# What liquid to use for slow cooking ribs?



## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

Hi all,

Have had the (beef) ribs marinating all night, time to plop them in the slowcooker.

It just occurred to me that I have no idea what liquid to cook em in. 

Ideas?


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## kitchenelf (Feb 8, 2009)

If I understand what you are asking, you don't want to cook them in any liquid in the slow cooker.  If you have a water pan I normally put apple juice in mine or you can just use water.  In this instance water sounds like the preferred liquid.


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## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

kitchenelf said:


> If I understand what you are asking, you don't want to cook them in any liquid in the slow cooker.  If you have a water pan I normally put apple juice in mine or you can just use water.  In this instance water sounds like the preferred liquid.




hahah! It actually never occurred to me that you could cook things in slowcooker without a liquid.

(this is my 2nd time using a slowcooker)


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## Callisto in NC (Feb 8, 2009)

I would just use the marinade as the liquid, that's how I do it.  I think it's personal preference.  I've never tried doing it without additional liquid, but I'd like to try and see the difference compared to how I've been doing it.


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## kitchenelf (Feb 8, 2009)

OK - you mentioned ribs and said "slow cooker" - - truthfully my mind went to "*smoker* which cooks low and slow".  My bad!!!!  I agree with using the marinade.


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## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

kitchenelf said:


> OK - you mentioned ribs and said "slow cooker" - - truthfully my mind went to "*smoker* which cooks low and slow".  My bad!!!!  I agree with using the marinade.



oooo - lol!

No worries!


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## kitchenelf (Feb 8, 2009)

You say ribs - - I think smoker!  LOL

I'd also say a beef broth, watered down, would work nicely!  What was your marinade?


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## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

kitchenelf said:


> You say ribs - - I think smoker!  LOL
> 
> I'd also say a beef broth, watered down, would work nicely!  What was your marinade?



Heh - I was afraid somebody was gonna ask me that.

I recall that it involved a lot of soy sauce, lemons, orange juice (ran out of lemons) and garlic. EDIT: Oh, and a fair bit of water too. And there was sugar involved.

It would have had ginger, had I been able to get my hands on any. 

Just a mash-up of several things I found on the web - we'll see how it goes.


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## kitchenelf (Feb 8, 2009)

Even just a little liquid will be fine as the ribs will give off some grease/liquid.  A slow cooker steams so things don't have to be completely covered.  Maybe one time in the middle of the cooking time you can rotate ribs from bottom to top.


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## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

kitchenelf said:


> Even just a little liquid will be fine as the ribs will give off some grease/liquid.  A slow cooker steams so things don't have to be completely covered.  Maybe one time in the middle of the cooking time you can rotate ribs from bottom to top.



Hmm... Maybe I should take some of the liquid *out* then. I have lots - had to make lots in order to cover them marinating. They're pretty much covered with liquid in the crockpot now.


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## kitchenelf (Feb 8, 2009)

They will be fine - don't go to the trouble.  I often cover my short ribs completely!!


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## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

kitchenelf said:


> They will be fine - don't go to the trouble.  I often cover my short ribs completely!!



Ok - should I just do the standard procedure when it's done: reduce the liquid to make a sauce, and maybe toss the ribs under the broiler for a few minutes to make em look crispy and pretty?

I assume they'll look kinda gnarly after being in liquid for 24 straight hours....

(2nd time using crockpot, and 1st time making ribs - woot!)


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## kitchenelf (Feb 8, 2009)

I sometimes find that what you cook the ribs in may be too greasy to reduce and make a sauce.  You could make up a new batch (small) and apply as you broil them to crisp them up a bit.  You could also put them in a 500 degree oven for a few minutes.  Personally, that's what I would do.  Since you have these beautiful Asian flavors going on, unless you just want to brighten those same flavors, nothing else but a bit of crisping up is needed.  

Now, if you like spicy hot you can add a bit of chili garlic paste to your sauce - - sparingly!


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## Callisto in NC (Feb 8, 2009)

It's funny you ask this today because I just did ribs yesterday. They were boneless so I covered them.  I'm going with bone in next time because, more flavor for sure.  

Sheri ~ your marinade sounds good.  I was lazy and used doctored bbq sauce and it wasn't as good.  Crossing Jack Daniels bbq off the list of go to premades.  I wasn't happy.


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## sherifffruitfly (Feb 8, 2009)

zomg - the ribs were soooo good!

I dumped in some tabasco with about 3 hours to go on em to add a little bit of zing - excellent choice! (or for the hoity toity: the spiciness of the chili sauce providided an excellent counterpoint to the sweetness of the marinade liquid)

I took them out of the cooker, leaving about 1/2 of the bones behind - lol! Then I put em in the broiler to crisp up a little bit on the outside. I ate them with buttered corn, sprinked with jalepeno bacon salt.

YUM!

Thanks for the suggestions, folks!


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## Callisto in NC (Feb 9, 2009)

Glad they came out so good.  I should try the broiler thing next time.


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## Chaplain Kent (Feb 11, 2009)

I was in China last year and remembered what I forgot about good meat, the fat. They trim no fat and favor lots of marbling over there. We had ribs cooked dry served with no sauce, just a rub, which were so tender they melted in your mouth. Thick cuts of meat we were able to cut with a fork and so easy to digest. None of us had that after beef stomach lump. At home I now have my butcher do his best with the genetically changed meat we get here to find those cuts which are ,marbled and can be cooked with no additional liquids using just the natural fats.


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