In today's busy and hurried up lifestyle, it can sometimes be hard to find the time to prepare a dinner at the end of a long day. Well this recipe for short ribs can be put together the evening before and then slow cooked in a slow cooker the following day while you are busy at work or running errands. This recipe will make about 4 servings. You'll also find a variety of recipes to try below, including this video that cooks rib in a dutch oven over hot coals.

Whether you are looking for a way to prepare a family meal or a dish to bring to a pot luck supper, this recipe will be sure to please everyone. This guide on how to cook pork ribs requires basic ingredients that can be found in your local grocery store. Since it's cooked in a crock-pot there's no need to spend the afternoon in the kitchen cooking.

• 2 lbs boneless pork ribs

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

• 1 medium onion

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 Tablespoons of flour

• 1/4 cup of water

• Slow Cooker

• Measuring cups

• Measuring spoons

• Bowl

• Whisk or spoon

• Knife

• Cutting board

• Saucepan

• Although the clothes don't make the man, the sauce does make the ribs. There is plenty of room for experimentation with this step, as you'll see in the Variations section of this page. But for starters, here's a basic recipe for a sweet and tangy glaze.

1. Peel the onion and chop it into wedges.Global Gourmet: Cookbook Profile - Peeling Onions (July 2008)
2. Place the onions at the bottom of your slow cooker.RecipeZaar: Yummy Crock Pot Country Style Ribs (July 8, 2008)
3. Arrange pork ribs on top of the onions.
4. Peel the garlic and then mince the cloves.Start Cooking: How to Peel Garlic Christian Science Monitor: Cooking with Garlic (June 30, 2008)
5. Combine the maple syrup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a medium-sized bowl.Diana's Kitchen : Crockpot Country Style Ribs
6. Stir until everything has blended evenly.
7. Add in the dry spices and continue to stir until all ingredients are evenly mixed.RecipeZaar: Maple Slow Cooker Boneless Ribs (August 13, 2008)
8. Pour the mixture over the ribs in the slow cooker.All Recipes: Slow Cooker Maple Country Style Ribs

• Now that the saucy glaze is ready to go, it's time to get to work on getting those ribs cooked in it.

1. Cover the slow cooker and set it on low for about 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is tender.Smells Like Home: Maple Braised Pork Ribs (October 22, 2007)
2. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and keep them warm.Taste of Home: Lazy Man's Ribs
3. Drain the leftover liquid from the slow cooker into a small saucepan.About.com: Slow Cooked Barbecued Country-Style Ribs
4. Thicken the cooking liquid into a sauce for your ribs.
   1. Prepare a thickening agent by combining flour and water and whisking until the mixture smooths out.About.com: How To Thicken a Low-Carb Sauce
   2. Stir the flour mixture into the cooking liquid.Taste of Home: Slow-Cooked Ribs
5. Bring the cooking thickened sauce to a boil over medium-low heat.Public Broadcasting Service (PBS): Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce
6. Continue to whisk and let it cook for about 2 minutes, or until liquid is thickened.Taste of Home: Slow-Cooked Ribs
7. Pour the sauce over your ribs and serve the dish!Taste of Home: Slow-Cooked Ribs

• As discussed briefly above, there are all kinds of different themes and flavors you can incorporate into your particular rib recipe. Listed below are a few particularly tasty ideas that you can try out, once you've mastered the basic process outlined above. Go ahead and experiment with the different ingredients in your kitchen. You might find a new favorite!

1. Pork ribs take on a different flavor when you add collard greens and orange juice.Martha Stewart: Garlicky Pork Ribs with Greens
2. Try adding cabbage and sauerkraut for a new twist on pork ribs.Simply Recipes: Spare Ribs, Cabbage, and Sauerkraut Recipe (February 17, 2008)
3. Emeril Lagasse spices things up with a little cayenne pepper.Food Network: Emeril's Pork Ribs
4. For an extra sweet taste, add some honey to the glaze.Taste of Home: Honey Barbecued Spare Ribs
5. Roast pork rib roast with fingerling potatoes is sure to please any crowd .About.com: Roast Pork Rib Roast With Fingerling Potatoes
6. Prefer to cook on the grill? Try this recipe for barbecue boneless pork ribs.Epicurious.com: Barbecue Boneless Pork Ribs
7. Grill up some Texas-style ribs by adding soaked wood chips to the coals of your grill.All recipes: Texas Pork Ribs
8. Add an Eastern flair to your ribs by incorporating some traditional Asian spices and sauces to your recipe.RecipeZaar: Asian Hoisin Pork Ribs (January 17, 2006)

1. Use a slow cooker for a nice and easy preparation.
2. This recipe can also prepare ribs to be cooked over a grill.
3. Use the leftover cooking liquid as the base for a delicious sauce for the ribs.
4. Adding a flour-water mixture will thicken up the thin liquid into a glazed sauce.
5. There's plenty of room in this recipe to experiment with different sauces and flavoring.

• Introduction
• What You'll Need
• Step 1: Prepare the Sauce
• Step 2: Cook the Ribs
• Variations
• References