We had a friend over for dinner which is great on Saturdays when I have all day to cook but during the work week it always requires a crock pot recipe.  I saw some great country style pork ribs at the store which are HUGE and don’t have a lot of bone on them.  (10 ribs = 5 pounds)  I left these guys in the crock pot for 12 hours and the result was ribs so tender they were almost impossible to get out of the crock pot in one piece.  

For the celeriac (or celery root) slaw that cooks underneath the ribs, look for celeriac at Whole Foods or any other high end market in the produce aisle.  It has a much more complex celery flavor.  Just peel it like a potato and the rest is what you’ll cook.  If you can’t find celeriac, just chop up celery.

Country Jerk Pork Ribs

1 bulb of celeriac, peeled (or about 2 cups of minced celery)

1 white onion

For every 2 1/2 pounds of pork ribs:

3 Tablespoons dry mustard (you can find this on the spice aisle)

1 1/2 Tablespoons jerk spices (again, found on the spice aisle)

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1/2 cup chicken or beef stock

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

1. Use a grater attachment on a food processor, or using a cheese grater, grate the celery root.  You should end up with about a cup and a half.  

2.  Grate or chop the onion into small pieces and mix with the celery root.

3.  Put this mixture in the crock pot.

4.  On a dinner plate, mix the spices.

5.  Pat the pork ribs dry with a paper towel and coat them each in the spices.

6.  Get a saute pan hot over med/high heat.  Once it’s hot, add the coconut oil and let it get hot.  

7.  Sear each side of the pork ribs in the coconut oil for about a minute on each side.  Do this in several batches, making sure not to crowd the pan too much.

8.  Put the pork ribs in the crock pot.  I like to layer mine criss-cross so that they all fit. There’s no rule here.  Add the stock and put the lid on.

9.  Cook on low for at least 8 hours or on high for 4-6.

For the sides, I made my bacon fat roasted brussel sprouts and baked sweet potatoes with grass fed butter, toasted walnuts, golden raisins and fresh chives at toppings for the sweet potatoes.  It’s a mini build-your-own-sweet potato bar so everyone can make what they want.  The original recipe for the brussel sprouts was posted last winter, but here it is again:

1. Rinse brussel sprouts and cut the bottoms off.

2. If the brussel sprouts are large (larger than a quarter) cut them in half.

3. In a bowl, toss the brussel sprouts with about 3-4 tablespoons of bacon fat.

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until tender.