Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Country Ribs are wonderfully sweet and tangy and get fall-apart tender in the slow cooker. Four pounds of country-style ribs and a handful of pantry staples are all you need for this recipe.
This is a super easy recipe to prep. There’s no need to sear the meat. Just whisk all the ingredients together in the slow cooker, add the ribs, and coat the ribs with sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
WHAT ARE COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS?
Country-Style Ribs are not actually ribs at all. They are cut for the shoulder blade. They are wonderfully meaty and have a good amount of fat and they are perfect for slow cooking.
You want about 4 pounds of country-style ribs for this recipe. You can use either bone-in or boneless. Sometimes I can only find one or the other at the store. The cooking time should more or less be the same. Even the bone-in ones don’t have much of a bone.
They tend to be much less expensive than baby back ribs so they are a great choice for the budget conscious cook.
MORE WAYS TO COOK COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS:
SLOW COOKER SWEET AND SOUR COUNTRY RIBS RECIPE TIPS:
Cooking times can vary between slow cookers so use the cooking time as an estimate.
When the ribs are done, they will easily pull apart when you take a fork to them.
This recipe makes really great leftovers. They will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE:
- Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
- Southern-Style Green Beans
- Country-Fried Skillet Corn
- Easy Macaroni Salad
- Super Creamy Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Buttermilk Cucumbers
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Country Ribs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teapsoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 pounds country-style pork ribs,, boneless or bone-in
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Whisk together first 8 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Place the ribs in the slow cooker and spoon the sauce over them.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove ribs to a serving platter.Mix cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water. Whisk into the sauce in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes to thicken.Or you can transfer the sauce to a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer to thicken.
- Pour sauce over ribs and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I was expecting Sweet and Sour like what you’d get in a Chinese Restaurant when buying Sweet & Sour Pork. It was still yummy and was more like a BBQ sauce than what I was thinking it would be.
This is a mouthwatering recipe. I like thicker sauce, how to do it?