Slow Cooker Ribs – Easy baby back ribs smothered with a homemade rub and sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Cooked to perfection in the crockpot and fall off the bone delicious. These are the best slow cooker ribs!
I’m a big fan of slow cooker recipes. They’re simple, require minimal clean up and delicious! These slow cooker ribs are a favorite, along with crockpot BBQ meatballs, slow cooker honey chicken and cabbage soup.
By The Casual Craftlete for I Heart Naptime.
Best slow cooker ribs
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite slow cooker ribs recipes. These baby back ribs are made with a delicious homemade rub and a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. If you don’t have the time or an outdoor smoker, this slow cooker ribs recipe is perfect. It’s simple and still has tons of flavor. These ribs are lip smacking good!
I’m a big fan of slow cooker recipes…I love that you can throw all of the ingredients in the crockpot and forget about it! These slow cooker ribs taste amazing and will leave people thinking you slaved away in front of the smoker all day. The homemade rub gives them that delicious smoky flavor and the tangy barbecue sauce is absolutely to die for. These are the best slow cooker ribs ever!
Are beef ribs or pork ribs better?
I personally prefer pork baby back ribs. This cut of meat is marbled with fat to give the ribs a nice flavor and can hold up to the low and slow cooking process in the slow cooker. I bought about 4 pounds and used a sharp butcher knife to section the ribs into six pieces.
What temperature do ribs fall off the bone?
Ribs are considered cooked through when they reach an internal temperature of 145°F, however I like my internal temp to be a bit higher. I’ve found that when my slow cooker ribs reach an internal temp of about 190 to 200°F, they are more tender, juicy and fall off the bone.
How to slow cook ribs
Scroll down for the printable slow cooker ribs recipe and video.
- Rub the ribs with the homemade rub recipe, covering both sides of the ribs.
- Then bake in the oven at 4oo degrees for 30 minutes, flipping the ribs half way through. This helps seal in the flavors and gets a nice crust on the ribs.
- While the ribs are baking in the oven, you can make the homemade barbecue sauce on the stove top. This is a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce mixture of ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Reserve some of the sauce for dipping after the ribs are fully cooked.
- Layer the barbecue sauce and ribs in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the slow cooker ribs are fall off the bone tender.
What to serve with ribs?
There are so many side dishes that will pair perfectly with these slow cooker ribs, but below are a few of my favorites.
Macaroni and cheese: Creamy mac and cheese tastes so delicious paired with slow cooker ribs. I like to make baked macaroni or slow cooker mac and cheese.
Potatoes: Whether it’s mashed potatoes, baked potato wedges or sweet potato fries, you can’t go wrong with serving potatoes with slow cooker ribs.
Roasted vegetables: I love to pair all types of roasted vegetables with this slow cooker ribs recipe. Sometimes I’ll include a variety or serve roasted parmesan broccoli or carrots.
Salad: It’s nice to have a fresh salad to pair with the slow cooker ribs. Some of my favorites are corn salad, cucumber tomato salad and broccoli salad with bacon.
Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork baby back ribs
Spice Rub:
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons paprika
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for more heat)
Barbecue Sauce:
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoons reserved Spice Rub (from above)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F line a baking sheet with sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Rinse and dry ribs then cut into 6 pieces.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together spice rub ingredients. Remove 1 tablespoon Spice Rub to use in the barbecue sauce. Rub both sides of the ribs with the spice rub then place ribs on prepared baking sheet. Bake ribs for 30 minutes, flipping half way through to sear meat.
- While the ribs are baking in the oven, add the barbecue sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce and refrigerate to use after ribs are cooked.
- Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking.  Add a thin layer of barbecue sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by ribs. Layer sauce and ribs until ribs are evenly coated.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or on LOW for 7-9 hours OR cook until ribs are fall off the bone tender. Rotate ribs once during cooking so they cook evenly.  Remove ribs from slow cooker and brush with reserved barbecue sauce or use sauce for dipping.
Video
Nutrition
I never leave reviews but for these I had to! These were so good and fell off the bone. The sauce was spicy but sweet. My husband is normally the rib chef at home and he even said that we should cook them this way from now on. Thank you!
So glad to hear! Thanks for your review :)
Do you remove the membrane from the backside of the ribs before preparing?
I usually do, but it’s all personal preference! :)
I’m drooling! Lol! Those ribs looks really delicious and I’m craving for it right now. Slow cooked food are always the best because they always turned out tender and juicy. Love this recipe.