Apple of my porkie eye! Sweet apple and soy pork ribs

Apple and soy pork ribs

From one extreme to another. Last week a vegetarian's delight was a carnivore's nightmare. So this week I hop to the other end of the scale and make some of those veggie-lovers a bit agitated. Well, a lot. Ribs ribs ribs, London is full of great spots to eat, Pitt Cue in my opinion leading the charge with their mega-saurus 'Flintstones' style ribs - enough to scare away any animal lover away. Sweet, American style ribs aren't the only thing on my mind. Asians love ribs - it's a common dim sum treat, in small bite size wonders, as well as the original cut for sweet and sour (or at least Grandma Lo's style). Pork rib, beef rib, short ribs my my. I actually had some ribs from my visit to the butcher in attempt to make a brulee pork belly confit from one of my favourite blogs 'Lady and Pups' which I highly recommend. A true Asian at heart, I couldn't let the ribs go to waste so looked in my cupboard and fridge to see what I could rustle up for a blog post.

My boyfriend got a slow cooker for Christmas from his parents, which deep down he knows is more of an extra present for me given I take over everything in the kitchen. Craving for Pitt Cue without the queue, we've made some awesome pulled pork burgers - but now its time for these ribs. Apple sweet with chilli sauce draped over melt in your mouth ribs is perfect with simple jasmine rice. I love the simplicity of the slow cooker- chuck it in, switch it on and leave it for a few hours. Coming home to the smell of this is insanely welcoming - and the thought of the meat falling off the bone with a simple nudge of a spoon is slightly...erotic? (Worrying?) 

It has the make ahead ease factor if you're planning a dinner party after work, pop this on the cooker before you leave work and you're good to go. 

Ingredients

1kg pork breast ribs
1 bramley apple, cut and thinly sliced

6 tablespoons of soy sauce

8 tablespoons of apple juice

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

4 minced or grated garlic cloves

1 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of chilli sauce / 1 tbs drief chilli flakes

2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of palm sugar (If you don't have this, use brown sugar)

1 tablespoon of cornflour

Make the sauce - mix the soy sauce, 6 of the 8 tablespoons of apple juice, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, chilli, honey and sugar into a bowl. Lay the apples in your slow cooker with a little bit of oil on the bottom and place the ribs in. Pour the sauce over the meat and set for 3-4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Once the ribs are done, carefully remove from the slow-cooker (the meat will fall off very easily so be gentle) and place on a baking tray. With the sauce left in the pot, remove the apples and pour the liquid in a saucepan. In a cup, mix the cornflour with the remaining apple juice and add to the saucepan. Heat up and continue stirring on a medium-high heat until the sauce is thickened (about 5 minutes).

Spread the sauce on the ribs and place under a hot grill until the sauce is bubbling. Serve immediately with rice and greens. If there is any leftover sauce bring it to the table for extra dipping!

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