Put a rack or two of ribs in your crock pot in the morning, let them slow cook all day, and you can have the most tender, finger-licking good ribs on the table for dinner in just minutes. They are perfect for game day.
I made a homemade BBQ Sauce for these ribs that’s both sweet and a little spicy. It can be made the night before to save time in the morning or you can use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce if you don’t want to go to the trouble of doing this step.
There is no easier way to cook ribs than in the slow cooker. They are guaranteed to be super tender.
The ribs are coated with a rub before they are put in the crock pot and the flavors of the spices really soak into the meat as it cooks.
Once the ribs have cooked on LOW for 8 hours (this is a really great recipe to cook while you are at work), they are slathered with sauce and broiled just long enough to make them look like they’ve come right off the grill.
Why I love Crock Pot Ribs:
- This is a hands off recipe. You don’t even have to peak at the ribs while they slow cook. You can even cook them overnight or while you are at work.
- There’s almost no risk of overcooking and drying out the ribs. They are guaranteed to be tender and juicy.
- No need to turn the oven on for hours or slave over a hot grill. During the summer in the south, you know what a bonus this is!
- A quick broil at the end makes these ribs seem like they came straight off the grill.
- Anyone can have success with this recipe.
Tips for making Crock Pot Ribs
What size slow cooker should I use?
- You will need a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
What type of ribs do I use?
- You can use St.Loius-style, baby back ribs, or country-style ribs.
Can I make them in advance?
- You can make these ribs a day in advance. Remove them from the refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap. Then broil them just before serving. You may want to broil them a little further from the heating element since they will need to heat all the way through and you will need to broil them a little longer.
How can I make sure they are as tender and easy to eat as possible?
- Remove the thin white membrane on the back of the ribs. Use a sharp knife to cut through it and then you should be able to grab the membrane and pull it off.
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Recipes to serve with Crock Pot Ribs
- Baked Beans with Smoked Sausage
- Buttermilk Coleslaw
- Southern Potato Salad
- Super Creamy Mac and Cheese
- Spicy Collard Greens
Watch the short video below to see how to make Crock Pot Ribs.
Crock Pot Ribs
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Rub
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds St. Louis-style ribs
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for sauce in a medium pot and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Remove thin skin from the back side of the ribs. Rub dry rub into ribs.
- Place ribs in a lightly greased crock pot.
- Pour 1/2 cup sauce over ribs.
- Cover crock pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- Place ribs on a baking sheet. Brush remaining sauce on ribs and broil for 3 to 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
OH MY! I had my kids (12 and 10) make the rub and sauce. The rub and sauce are both FIRE! I had them double the recipes for 4lbs of ribs and used the extra to broil/bake a chuck steak. Fun for the kids to make and turned out delicious on both meats!
Also, I started cooking late, so I crocked 4lbs of spare ribs on high. They were done, tender (falling off the bone) and favorful in 3.5 hrs!
First time cooking pork and its delicious!
Thanks for the time note! I was trying to figure out if I could get away doing them on high.
This has become my go to ribs recipe, but I’m officially trying the sauce for the first time today.
Love that you had your kids help in the kitchen! Most kids seem to love cooking and I think more adults would enjoy cooking if they had spent time in the kitchen as kids.
So glad you enjoyed the ribs and that’s great to know that the rub and sauce worked well on chuck steak!
These ribs turned out so yummy!!
Yummy recipe!!! These recipes can be of great help to me as I finally can eat food that is prepared at home. Great one.
I just made these ribs today and they came out fabulous!!! This recipe is a keeper.
The ribs were awesome. Will definitely do this again. Sauce was spicy. Never had a lot of luck with ribs, but these were simply perfect. Served it it garlic butter noodles and Italian green beans. Great meal.
Used this recipe for a rack of baby backs, they were delicious, gonna cook some this weekend, 2 racks if St. Louis style and 2 racks of back ribs….should I cook longer for 2 racks , I’ll put 2 racks in each crockpot
I don’t think you’ll need to cook them any longer. Glad you liked the ribs!
I finally purchased the All-Clad 6.5 qt slow cooker – I’ve had my eye on it forever and I got it @ a good sale price that made it worth it – going to try these ribs for the coronation!!
Congratulations on the new crock pot purchase. I am sure you will get good use out of it. Hope you enjoy the ribs Carolyn!
I love using the slow cooker for ribs! Yours look perfect!
We made BBQ ribs almost exactly like these at school the other day! So cool. 😉 I LOVE how fall-apart tender and covered in sauce these ribs look!
The smell of this crock pot bbq pork is something to forward after a workday. It would instantly put me in my happy place. It looks scrumptious!!