Flavorful Friday- Slow Cooked Pork Ribs

Flavorful Friday- Slow Cooked Pork Ribs

1 Corinthians 8:8-9

"8But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."

This quote from scripture has been with me a lot lately.  In looking at "honoring our bodies as our temples", I realize this can mean many different things to different people.  Some people may choose to avoid certain foods out of preference, some out of doctors' orders.  Some people choose to not drink, smoke, or do drugs.  Some choose yoga or strength training.  Some choose avoiding toxic products.  Some look for ways that their hands and feet can be the body of Christ in this world.  All of these are valid and worthy, none right, none wrong, none more worthy of praise or deserving of criticism than any other.  

So how can we honor our own bodies while not creating stumbling blocks for others?

As someone who has avoided certain foods for health reasons, I can tell you that I always hesitate when being invited to someone else's house for dinner, or out to a restaurant.  "Will they truly understand my needs and check all the labels and ingredients?  Will they offer things I need to say no to to protect my own health?  Will I give in to temptation and eat things that I know will cause trouble for me later?"  One of the goals of my cookbook, and these blog posts, is to help people to gain awareness and confidence in catering to those around us with special dietary needs or preferences, so as to not create these stumbling blocks.  I hope today's recipe accomplishes that goal.

Ribs and bacon, you pretty much can't go wrong with either when it comes to pleasing carnivores.  Today's edition of Flavorful Friday brings you a rare gluten free, dairy free, sugar-free and sweetener-free recipe for slow cooked pork ribs!  These are a big favorite around our house, gobbled up quickly by me, my husband, and our young son.  I've tried this with Baby Back pork ribs, Spare ribs, and Country Style ribs and it's been a hit every time!  Enjoy and let me know how it goes in your kitchen!

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

AKA Brandi Schunk

PS- Those in the Plano area, be sure to check out McKinney Oktoberfest and Murphy Maize Days festivals this weekend! 

{Sorry, no picture today... We eat them too fast to pause for a photo!}

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs Pork Ribs (Baby Back, Spare, or Country Style)

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

½ tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Cumin
¼ tsp Dry Ground Mustard

¼ tsp Ground Peppercorn Medley

Juice of 1 Lemon

Remove ribs from refrigerator and place on counter to warm while prepping.  Preheat broiler.  Mix all seasonings together in a bowl.  Place ribs, meat side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Pour seasoning mix over ribs and rub to cover entire surface of ribs.  Pour lemon juice over top of ribs.

Place ribs on baking sheet directly under broiler and cook for 5 minutes to sear meat and help hold in the juices during the long, slow cooking process.  Remove ribs from oven and turn off broiler.  Set oven temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove ribs from baking sheet and transfer them to a deep baking dish or pan.  Add ½ C water to the bottom of the pan and place lid on pan.  Cook, covered, for 3-4 hours (2-3 hours for Country Style).

Serve with a large side of broccoli or collard greens and watermelon for dessert!

Optional:

Add Cayenne to seasoning mix for a spicier version.