slow cookin' ribs

I bought Mike a slow cooker for his birthday (read: I was dying for one and lack the gadget space in my kitchen. He has whole cabinets with nothing in them.)  I finally made use of it this past weekend and what better thing to make than his favorite--BBQ pork ribs, cooked low and slow. The BBQ sauce + pork is an obsession that runs deep, and I'm pretty sure if I was unable to prepare/eat pork or enjoy BBQ sauce, our relationship wouldn't last...kidding (I think.)

We talked about these ribs all day Saturday so by Sunday when I was cooking, my mouth was practically watering at the sight. We put them in the slow cooker, left the house for a few hours, and came back to the best air freshener I have ever smelled.

Accompaniments: corn on the cob, slathered in butter, mashed sweet potatoes and beer bread I had picked up for him in Arizona--just mix the package with 12 oz. of your fave beer. So easy!

I adapted my recipe from pinterest, but pretty much made it my own..feeds 2 with a little extra for leftovers..

preheat the oven to 350

ribs
1 rack of pork ribs (I cut the rack into 3 to easily fit into the crockpot)
rub-either homemade (recipe below) or store bought

rub (this can be customized to your tastes--I just threw a bunch of spices together..)
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp garlic & herb seasoning
2 tsp spicy bbq seasoning

mix all spices together and rub generously on both sides of the ribs
place them on a foil lined pan and into the oven for 30 mins per side
while the ribs are going, you can put your sauce together

sauce (again, use what you have and what you like. the best part of this recipe is that it is entirely customizable.)
3 cups BBQ sauce (I mixed trader Joes Kansas City BBQ sauce, which is a little sweeter, with their original BBQ sauce, which is a bit spicier)
1.5 cups ketchup
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar (I like a sweeter sauce and made the rub extra spicy to counter-balance the sweetness)
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp seasoning salt
2 tsp freshly ground pepper

mix all ingredients together and set aside
once the ribs are done cooking on both sides, put a bit of the sauce at the bottom of the crockpot, then layer ribs and sauce until done
cook on low for 4 hours, and high for another hour
they come out almost falling off the bone and so delicious

mashed sweet potatoes 
3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed, skins left on and diced
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp butter
salt and pepper for seasoning

boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender and practically mush with a fork
drain, and place back into the pot, and mix in butter, cream, s & p until at the consistency you prefer (you can use a blender or a hand masher.)

finished plate!