Crock Pot Spare Ribs

We have the nicest new neighbors - newly weds - a Baylor/A&M mix, aka BAM :-)

We are having Craig over for dinner. Ginger is traveling and we are afraid that Craig will starve! This is what I put in before coming to work. The rest of the menu is below.

Crock Pot Spareribs
1 rack spare ribs
¾ cup prepared yellow mustard
⅓ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ cup catsup
Place the ribs on the rack over a broiler pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 20 minutes or less if the sauce begins to thicken. The balsamic vinegar will seem overpowering - this will cook out in the crock pot.

Transfer the ribs to the crock pot, cutting apart if necessary to fit. Pour sauce over all. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Notes:
This is so good. By cooking the ribs in the oven first they cook up with little grease compared to other recipes I have tried.

With this I did green beans: Opened two cans, drained one. Put the beans in a serving bowl. Put the liquid in a small sauce pan and added one grated garlic clove, 2 tablespoons butter, and a squirt of prepared mustard. Cooked that down a little, then poured over the beans. Covered with foil. These will go in the oven at 5:00 with the:

Carrots: Sliced up about a pound of fresh carrots. Put them in an oven proof dish. Mixed about 2 tablespoons butter (melted), 3 shakes of Mrs. Dash lemon pepper seasoning, and a dash of Italian seasoning and 2 dashes of parley. Spooned that over the carrots, covered with foil, and it will go in the oven with the beans. Yum.