresh)

In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk and mayonnaise.  Add remaining ingredients, adjusting for taste.

This makes about 1 1/2 cups, and only lasts for a week.  Next time I will only make half.  Also, next time I will make my own mayo so this can be a little bit more local.  But I'm going to use up what I have first.