Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs that are fall off the bone tender made with a homemade rub. Cook in the crockpot all year long!
These are perfect for your summer barbecues! This crockpot rib recipe is the perfect summer meal, you can serve them with Cole Slaw, Macaroni Salad, Baked Mac and Cheese, and the Best Ever Baked Beans.
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Ribs covered in barbecue sauce are an easy way to bring a bit of summer into the house without keeping the oven on for three hours, firing up the BBQ or learning how to use a smoker! Crockpot to the rescue!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rib dry rub (recipe below)
- 2 racks baby back ribs
- 2 cups barbecue sauce (recipe below or store-bought)
Instructions
- Rub the dry rub all over the front and back of the ribs.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours (I do 7) or high for 4 hours.
- While the ribs are cooking, make your bbq sauce.
- Remove from the slow cooker, place racks onto baking sheet, brush with bbq sauce, and broil in your oven for 1-2 minutes until caramelized on the top rack then serve with additional bbq sauce.
Notes
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup vinegar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About This Recipe
Okay, these ribs are delicious, fall-apart tender and with a homemade rub and homemade sauce they’re finger-licking lip-smacking melt-in-your-mouth (yes all the descriptive food sayings here because they are that good) crockpot ribs.
Chef’s Note
This is a great crockpot rib recipe you can make all year long. Sometimes, to feel like summer isn’t gone yet, we throw an Olaf-themed party where we have a summer menu when it is still cold outside. These slow cooker ribs, along with the sides shared here in this post, would be the perfect menu for the party!
Can This be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes! Slow-Cooked ribs are similar to oven-baked ribs because they cook the meat and break down the tough connective tissue holding the meat on the bone. Once you’ve cooked the ribs long enough to make them tender, you can bring them to room temperature or even refrigerate them and simply cook them in 10 minutes in your oven to finish them off before serving them.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure if your ribs have the silverskin/membrane along the bone side of the rack you remove it before adding the rub or cooking.
- I cook them in the slow cooker without the sauce. I add the sauce just before broiling.
- Broiling is technically not necessary but the texture and flavors are significantly better when it has some of the sugars in it caramelized.
- If you choose to skip broiling in the oven stage, you can add the sauce in the last hour.
- Add some spice to the Crockpot Ribs by adding some St. Louis-style hot sauce to the ribs before adding the seasonings, or even to your sauce.
- Add a bit of savory flavor (and a passable alternative for a smoky flavor) by adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce to the crockpot ribs before adding the rub.
- If you want to keep the meat out of the juice in the bottom of the crockppot you can lay the racks on top of onions.
What to Pair With
Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Cornbread, Homemade Rolls, or Fruit Salad would be great options for sides to serve with this main dish. Great recipes for desserts would include Strawberry Shortcake, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Chocolate Cake!
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Slow Cooker/Grill Combo
- Simply pre-cook the ribs, then lay them flat and refrigerate them until they firm back up and wrap them in foil.
- Do this for as many racks as needed depending on how many servings you need.
- On the day of your event fire up the grill, brush on your sauce and heat the ribs up on the grill until the sauce (and the brown sugar inside of it) starts caramelizing.
- If you want this layer to be thicker, keep basting it as it caramelizes until it looks good to you since they’re already cooked through.
Pressure Cooker
- Bring the pressure cooker up to high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before removing.
- Put the ribs on to a baking sheet, brush with sauce and place 5-6 inches under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.
FAQ’s
YES. The crockpot is perfect for cooking the ribs low and slow, breaking down the connective tissue in the meat. A quick glazing with barbecue sauce followed by a broil for 1-2 minutes is all you need before serving the ribs.
Starting from one end, slide a paring or boning knife just under the membrane but over the bone. Run the knife back back and forth a bit to loosen the membrane. Lift and tear it away from the rack in one whole piece. If it tears, start again with the paring knife.
Yes! Country-style means the pork is much meatier and the bones are in fragments rather than in a rack, but country style is a cut that is as flavorful as any other cut of pork and often used in pulled pork preparations as well. Next time you can even use spare ribs!
Variations
- Spareribs: Spareribs are also a connected rack of ribs, cost less but are a less tender rack of meat.
- Country-Style: These ribs are not connected but instead are strips of pork with small pieces of bone throughout and while the pork is incredibly delicious, it is a much different texture, more similar to pork chops or a cut up piece of pork shoulder than to ribs.
- Slow Cooker Ribs with Coca Cola (or Dr. Pepper): Add one can of coca cola (or Dr. Pepper) to the crockpot along with the dry rub and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Related Recipes
Try these other delicious rib recipes!
My ribs did not get tender after cooking for 7 hours in my slow cooker. How do I cook them in the oven to get them tender. I followed the recipe on your rub exactly as written. Love the taste but they need to be more tender.
Crock Pot Ribs Tips:
Make sure if your ribs have the silverskin/membrane along the bone side of the rack you remove it before adding the rub or cooking.
I cook them in the slow cooker without the sauce. I add the sauce just before broiling.
Broiling is technically not necessary but the texture and flavors are significantly better when it has some of the sugars in it caramelized.
If you choose to skip broiling in the oven stage you can add the sauce in the last hour.
Add some spice to the Crock Pot Ribs by adding some St. Louis-Style hot sauce to the ribs before adding the seasonings or even to your sauce.
Add a bit of savory flavor (and a passable alternative for a smoky flavor) by adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce to the crock pot ribs before adding the rub.
If you want to keep the meat out of the juice in the bottom of the crock pot you can lay the racks on top of onions.
I have a question: do you lay the ribs flat with the meat side up, or do you stand the ribs up with the meat side facing the walls?
I laid mine flat.
Everything came out great. The ribs are fall off the bone and look restaurant style. Although I left the hot sauce out of the barbecue sauce recipe for some reason still has a kick to it as far as being spicy. I can’t figure out if from the dry rub or the homemade barbecue sauce or what may have caused the spice. My boyfriend loved them but he likes spicy food. I think came out great other than me not liking spicy food and the kick being too much for me.
I love your web site! Your recipes are so easy but so good. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Diana! You just made my day!
Hi! Try this. It was my first time cooking ribs and I used the slow cooker. I finished them off on the grill, and wish I had used the broiler in the oven instead. It made kind of a mess. If I had used the broiler, clean up would have been much easier. But would I have gotten the burned, crispy edges that tasted so good? I would have missed that….
They were awesome!
I may have to try that next time! Thanks for the suggestion.
could I use 2 1lb pork tenderloin cover with rub then when cooked put on sauce and put in broiler
Yes, cook it on low 6-8 hours. You may want to sear it first on all sides to get a nice golden brown color. Enjoy!
We love these ribs! I added some onions to the bottom of the crock pot as suggested and kept them in for eight hours. Falling off the bone delicious…. Throwing these into the broiler at the end really made the sauce combine with the rub on the meat. So sweet and tangy. Thanks for a great meal!
You’re welcome!
Well it’s 6 am here I have to packs of baby back ribs, I’m fixing to start making them, wish me luck
I was skeptical, but turned out excellent! Did a combination of Hi/Lo on crock pot as I was running out of time so I am anxious to do the full Lo setting setting!
So glad you enjoyed it!
If I add a can of coke-Dr.Pepper after applying rub, won’t the rub wash away? confused.
You can always pour it on before the rub or pour it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Enjoy!
Sabrina, do you just put the rubbed ribs without any sauce in the slow cooker? And the ribs will cook fine?
Yes, just the ribs go in. They’ll cook down and release some liquid so don’t worry. It’ll allow them to crisp up nicely. Enjoy!
This was so good! Followed the recipe exactly and bought the recommended 2 racks of baby back ribs. Easy to make, full of flavor and my family thoroughly loved how easy they were to eat, with the meat falling off the bone. The only thing I will do differently next time is slow cook them for around 6 hours (on high) as after checking them at this point, and seeing they were wayyyy done, I was unable to get them out of the slow cooker without them falling apart. Also took leftover bbq sauce and added it to our baked beans! Yum!
So glad you all enjoyed them!
Can boneless pork country style ribs be used in this recipe? If so does the boneless factor shorten the slow cooker time?
If you’re using boneless ribs, it might take about an hour less. I would check it around 6 hours for doneness. Enjoy!
I am ready for summer now! These look really good.
Me too!!
I don’t understand how someone can make a comment about a recipe without trying it!!!! Make it first then comment!!!!
I have been seeing your recipes on Facebook and print the ones I want to make. I have been pleased with the results and have a stack of printed recipes I can select from. I am diabetic and the nutritional info you provide (and others don’t) is a lifesaver. I wanted you to know how much I appreciate the info. I don’t believe in “diabetic” food and with this info I can make healthy real food..
This is my first time visiting your website. No surprise, it is the most organized and helpful sites I’ve seen. Keep up the great work.
So glad you’re enjoying the site!
Sabrina this is my first time writting because I’m a new subscriber. I am from Puerto Rico and I want to thank you for the recipes, I love them. I love to cook but never thought of cooking ribs in a slow cooker. Can’t wait to see more recipes. God bless.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know! I look forward to seeing you around the site!
These ribs looks amazing. I can’t wait to make some. What a great idea, especially when it’s to cold or pouring rain outside. One question, when baking the ribs in the oven, what degrees should I set tge oven for?
If using the oven, set the tempature for 300 degrees.
Hey Sabrina! Dang girl, you have an AMAZING site of useful and delicious recipes. 🙂 Thank you for all the recipes and helpful information you have shared. For myself, I have not been cooking for a while, but, that will be changing soon when I move. However, my new place only has a cooktop which is not what I am used to. Thanks to you and a few others, I am actually hopefull I can use a slow cooker to cook healthy AND flavorful food. YES! I have one question if you have a moment, I am wondering about what vinegars taste good in this BBQ sauce? Thanks 4 everything L.
I am so glad you’re enjoying the site and all of the slow cooker recipes!! For the sauce, you can use whatever type of vinegar you prefer. I used a white distilled but you can used a cider vinegar if you like it a bit sweeter. Enjoy!
Sabrina, That is exactly what I was wondering. I want to try the white distilled first but was not sure if it would be too ‘tart’. Thank you for your answer ! L
I was looking at how to cook chicken thighs in the slow cooker. It looks like you have had this site for 3 years now. I love your site and the recipes you share with everyone here. I wanted to say congratulations on having accomplished so much and doing it all so well ! I know I have personally benefited. L
Oh my goodness, that’s so sweet! Thank you so much for the kind words, it has been just over three years and it’s been such a fulfilling journey for my soul and honestly a TON of fun. Seeing these comments completely make my day. Thank you again.
In the recipe it didn’t meantion the can of pop ?? I didn’t see it until I read the comments ….. will this effect my ribs??? Will they be too dry ?
The can of soda is just an addition for more flavor I mentioned in the post, it won’t affect the tenderness or moisture of your ribs. 🙂
Now I can make my husband his favorite meal!
Yay!!
These look fall off the bone good! Pinning for later 🙂
Thanks for the pin!
One of my favorites – I love barbecue ribs!
They’re so good!!
Oh wow, these look incredible!!!
Thanks Katerina!
Wow! Get in my belly! This looks so good.
Haha, YES!!!
Making ribs in the slow cooker is my favorite way to make them!
I know, right?! So easy!!
I saw a suggestion of putting a can of coke in with the ribs (after adding the spices). When do you add the BBQ sauce, at the end?
Thanks, Janet
I added the sauce to the ribs after it was done cooking. 🙂
Do you add water to cook the ribs?
No, no liquid needed. 🙂
When do you add the barbeque sauce?
I added the BBQ sauce after removing them from the slow cooker. Enjoy!
I’ve always been hesitant to make them in the slow cooker, but I think you’ve changed my mind! They look incredible!
Thanks Brandy! Definitely try it!
One of my favorites that my mom used to make….this looks amazing!
Thanks Cathy!
I love anything I can put in the slow cooker! My husband will love these!
Slow cooker is a life saving! Congratulations for your new one! Your barbecue ribs look incredible! I think I can smell it!
Thanks Catalina!
Those look absolutely perfect – so tender and juicy, YUM!
Thanks Kimberly!
oh, man! These look amazingly good!
Wait until you taste them!! Delicious!
Your barbecue sauce looks HEAVENLY! It’s sticky, mahogany perfection!
Thanks Rebecca!