A Make-ahead Recipe For A Day You're Not Home

The start of the church year means I'm busy busy, with lots of organizational meetings and such. Also summer in Houston means that cooking is a stress on my AC unit...

Time for the crockpot.

Crockpot Ribs and Pintos

1 rack ribs (these were back ribs, but any cut that you can fit in your pot will work. Cook time may vary.)

Cajun seasoning of choice 

Brown sugar

1 onion, sliced rough

1 c. Bloody Mary mix (or tomato juice, or just some watered down marinara or salsa or even BBQ sauce)

Slice the onion and put it in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add the Bloody Mary mix, or whichever substitution you're using.

Sprinkle the ribs with a light dusting of the Cajun seasoning and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar.  The goal is to lightly season, not to make a thick rub.

Put the cover on the slow cooker, set to low heat, and let it all go for five or six hours. The meat will start to separate from the bone-that's a good thing.  At this point you might want to add some beans to the mix.

Now, I can make a nice mess of beans, and indeed, if I were to work from dried beans, I'd probably do the boil and drain steps above, then add them at the beginning. But yesterday I wanted to go the easy route--I put in a large (28 oz) can of Goya pintos (drained and rinsed) with a cup of water and let it cook beneath the ribs for another two hours.

This could be served immediately, or put in the fridge for dinner another day.

(I left this for the family on a night when I wouldn't be home for dinner. I got an email AND a Facebook mention for the dish.)