Honey Barbecue Pork Spare Ribs in the Crock Pot

I love barbecue, especially in the hot summer months, but most bottled barbecue sauces list HFCS as their first ingredient and contain soybean oil, hydrolyzed soy protein, artificial flavorings, and multiple artificial colors – not the sorts of things I would ever want to put into my body, or my baby’s body via the umbilical cord. This was my first attempt at designing a homemade paleo barbecue sauce, and it was a rousing success. It was thick, rich, spicy, naturally flavorful and colorful, and had just the right amount of sweetness. It would be tasty on a whole variety of cuts of meat, prepared in a whole variety of different fashions. I happened to have some pork spare ribs sitting in the fridge on this particular day, so they got the barbecue treatment. And since I did not feel like firing up the oven on a hot summer day, I made use of my slow cooker. . . which was also nice in terms of convenience, as it let me get out of the house and get work done during the day while supper was cooking.

Barbecue Sauce:
Cooking oil of your choice
1 cup minced fresh onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cayenne
1 cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups homemade chicken broth
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey

3-4lbs pork spare ribs
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and onions in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add herbs and spices, stir, then add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring to a low boil. Salt and pepper your spare ribs and arrange in your crock pot. Pour the sauce evenly over the meat and cook on low for approximately eight hours, until the meat is tender and beginning to fall apart. I served my ribs with some roasted asparagus from the farmer’s market, which made a colorful, appealing, light accompaniment.

I am sharing this recipe at Frugal Food Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, It’s A Keeper Thursday, Frugal Friday, Foodie Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Friday Favorites, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Food Trip Friday, Friday Potluck, Feed Me, Tweet Me, Follow Me Home Friday, Monday Mania, and Hunk of Meat Monday.