KITCHEN SINK SPARERIBS

Ribs.  Country-style pork spareribs have been probably my favorite meal since I was a kid.  I love, love, LOVE these ribs. Best of all, I find them on sale at the store.  Yup, for real.

I love these ribs so much that I rarely cook them any way but the way I've always done so, by slow roasting them in the oven with barbecue sauce and onions, and serving them with baked potatoes and corn on the cob that are smothered in butter and salt.  I love these spareribs so much that my stomach is grumbling and my mouth is watering as I type this.

A derailed morning throws off my plans for getting the ribs prepped, and I decide that it's too hot to slow roast with the weather hovering at ninety-plus degrees with high humidity.  Sure, I have air conditioners, but they're already toughing it out with the outside heat; no reason to overwork them with the inside heat, as well.  Slow roasting the ribs takes about an hour and a half, and then the kitchen will still retain the heat. Besides, I don't even have the appropriate sides today -- no baked potatoes and no corn on the cob.

Dinner is already a crap-shoot.  I decide to throw the ribs into the crock pot.

Now, I've done this before, but they don't come out the same.  They're good, but they're not THE ribs I'm expecting.  I debate putting off cooking the ribs for one more day, but I really, really, really want those ribs for dinner.  So, I decide to go nuts.

In addition to the ribs in the crock pot, I also throw in Vadalia onion, celery, garlic, seasonings, fresh basil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki marinade, Vietnamese chili garlic sauce, Italian dressing, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, pineapple juice, and, of course, barbecue sauce.  I'm making Kitchen Sink Ribs because that's about the only thing I don't put into the pot.

Hours later it's still cool inside my house (and broiling hot outside of my house).  It's too hot to bake potatoes or boil corn, anyway, so instead of running to the store to buy some, I'll opt for salad and some steak fries as sides.  I don't know what these ribs are going to taste like, but right now the kitchen smells heavenly.