To Die For BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Baked Beans and Coleslaw - Yummy Nummy!

One of David's absolute favorite meals is ribs with baked beans and coleslaw. He grew up in southern Texas, so I can say without hesitation that he is a "barbecue snob." Fortunately for me, I found a barbecue meal that he LOVES!
Because ribs are SO expensive, especially baby backs, I only make them when they go on sale, which is usually right after Memorial Day around here. This meal also takes quite a bit of time to make - even if it happens to be hands off time - so this is a special meal for a weekend or day when my husband is off work. Actually, many times I make this for him for Fathers Day. I cannot take credit for the rib recipe, even though I have been making it forever. These are hands down the BEST ribs I have ever eaten, and many of my friends have said the same thing. It is Dave Lieberman's Baby Back recipe, but I do make a few adjustments:

• I double the bourbon barbecue sauce recipe and use half of the sauce to marinate the ribs overnight. (I use my Foodsaver to help lock in the flavor, but you can use a regular old Ziplock bag).

• I cook the meat in the oven for 2 hours.
• I brush ALL of the sauce on the ribs while grilling, turning them frequently (after you bake the ribs in the oven you grill them on an outdoor grill for about 20 minutes). We like saucy ribs.

Try making these and you will never eat any other ribs ever again, I guarantee you!

I serve these ribs with my yummy baked beans. This recipe I can take credit for, it took lots of experimenting, but I came up with a recipe that David likes better than that of his favorite BBQ joint in Texas! Even though they take a long time to make, it is mostly a hands off recipe, because they are made in the slow cooker! Gotta love that!

Yummy Slow Cooker Baked Beans

• 1 package (16 oz) dry navy beans
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup pureed sweet potato
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 1-4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1/8 cup honey

The night before, in a large bowl, combine the water and the navy beans and allow them to soak overnight or at least 8 hours.

The next day or after 8 hours, place the beans (and any leftover water) in the slow cooker along with the onions and the bacon. In a medium sized bowl whisk the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the beans. Add one cup of the chicken broth. Reserve the rest of the chicken broth in case you need it- you will know if the liquid is absorbed and the beans are not fully cooked, then you will need to add the rest of the broth one cup at a time.

Set the slow cooker on high for 8-10 hours. In this recipe, it is ok to OCCASIONALLY lift the lid to check to see if the beans are getting soft, and add more water if needed. The beans are done when they are soft and syrupy. You can make these ahead of time, put them in the refrigerator, cover them with foil and bake them for 20 minutes at 350 or until heated through.

For the coleslaw I cheated and bought a coleslaw mix. Dole actually has a really nice coleslaw mix that is not laden with ingredients off my yucky no no list.

Here is the perfect summer meal. Mmmm...you know you want to eat that!

One quick announcement before I sign off. Next week we start going to the CSA for this year. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. We bought a share in Abbe Hills Farm in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Next Wednesday I will be going to the farm to interview the owner, so expect a video blog sometime around Thursday or Friday of next week! Also, you can expect more cooking demonstrations next week because my aunt is coming to visit me and she is bringing me a brand new camera that is HD! Way cool! I am going to be scheduling another web class probably in the next month. So be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks because there will be a lot of great stuff happening.

Well, that is all for now! Enjoy and until next time, happy and healthy cooking and EATING!