I found this recipe in the most unlikely of places. A potluck. I know, I know. We’ve all had our share of horrible potluck food that leaves you wondering if the family that brought it actually eat such horrible food on a regular basis.
But I was amazed.
• It was tender and moist.
• The flavor was amazing.
• And it was completely outside my normal realm of cooking (taste-wise).
Husband told me “get the recipe!” So I followed instructions. Though I did look slightly skeptical when she said “brown sugar, soy sauce, and jalapeño.”
Once I heard “slow cooker,”, though, I knew it was worth a try.
I made some adjustments from the original (of course). Then the search for a side-dish commenced. I tried multiple jasmine rice variations before I just developed my own. If you don’t want to use jasmine rice, it was originally served with plain white rice.
The actual recipe for the ribs was adapted from “Breakfast Monkey.” I adjusted her recipe for a few reasons.
• Using all ribs (instead of including pork loin) was a bit dry. We found the loin and rib mixture better.
• Her recipe says beef or pork ribs. We’ve only done the pork.
• I use 1/2 dark brown sugar and 1/2 light brown sugar. We found the dark brown sugar added some depth of flavor to it. But using all dark brown sugar resulted in a harsh taste!
• I shred the pork.
• I added jasmine rice (the flavor contrasts perfectly!) as well as garnish.
She credits “City Girl Chicago” for the original recipe. The original site is in a foreign language, so I can’t confirm. I found the general idea of brown sugar and soy sauce on ribs on multiple sites though, usually billed as “Korean Slow Cooker Ribs.”
The recipe for jasmine rice is my own. I tried three different recipes and was never quite satisfied. So I finally just picked three “eastern” spices and made my own! I also use my own chicken broth, but store-bought is fine. If you’re looking to make your own chicken broth, it is easy. Check out: “Stop Buying, Start Making: Homemade Vegetable & Chicken Broth“.
Easy Slow-Cooker Jalapeño Brown Sugar Ribs & Jasmine Rice
Ingredients
Jalapeño Brown Sugar Ribs
- 2 lb pork loin
- 2 lb pork ribs
- 1/2 C dark brown sugar
- 1/2 C light brown sugar
- 1 C soy sauce
- 1/2 C water
- 5 whole jalapeños
Jasmine Rice
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 C jasmine rice
- 6 C chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
Garnish (optional)
- 4 Tbsp green onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Jalapeno Brown Sugar Ribs
- In a slow cooker, place the ribs and pork loin on the bottom. Leave the fat on the ribs and loin.
- In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, and both brown sugars until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour sauce over ribs. Toss whole jalapeños into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, flipping once.
- When pork is done (at least 165° F), remove from crockpot. Shred and discard extra fat. Put shredded pork back into sauce.
Jasmine Rice
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and cardamom.
- Saute on medium to medium-high heat until butter is melted and lightly foaming, stirring in the spices.
- Add rice and stir until the rice is completely coated with the butter and spice mixture.
- Add chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until water is completely absorbed (about 15 minutes). Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serving Instructions
- Layer a generous portion of jasmine rice in a bowl. Smother with shredded pork. Spoon sauce from crockpot over both. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.
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