Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (63 page)

⅛ tsp. pepper

2 lbs. pork spareribs,
or
country-style ribs

1 Tbsp. oil

1. Combine first nine ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cut ribs into serving-size pieces. Brown in batches in oil in skillet. Don’t crowd the skillet or the ribs will steam and not brown. Transfer to slow cooker as you finish browning them.

3. Stir sauce through ribs.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve the ribs with
baked potatoes
or
rice
.

Note:
I often use this recipe if I am having company for Sunday lunch.

Country-Style Ribs and Sauerkraut

Rhonda Burgoon

Collingswood, NJ

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

16-oz. bag sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

1 onion, diced

1 red-skinned apple, chopped

2-3 lbs. country-style pork ribs

1 cup beer

1. Combine sauerkraut, onion, and apple in slow cooker.

2. Layer ribs over sauerkraut mixture.

3. Pour beer over ribs just before turning on cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

Serving suggestion: You’ll love this served with homemade
cornbread
and
mashed potatoes
, or deboned on
kaiser rolls
.

Sauerkraut & Pork Ribs

Annabelle Unternahrer

Shipshewana, IN

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 15-25 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.

2 lbs. country pork ribs

oil

32-oz. jar sauerkraut

1 large apple, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

1½ cups tomato juice

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. caraway seeds,
optional

1. Cut ribs in 2”-thick pieces. Brown in skillet with small amount of oil.

2. Combine sauerkraut, apple, carrots, juice, brown sugar, and caraway seeds if you wish, in a bowl.

3. Put half of sauerkraut mixture in bottom of slow cooker.

4. Top with browned ribs.

5. Cover with remainder of sauerkraut mixture.

6. Cover cooker. Cook on Low 6 hours, or until meat leaves the bone when pulled with a fork.

Barbara Jean’s Whole Pork Tenderloin

Barbara Jean Fabel

Wausau, WI

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

½ cup sliced celery

¼ lb. fresh mushrooms, quartered

1 medium onion, sliced

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted

2 1¼-lb. pork tenderloins

1 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. butter

½ cup beef broth

1 Tbsp. flour

1. Place celery, mushrooms, onion, and half a stick melted butter in slow cooker.

2. Brown tenderloins in skillet in 1 Tbsp. butter. Layer browned meat over vegetables in slow cooker.

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Combine broth and flour in small bowl until smooth. Pour over tenderloins.

5. Cover. Cook on High 3 hours or on Low 4-5 hours.

Autumn Harvest Pork Loin

Stacy Schmucker Stoltzfus

Enola, PA

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 5-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

1 cup cider,
or
apple juice

1½-2-lb. pork loin

salt

pepper

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

1½ whole butternut squashes, peeled and cubed

½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. dried sage

1. Heat cider in hot skillet. Sear pork loin on all sides in cider.

2. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Place in slow cooker, along with pan juices.

3. In a good-sized bowl, combine apples and squash. Sprinkle with sugar and herbs. Stir. Spoon around pork loin in cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours.

5. Remove pork from cooker. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Slice into ½”-thick slices.

6. Serve topped with apples and squash.

Cranberry Pork

Barbara Walker

Sturgis, SD

Donna Treloar

Muncie, IN

Makes 9-12 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 6¼-8¼ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

3-4-lb. boneless rolled pork loin roast

2 Tbsp. canola oil

14-oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup cranberry juice

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

salt to taste

1. In Dutch oven, brown roast in oil on all sides over medium-high heat. You may need to cut roast in half to fit into your Dutch oven and/or your slow cooker.

2. Place browned roast in slow cooker.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine cranberry sauce, sugar, cranberry juice, mustard, pepper, and cloves. Pour over roast.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees in center of roast. Remove roast and keep warm. Keep sauce on Low in slow cooker.

5. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, water, and salt until smooth.

6. Turn cooker to High. Stir cornstarch-water mixture into cooking juices. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sauce thickens. Serve with slices of pork roast.

Variations:

1. In place of sugar, use ¼ cup honey.

2. Instead of ¼ tsp. ground cloves, use ⅛ tsp. ground cloves and ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg.

3. Add 1 tsp. grated orange peel to Step 3.

Renee Baum

Chambersburg, PA

4. Create a whole different twist to the Cranberry Pork Loin by dropping the sugar, cranberry juice, ground mustard, pepper, and cloves. Instead, add 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. grated horseradish, and 1 cup chicken stock to the cranberry sauce. Continue with Steps 4-6.