INGREDIENTS
- For the Red Chile Adobo
- 1/2 cup good-quality ancho chile powder (the amount you’ll get from a typical 2-ounce spice jar)
- 8 peeled garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Salt
- For the Apple-Fennel Slaw
- 1 medium fennel bulb, stalks and fronds cut off, sliced into strips about 1/2-inch thick
- 1/2 medium apple (a crisp-texture one like Granny Smith works good here), peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- For the ribs
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds country ribs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Scoop the powdered ancho chile into a blender or small food processor. Bring 1 ¼ cups water to a boil, pour over the chile, loosely cover the blender or secure the top of the processor and pulse to blend thoroughly. In a small microwave-safe bowl, collect the garlic, cover with water and microwave at 100% for 1 minute. Drain and add to the blender or processor, along with the spices, oregano, vinegar and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Process until smooth.
Place the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker and spoon in about half of the adobo. Set the slow cooker to high, cover and cook for four hours. In a medium-size bowl, add the sliced fennel, diced apples and lime juice. Season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon.
After four hours, remove ribs from slow cooker and pull the meat from the bone. Set a large (10-inch) skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the rib pieces and spoon in some of the leftover juices from the slow cooker, cooking until the pork sears, about 2-3 minutes.
Scoop the rib pieces into a warm corn tortilla and garnish with the slaw.
