Baby back ribs were on sale at The Fresh Market, so I made a special trip just to pick some up and poke around for a meal inspiration. I found fresh collards so I grabbed a big bunch. I guess the inspiration for this meal was ribs on sale and apple cider vinegar (it is in the bbq sauce, the collards and the slaw). Yes, as a Southerner, ribs should be smoked, but I don’t have a smoker and slow cooked in the oven and finished under the broiler works out pretty good.

Obviously cooking the ribs in the oven and the collards in the slow-cooker saves some effort. I also decided not to make my own dry rub or bbq sauce. I used some “local” versions. For the dry rub I used Charleston Pig Company’s Seasoning Rub from Charleston, SC. For the sauce I used Bone Suckin’ Sauce from Raleigh, NC. I’d never used either and was pleasantly surprised.

My wife and I ate on this twice but even that rendered leftover ribs. With those leftovers, I pulled the meat off the bone and froze it. A month or so later I thawed the meat, chopped it up, added it to a jar of pasta sauce and made a bolognese out of it, just like I did with the leftover short rib. That was fantastic and we also ate on the pasta twice. So, we for sure got our money out of those on sale ribs.

Ingredients

Baby Back Ribs

• 2 rack, baby back ribs
• Dry rub – Charleston Pig Company Seasoning Rub
• BBQ sauce – Bone Suckin’ Sauce

Slow-cooker Collards

• 1 large bunch, collards, stems removed and chopped
• 4 strips, apple wood smoked bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp, brown sugar
• 3 tbsp, apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp, crushed red pepper
• 2-4 cups chicken broth

Apple Cider Vinegar Slaw

• 1 bag broccoli slaw mix
• 2 cups, shredded carrot
• 1 small head, radicchio, sliced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Cornbread

• Jiffy cornbread mix
• 2 eggs
• Milk
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Six hours before dinner: Add all the ingredients for the collards to the crock pot and cook on low for 6+ hours or high for 3+.
2. Two and a half hours before dinner: Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Add the dry rub to the ribs, place on sheet pans and cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 2 hours until tender. Remove from the oven and remove the foil. Allow to cool a bit. Just before serving, turn the oven broiler on, top the ribs with barbecue sauce and broil until the sauce starts to caramelized.
3. In a mixing bowl, add honey, mustard, vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined. Add slaw mix, carrots, radicchio and onion. Toss to combine. Place in the refrigerator.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F) and grease muffin pan. In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk and canola. Fold in the Jiffy mix and season with salt and pepper. Don’t over mix. Add the mixture to the muffin pan and allow to sit for a least 3 minutes. Add the pan to the oven and cook until the top is slightly browned, about 20 minutes.