300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (32 page)

1/3 cup (80 ml) liquid smoke flavoring

3 pounds (1.4 kg) pork shoulder

Sauces, such as
Eastern Carolina Vinegar Sauce
(see recipe
page 336
),
Dana's “Kansas City” Barbecue Sauce
(see recipe
page 335
), and
Piedmont Mustard Sauce
(see recipe
page 336
)

Slurp up a syringe-full of the liquid smoke flavoring and inject it into a dozen sites all over the pork shoulder. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place the pork in your slow cooker and pour another tablespoon or two (15 to 28 ml) of liquid smoke over it. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 hours.

When the time's up, remove the pork from the slow cooker and pull out the bone, which will be very easy to do at this point. Discard the bone, along with any surface fat. Use two forks to pull the meat into shreds. Toss it with one of the sauces.

You can serve
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
in one of a few ways: You can wrap it in low-carb tortillas, serve it on low-carb buns, or my favorite, serve it on a bed of coleslaw.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 405 calories, 31 g fat, 29 g protein, trace carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 0 g usable carbs.

Hot Asian Ribs

This is full-bodied Chinese flavor. If your family loves Chinese spareribs, you have to make this!

3 1/2 pounds (1.6 kg) country-style pork ribs

4 scallions, sliced

1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce

1/3 cup (8 g) Splenda

1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

2 tablespoons (28 ml) white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 teaspoons (30 g)
Hoisin Sauce
(see recipe
page 337
)

Put the ribs in your slow cooker.

In a bowl, mix together the scallions, soy sauce, Splenda, molasses, vinegar, sesame oil, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic, ginger, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and
Hoisin Sauce
. Pour the sauce over the ribs. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 to 9 hours.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 469 calories, 35 g fat, 32 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Chili-Apricot Glazed Ribs

As you'll probably notice, ribs are one of my favorite things to do in the slow cooker. That's partly because ribs are one of my favorite things, partly because they take really well to slow cooking, partly because they're often cheap, and partly because you can do so many great things with them. These are both spicy and fruity.

4 pounds (1.8 kg) pork spareribs

1 tablespoon (9 g) garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika

1 tablespoon (15 g) erythritolor other sugar-free sweetener to equal 1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar

2 teaspoons salt or Vege-Sal

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon (9 g) dry mustard

1/3 cup (107 g) low-sugar apricot preserves

1/4 cup (60 ml) cider vinegar

2 tablespoons (28 ml) water

15 drops apricot nectar stevia drops

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon (11 g) brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

Cut your ribs into sections that fit in your slow cooker.

Mix together everything from the garlic powder through the dry mustard and sprinkle the ribs liberally all over with this mixture. If you have any left over, save it to season the ribs at the table later on. Throw your rub coated ribs in the slow cooker and set it on low. Let them cook for a good 6 to 7 hours.

When dinnertime rolls around, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small, nonreactive sauce pan and whisk them over low heat until you have a syrupy sauce.

Fish the ribs out of the slow cooker and lay them meaty side up on your broiler rack—you may have to do them in a couple of batches. Coat them with the sauce, run them under a high broiler just for five minutes or so, and then serve.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 573 calories, 45 g fat, 33 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 7 g usable carbs.

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs Adobado

This is my favorite seasoning mixture for cooking ribs in the oven, so I thought it would be good in the slow cooker, too. It is!

3 pounds (1.4 kg) pork spareribs

2 to 3 tablespoons (28 to 45 ml) olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cut your slab of ribs into sections that will fit in your slow cooker, stacked. Rub them with the oil, lay them on your broiler rack, and slide them under the broiler, about 4 inches (10 cm) from the heat. You're just browning them a little on both sides.

In the meantime, mix together everything else in a small dish.

When the ribs are brown, sprinkle them liberally all over with the rub. Stack them up in the slow cooker, slap on the lid, set it to low, and forget about them for 6 to 7 hours. That's it! Cut them into individual ribs and serve with plenty of napkins.

Yield:
4 to 5 servings; Assuming 5, each will have: 565 calories, 48 g fat, 29 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 1 g usable carbs.

Satay-Flavored Pork

I totally cribbed this combination of seasonings from a recipe for pork satay. It's exotic and great; if you like curry, you'll like this.

3 pounds (1.4 kg) pork country-style ribs

2 tablespoons (28 g) coconut oil

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

1/4 teaspoon molasses

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon (16 g) chili garlic paste

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 can (13 1/2 ounces, or 380 ml) coconut milk, unsweetened

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

In your big, heavy skillet, start the ribs browning a bit in the coconut oil.

While that's happening, mix together everything else, stirring it up well.

Transfer the browned ribs to the slow cooker and pour the sauce over them. Turn them over once or twice, using tongs, to coat well. Cover the pot, set to low, and let it go 6 to 7 hours.

You'll find your ribs have turned a lovely golden color. Serve with the sauce spooned over them.
Cauli-Rice
(see recipe
page 343
) would be nice with this to soak up the extra sauce.

Yield:
6 to 8 servings; Assuming 6, each will have: 478 calories, 33 g fat, 41 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 2 g usable carbs.

Key West Ribs

Citrusy barbecue sauce gives this a Florida kind of taste!

3 pounds (1.4 kg) country-style pork ribs

1/4 cup (40 g) finely chopped onion

1/4 cup (65 g) low-carb barbecue sauce (recipe from
page 343
or purchased)

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (28 ml) white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon juice

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons (2 g) Splenda

1/8 teaspoon orange extract

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

In a big, heavy skillet, brown the ribs over medium-high heat. Transfer them to your slow cooker.

In a bowl, mix together the onion, barbecue sauce, orange peel, lemon rind, salt, vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, Splenda, orange extract, and oil. Pour the mixture over the ribs. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 7 to 9 hours.

Serve the ribs together with the sauce.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 421 calories, 33 g fat, 26 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Maple-Spice Country-Style Ribs