baked sauerkraut and spareribs

Do you like slow cooked meat that falls off bones? Do you like recipes that take little prep and you can walk away from? Do you like it when the food could feed a small army? How about pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings? Do you like those? Do you think I have a chance to be the next Billy Mays (sans that whole dying early thing)? I thought I would throw that last one in there while I had you on a roll.

But this meal is all of those things. I'm proud to say that this is definitely a family recipe. Not only does it come from my great-grandfather's cook book, (pg 41 for that 0.0000000001% chance that someone - other than my mom - owns this book AND reads this blog ... I think OJ Simpson being tapped to be in Naked Gun 444 1/4 has a better chance of happening ) but it was also adapted by my mom so that it is pretty much perfected ... although that won't stop our family from experimenting. Thanks mom for the assistance!

baked sauerkraut and spareribs w/ dumplings

3 lbs. pork loin back ribs
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 onion, sliced
1 mcintosh apple, peeled, cored and sliced
2 lbs. prepared sauerkraut
1 egg, beaten
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Step 1: Mix together 2 tsp. each salt and pepper with 1/2 tsp. sugar. Rub onto ribs, wrap them in foil, and place in the fridge for 1 hour ... or more if need be.

Step 2: Bake the ribs in the foil at 300 for 1 hour. In the words of the legendary Ron Popeil, "set that shit and forget it". You might have left that four letter word out.

Step 3: Remove the ribs, bump your oven up to 325 and put the ribs in a deep baking dish (cut them in necessary). Place the sliced onion and apple on top of the ribs and then cover it all with the sauerkraut and its juice. Add on a lid and bake for another 1.5 hours.

Step 4: When the ribs have 10 minutes left, mix together 1 egg (beaten), 2 cups flour (sifted), 1 cup of milk (milked), 1/2 tsp. salt (salty) and 1 tsp. baking powder (can't come up with anything) to make the dumpling batter. As a side note, these dumplings are denser so if you like 'em fluffier and/or you have a favorite dumpling recipe, go for it.

Step 5: Take your oven up another notch to 350, drop dumpling batter on top of sauerkraut, cover, and bake for another 20 minutes ... or until dumplings are cooked.

Enjoy what you waited hours for (but paid little attention too)!