Country-style Ribs and Sauerkraut

Tonight I made this delicious one-pot meal for dinner after taking bits and pieces from this recipe and that. Here is what I did.

For my 4-qt. Presto stove-top pressure cooker I used:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. pork country-style ribs, trimmed of extra fat, cut into 3-4 inch pieces

The ribs were browned in the heated PC in just a little olive oil. Then I added on top of the meat:

1 large clove garlic, minced 1/2 shallot - optional, I had a half in the fridge 1/2 large onion, sliced

Next, I mixed together in a bowl:

2 cups sauerkraut - which had been in the freezer, half of a qt. package, drain and save the liquid from the sauerkraut 1 TB brown sugar 1/2 t. salt freshly ground black pepper caraway seeds - this is where you could add them, I don't like them and didn't have any on hand, so I didn't put them in the recipe

I poured the sauerkraut mixture over the pork rib mixture in the pot.

Next I added: 1/2 cup sauerkraut juice - saved from draining the sauerkraut 1/2 cup apple juice 1/2 cup water

The recipe in my book said to use 1 1/2 cups water, so I knew I needed that much total liquid.

Next I added 1 med-large Yukon Gold potato peeled and cut 4 pieces and 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces. I sort of pushed the potato and carrot pieces down into the sauerkraut and added a sprinkle of dried thyme, about 1/2 t. which could be ommitted if you don't like thyme.

I put on the lid, put on the temperature gauge and turned up the heat to medium high. After the gauge began to rock, I turned down the heat to low and started a timer for 15 minutes. I stayed in the kitchen to be sure the gauge was kept gently rocking on a very low flame (gas stove).

After 15 minutes, I cut off the flame on the stove and let the pot sit for 3 minutes. Then I carefully carried the pot to the stove and turned on the tap for a slow drizzle of water over the pot. When the handle lock latch and the over-pressure vent went down, it was safe to open the pot and enjoy the aromas.

The meat is fork tender and delicious, the potato and carrot completely cooked soft, but not mushy and still hold shape. The sauerkraut is tender and mild with just a hint of tang. This is so good, and I have leftovers for tomorrow! This recipe would be enough for 3 normal appetites or 2 real hungry folks.

One recipe said to cook the recipe for 25 minutes under pressure. IMO this would have been way too long. The meat and the vegetables were absolutely perfect, to my tastes, at 15 min. cook time and 3 min. cool down time - which is still cooking time - then a quick release of the pressure under the drizzle of water at the sink.

I wanted to post all of this because I hope those who are afraid of the stovetop pressure cookers will see how very easy they are to use. From start to finish, this hot meal took me less than 1/2 hour.

Ribs and Sauerkraut were made to be cooked in a PC!

Keep the pressure up! Teresa Rouzer

Contributed by :
* PressureCookerRecipes Y-Group