Recipe: Blackberry Pork Ribs

This is what I made tonight for supper.  It was received with great enthusiasm.  The blackberries came from my own yard!

Ingredients:
1 red onion
3 lb. pork ribs
salt
pepper
allspice
cinnamon
about 1 1/2 cups blackberries
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup organic ketchup

Directions:

Thinly slice the red onion.  Arrange slices to cover the bottom of the crock pot.

Rinse and pat dry the pork ribs.  (If you have one big slab, cut it into smaller sections now.)  Lightly dust the pork ribs with salt, pepper, allspice, and cinnamon on all sides.  Put the pork ribs into the crock pot.  Pour 1 1/2 cups blackberries over the pork ribs. 

Cover the crock pot.  Turn on Low and cook for 4-6 hours until ribs are tender.

For drier ribs, remove excess liquid at this stage.  For wetter ribs you can just leave it.  Now combine 3/4 cup barbecue sauce and 1/4 cup organic ketchup, and pour that over the pork ribs.

Cover the crock pot and cook on Low for another 30 minutes.  Serves 3-5.

Notes:

Red onion has a sweet yet darkish flavor that interacts very well with dark fruits and meats.  Substitute white or yellow onion if you can't find red.

Blackberries may be fresh or frozen.  I used frozen ones.  Just make sure they don't have sugar or other additives: use plain berries.  Blackberries have a nice complex flavor that complements some meats.

Organic ketchup is healthier, and a good brand has better flavor, than ordinary commercial ketchup.  It works better in recipes where you combine it other stuff.  Adding ketchup to barbecue sauce makes for a fruitier flavored sauce.