Picture this: you wake up on a Sunday to the smell of rain as you stretch languidly, taking your time to scroll on your phone. You notice your hip pain, your back pain, – the culmination of a hard week and you slow down. You think to yourself, “Ah well, might as well milk it.” You put Lana Del Rey on repeat as you silence the impending Monday blues over a steaming cup of pour-over coffee. Drip by drip, you wait.
You start craving Sunday roast for lunch but, as the light filters through your blinds, it illuminates the piled dishes and unmade bed and the dust motes on the DIY project you swore you would finish last month.
You hesitate on the roast idea. “Do I really do not want to spend my day off calculating juicy to crispy ratio? Really?” Nah, you absolutely do not. But you still crave slow-cooked meaty goodness. An idea appears… ribs.
Grab that heirloom dutch oven, yes, the heavy ones, and make slow-cooked barbecue ribs like a pro. This is a one-pot wonder that will deliver perfect ribs every time so you can (maybe) get back to the languishing DIY project and still deliver the falling-off-the bone meaty goodness you crave and deserve.
So, thanks to our friends at Crumble who slung us a dutch oven to test, here’s my very own one-pot ribs. Happy Sunday!
The list of ingredients looks long and intimidating, but it’s the same ingredients used in different ways.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the homemade barbecue sauce (if you’re feeling extra!):
▪ 1 1⁄4 cup tomato ketchup (see: Tomato sauce vs ketchup? link for clarity)
▪ 3⁄4 cup brown sugar
▪ 1⁄4 cup molasses
▪ 3⁄4 cup pineapple juice
▪ 1tbsp apple cider vinegar
▪ 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
▪ 1⁄4 cup water
▪ 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
▪ 1 tsp liquid smoke
▪ 3tsp smoked paprika
▪ 1 tbsp garlic powder
▪ 1 tbsp onion powder
▪ 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
▪ 1 1⁄2 tsp salt, add more to taste
▪ 1 tsp cracked black pepper, add more to taste
For the dry rub:
▪ 1 tbsp paprika
▪ 1 tbsp garlic powder
▪ 1 tbsp onion powder
▪ 2 tbsp brown sugar
▪ 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
▪ 1 tsp cracked black pepper
▪ 1 tsp salt
▪ 3 sprigs thyme, chopped finely
▪ 3 sprigs rosemary, chopped finely
▪ 3 sprigs sage, chopped finely
▪ 1 sprig oregano, chopped finely
For the ribs:
▪ 1 medium-sized brown onion, sliced into 1 cm rings ▪ 1 cup carrots, diced roughly
▪ 1 garlic bulb, cloves roughly smashed
▪ 6 dried bay leaves
▪ 1 sprig thyme
▪ 1 sprig rosemary
▪ 1 sprig oregano
▪ 1 sprig sage
▪ 2 kg beef short ribs
▪ 500 mL beef stock
▪ 300 mL water
▪ 2 cups BBQ sauce (reserve the rest)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 150°C. Combine all the ingredients for the dry rub in a bowl and mix evenly. Pat the beef ribs dry and massage evenly with the dry rub mixture.
- Mix all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce in a saucepan and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached. Set aside.
- Pour vegetable oil into the dutch oven and sear the beef ribs on high heat, turning every 2 minutes until the surface is browned evenly. Remove the ribs from heat and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium and sauté the carrots and bay leaves for 3 minutes. Add the onion rings and garlic cloves, sauté for an extra 2 minutes or until the onion turns translucent at the edges. Add the remaining herbs.
- Arrange the onion and carrots evenly on the bottom of the pan and place the ribs back on top of the vegetables. Pour the beef stock, water, and barbecue sauce on the ribs and cover with a lid and boil on high heat.
- Place the dutch oven into the preheated oven and bake for 2 1⁄2 to 3 hours or until tender and the meat is falling off the bones.
- Remove the ribs once cooked and strain the sauce. Add the remaining barbecue sauce and simmer on medium heat to thicken. Drizzle generously over the ribs and serve with your favourite sides.
Note:
A dutch oven is your best friend when it comes to long, slow cooking as its thick, heavy stature helps with heat retention and even distribution. Its versatility allows you to use it from stove to oven, minimising extra dishes (yes please!). Crumble dutch ovens come in to-die-for colours including the Pink Sand we used.
Check out their range and 30-day free home trial and free express delivery at Crumble Cookware.