Georgia's Healthiest & Tastiest Pork Ribs (C)

Have been playing with this barbecued pork rib recipe on and off for 20 years... finally perfected it last week. Goes well with a heavy red wine or a smooth, bock or amber beer. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 6 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 2-8

Ingredients

• 4  lbs  ribs
• 20  ounces catsup (get the kind that is free of high fructose corn syrup)
• 6  ounces tomato paste
• 3 1⁄2 cups water
• 1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup  amber beer
• 2  ounces  kentucky  bourbon whiskey (I am partial to maker's mark)
• 1  pint fresh blueberries (chopped)
• 1  pint  fresh apple, with the skin (chopped)
• 1⁄2 pint  chopped carrot
• 1⁄2 pint  chopped celery
• 1⁄2 pint  fresh green onion (chopped)
• 2  garlic cloves (chopped)
• 8  tablespoons brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon  red pepper
• 1⁄2 tablespoon black pepper
• 5  drops lemon juice
• 3  drops hickory liquid smoke (exactly three no more, no less)

Directions

1. 1. Place the ribs on the OUTDOOR grill, on high, for 15 to 20 minutes to brown the meat and drain some (but not all!) of the fat.
2. 2. Place everything but the ribs in a large sauce pan on low heat, the order doesn't matter.
3. 3. Let the ingredients simmer (covered) in the sauce pan for 60 minutes, stir slowly at 20 and 40 minutes.
4. 4. After 60 minutes, skim the large pieces of blueberry, apple, onion, etc from the top and place in a blender with 1/4 cup of water, and puree for 1 minute (note: after 60 minutes, most of the "chunks" will rise to the top of the sauce pan, but you should stir to ensure you capture most of the larger pieces).
5. 5. Poor the puree back into the sauce pan and continue to simmer for 1 more hour (keep the lid off to ensure proper reduction, stir very frequently).
6. 6. After reducing, place the ribs and sauce in a slow cooker on low for 4 to 6 hours (until the pork is loose on the bone), you may need to remove the lid intermittently to assist with further reducing the sauce (note: I recommend that you hold back 1/2 to 1 cup of sauce for dipping later).
7. You have two options from here --.
8. 1. Eat immediately (they are delicious now!).
9. 2. Cool everything in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the slow cooker on low for 1 hour -- this, for me at least, brings out a more nuanced flavor, but this step is unnecessary for most palettes.
10. Enjoy!