300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (35 page)

This recipe is a little hot, a little sweet, a little Southwestern, and a little Asian—but all tasty.

6 pounds (2.7 kg) pork spareribs, cut in pieces so they fit in your slow cooker

6 tablespoons (120 g) low-sugar apricot preserves

1/3 cup (80 ml) lemon juice

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

2 tablespoons (16 g) chili powder

2 teaspoons five-spice powder

1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce

1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken broth

Put the ribs on a broiler rack and broil them about 6 inches (15 cm) from high heat for about 7 to 8 minutes per side or until browned. Transfer the ribs to your slow cooker.

In a bowl, mix together the preserves, lemon juice, Splenda, chili powder, five-spice powder, soy sauce, and broth. Pour the mixture over the ribs. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 to 7 hours.

When the time's up, remove the ribs to a platter. Pour off the liquid in the pot into a deep, clear container and let the fat rise to the top. Skim off the fat. Now pour the liquid into a saucepan. Boil it hard until it's reduced by at least half and starting to thicken. Serve the sauce with the ribs.

Yield:
8 servings, each with: 636 calories, 50 g fat, 37 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 6 g usable carbs.

Rosemary-Ginger Ribs with Apricot Glaze

This recipe originally appeared in
15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes
. Feel free to use a full-size slab of ribs—about 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) worth—and double the seasonings if you're feeding a family.

1 slab baby back ribs, about 2 1/2 pounds (about 1 kg)

Rosemary-ginger rub (I use a brand called Stubb's.)

2 tablespoons (40 g) low-sugar apricot preserves

1 1/2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

1 teaspoon Splenda

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

Sprinkle both sides of the ribs generously with the rosemary-ginger rub. Curl the slab of ribs around and fit it down into your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 9 to 10 hours. (No, I didn't forget anything. You don't put any liquid in the slow cooker. Don't sweat it.)

When the time's up, mix together the preserves, mustard, Splenda, and soy sauce. Carefully remove the ribs from the slow cooker. (They may fall apart on you a bit because they'll be so tender.) Arrange the ribs meaty-side-up on a broiler rack. Spread the apricot glaze evenly over the ribs and run them under a broiler set on high, 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters) from the heat, for 7 to 8 minutes.

Yield:
3 servings, each with: 689 calories, 56 g fat, 40 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 4 g usable carbs.

Slow Cooker “Barbecued” Ribs

Okay, it's not really barbecue because it's not done over a fire. But this recipe tastes great and lets you dig into your ribs within minutes of walking in the door.

2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) pork spare ribs

2 tablespons (12 g)
Classic Rub
(see recipe
page 338
) or purchased dry rub

1/3 cup (85 g)
Dana's “Kansas City” Barbecue Sauce
(see recipe
page 335
) or purchased low-carb barbecue sauce

Sprinkle the slab of ribs liberally on both sides with the dry rub, coil the ribs up, and slide them into your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 9 to 10 hours.

When the time's up, pull the ribs out of the slow cooker. (Do this carefully because they'll be falling-apart tender.) Lay the ribs on a broiler rack, meaty-side-up, and spread the barbecue sauce over them. Broil 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters) from the broiler set on high for 7 to 8 minutes.

Yield:
3 servings, each with: 688 calories, 56 g fat, 40 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs. (Your carb count will be a bit different depending on whether you use homemade sugar-free barbecue sauce or commercial low-carb sauce.)

Unless you grew up on soul food, you may never have tried pork neckbones. They're another one of those cuts that are perfect for the slow cooker. They're bony and tough and cheap. My grocery store has them for 59 cents a pound week in and week out. Yet cooked with slow moist heat, they're incredibly flavorful, and because the meat falls right off the bone, who cares that they're bony?

I did have one teeny problem with pork neckbones: I simply could not find any nutritional statistics for them, and I even wrote to a big pork producer! However, you can count on them being carb-free, so these carb counts are accurate. It's the protein and calorie counts that I couldn't get, so that's why they're missing in these neckbone recipes.

Stewed Pork Neckbones with Turnips and Cabbage

This one-pot meal is not a beautiful dish to look at, but boy, does it taste good! Plenty of Tabasco is essential.

3 turnips, diced

3 pounds (1.4 kg) meaty pork neckbones

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt or Vege-Sal

3 cups (700 ml) water

1/2 head cabbage, cut in wedges

Tabasco sauce

Put the turnips in the bottom of your slow cooker. Put the neckbones on top of them. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and salt or Vege-Sal over it and then pour the water over that. Now arrange the cabbage wedges on top of that. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 7 to 8 hours.

Scoop everything out onto a platter together with a slotted spoon and dose it well with Tabasco sauce before serving.

Yield:
4 servings, each with: 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 4 g usable carbs.

Neckbones and “Rice”

I adapted this recipe from one on a soul food website. I have no experience with genuine soul food, so I can't tell you how close this comes, but it's great in its own right.

2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) meaty pork neckbones

1/2 cup (120 ml) oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tablespoon (9 g) garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups (475 ml) chicken broth

1/2 head cauliflower

Guar or xanthan

In a big, heavy skillet, brown the pork neckbones in the oil over medium-high heat, in batches. Transfer the neckbones to your slow cooker.

Add the onion and sprinkle the garlic powder, salt or Vege-Sal, and pepper over the whole thing. Pour in the broth and give the whole thing a stir. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 to 7 hours.

When the time's up, run the cauliflower through the shredding blade of a food processor. Put the resulting
Cauli-Rice
in a microwaveable casserole dish with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons of water (28 ml), cover, and microwave on high for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the neckbones to a platter. Thicken the liquid a little with guar or xanthan. Serve the neckbones, onions, and gravy over the Cauli-Rice.

Yield:
3 servings, each with: 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 6 g usable carbs.

Italian Neck Bones

Pork neck bones are so wonderfully succulent and flavorful. Traditionally poor people's food, they're better than most of the expensive cuts. These are particularly sumptuous.

4 pounds (1.8 kg) pork neck bones

1 large onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil, or as needed

1 can (14 1/2 ounces, or 410 g) diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons (28 ml) balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup (60 ml) dry red wine

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

1 tablespoon (6 g) Italian seasoning

Lay your neck bones on your broiler rack and slide them under a high broiler, 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) from the heat, to brown a bit—maybe 5 minutes per side.

In the meantime, chop your onion—what the heck? In your big, heavy skillet, start the onions and garlic sautéing in all that nice olive oil.

Use tongs to transfer your neckbones to the slow cooker. When the onion is translucent, add it to the pot. Put the skillet back over the heat. Dump in the tomatoes, vinegar, wine, pepper, bouillon concentrate, and Italian seasoning. Stir it all around, scraping up any nice browned bits, and keep stirring until the bouillon is dissolved. Pour it all over the neckbones.

Cover the pot, set it for low, and let it go for a good 7 to 8 hours until it is falling off the bone succulent! Serve with the pot liquor spooned over the neck bones, with plenty of napkins.

Yield:
5 servings, each with: 238 calories, 22 g fat, 1 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs.

Cocido de Puerco