Fiery Mustard Baby Back Ribs

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Serves 4 to 6

Cooking Time 4 to 5 hours on Low

Slow Cooker Size 6½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For those who like it spicy (and a little bit messy), we set out to make slow-cooker ribs that boasted tender, juicy meat and a sauce with a serious kick. We coated baby back ribs in a mixture of chili powder, salt, and pepper before placing them in the slow cooker. Once the ribs were tender, we got to work on a thick, spicy sauce to coat our ribs. We started with ½ cup of yellow mustard. Pickled banana peppers added tartness, and a minced habanero chile really brought home the heat. A little brown sugar lent a balancing sweetness. Finally, some chili sauce gave our sauce multidimensional flavor. A few minutes under the intense heat of the broiler while we periodically basted the ribs with our fiery mustard sauce built up flavor and gave our ribs the perfect sticky, charred exterior. Avoid racks of baby back ribs that are larger than 2 pounds as they will be difficult to maneuver into the slow cooker. Chili sauce (we used Heinz Chili Sauce here) is a lightly spiced condiment made with tomatoes, chiles or chili powder, onions, green peppers, vinegar, sugar, and spices. Don’t confuse it with the chile sauces used in Asian cuisine. You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

3	tablespoons chili powder
	Salt and pepper
2	(1½- to 2-pound) racks baby back ribs
½	cup yellow mustard
¼	cup jarred banana pepper rings, chopped fine, plus 2 tablespoons pickling juice
¼	cup packed brown sugar
¼	cup chili sauce
1	habanero chile, minced

1. Mix chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper together in bowl and rub evenly over ribs. Arrange ribs upright in slow cooker with meaty sides facing outward. Cover and cook until ribs are tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.

2. Adjust oven rack 10 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Whisk mustard, banana peppers and pickling juice, sugar, chili sauce, and habanero together in bowl. Transfer ribs, meaty side up, to prepared sheet. Brush ribs with some of sauce, then broil until browned and sticky, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping and brushing with additional sauce every few minutes. Serve ribs with remaining sauce.