Apple Bourbon Country Style Pork Ribs - Yes in your Bean POT!

We had a beautiful, hot day here in Northeast Oklahoma. Wow the temperatures are already starting to soar and it is only early May. It looks like we may be in for a hot one this summer. But it was a beautiful Sunday and we had a wonderful Sunday dinner with some friends. We had left over coleslaw from yesterday and baked beans with some heavenly delicious and tender Pork Ribs.

My favorite ribs are the county style ribs. They are juicy and tender and I think are a much better cut then baby back ribs.  I tried something new today and did the with apples. Apples and Pork are a wonderful combination!!

For this recipe your are going to need your bean pot, about 4 - 5 lbs worth of Country Style Pork Ribs, Salt, Black Pepper, Apple Jelly, Bourbon, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, Cider Vinegar and Thyme. You will also need 3 cooking apples. Old fashioned cooking apples like a Macintosh, Rome or Jonathan taste perfect with these ribs but any tart eating apple works also. Since I could not find any of the cooking apples at our local grocer I used Granny Smith apples.

Now my husband and I both really like our Bourbon during hunting season, but once hunting season is over I really stop drinking it that much. So I sent my husband out the other night to pick me up a small bottle so I could use it to cook with. Ladies, never send your husband out for bourbon because this is what he may bring home.

Does this look like a small bottle of bourbon to you???

Now gather up all your ingredients and set them out, because it's just so much quicker if you have everything handy.

 

You are going to want to season your ribs with some salt and pepper and let them soak in some bourbon while you prepare your apple bourbon mix.

 

 

Next in a medium size bowl whisk together a cup of apple jelly (I use Smuckers apple jelly, it is normally natural and pesticide free), 3/4 cup bourbon (any bourbon will do but we prefer Bullit Bourobon, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar (Be sure to use Cider, distilled white will not give the flavor you want), 1/2 Cup Barbeque sauce and 1/2 Tsp Thyme. 

 

Next layer your ribs and your Apple bourbon mix in the bean pot. Pour any leftover mix over the top of the ribs and move them around so it makes it's way all the way through your pot of ribs.

 

 

I know it looks a little gross going in but they are wonderful coming out. Put these in the oven with the lid on at 275 degrees for about an hour and a half. Take the ribs out of the oven and place your 3 medium apples, cored and quartered in the pot. Now you make have to take some of the ribs out and move things around to get them to fit. If they don't all fit that is okay. You don't have to use all 3 apples.

Place your ribs and apples back in the oven at 350 degrees now for another 2-3 hours. Depending on your oven you may need to check periodically to see if they are done.

Once complete take them out of the pot and serve on a pretty Celebrating home platter.  Strain your cooking liquid and you can serve with the ribs. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. The ribs were so tender that they were falling apart as we pulled them out of the pot.

Please let me apologize for not having a better picture.  My family and friends would not let me take them time to arrange them and move stuff off the counter. But they were just that good!!