Just 4 ingredients & 5 minutes of prep is all you need for fall-off-the-bone tender Crock Pot Ribs! They’re so delicious and SO easy to make!
This super easy slow cooker recipe for melt-in-your-mouth Crock Pot Ribs will make you a barbecue expert all year long! Pork ribs, garlic, and salt, along with your favorite BBQ sauce, slow-simmer to finger-licking perfection!
A BBQ Lover’s Dream Come True!
Barbecued ribs are my favorite foods – spare ribs, short ribs, country-style ribs, and even boneless riblets! Meaty, messy, juicy, rich and tangy goodness with all those wonderful BBQ side dishes like potato salad, baked beans, and those little corn muffins…oh my! And this pork rib recipe is the best of the best!
You will LOVE how ridiculously easy it is to make these melt-in-your-mouth slow cooker ribs! No heating up the kitchen. No standing over a flaming grill in the scorching summer sun. Seriously, the crock pot does all the work! Slow-simmer these seasoned ribs during the day, and by dinnertime, you’ll have the most spectacular BBQ ribs you’ve ever eaten!
Other Recipes to Serve Crock Pot Ribs
- This Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole recipe is a warm, cheesy alternative to cold potato salad. Perfect for family dinners!
- You can’t have barbecue without Homemade Baked Beans, right? This recipe is the best!
Ingredients
Ribs: Pork ribs, plain and simple. Some people like the baby back cut, but I prefer the St. Louis cut – a bit more meat and fat, so each bite is full of flavor!
Sauce: Barbecue sauce. We used Sweet Baby Ray’s for this recipe, but feel free to use the sauce YOU love!
Seasoning: Sea salt and garlic cloves will round out the flavors of this rib recipe.
How to Make Crock Pot Ribs
STEP ONE: Mix the BBQ sauce, minced garlic, and sea salt in a medium-sized bowl.
STEP TWO: Pour half into the crock pot. Add the ribs into the crock pot in sections. You may need to break or slice them into smaller pieces to fit.
STEP THREE: Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the ribs and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
STEP FOUR: After 8 hours, remove the ribs from the crock pot, place them on a foil-covered baking sheet, and set them aside for now.
STEP FIVE: Ladle some of the BBQ sauce from the crock into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat but keep a fast boil for about 2 minutes to thicken. Spoon the fat off the top, then put the sauce in a bowl to serve with the ribs.
STEP SIX: Set the oven to broil with a rack in the top position. Once hot, slide the pan of ribs under the broiler for just 1-2 minutes to slightly char them if you like that charred grill flavor. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Uncooked ribs freeze very well, so when you find them on sale, go ahead and buy as many as your budget and freezer will allow!
- You WILL need to divide the ribs into smaller sections to fit them into the crock pot. Don’t worry—it’s easy to do!
- Spray a little cooking spray into the bottom of your crock pot to reduce sticking.
- Putting the ribs into the crock pot “standing up” on the bone makes it easier to distribute the sauce and cook evenly.
- Slow-cooking on low will make your ribs tender and perfect. An extra hour or two will literally have them falling off the bone (too much for me, but to each her own!). But don’t be tempted to shorten the cooking time by increasing the crock pot to high. You will be disappointed by tough, chewy ribs.
What’s the Best Way to Cook BBQ Pork Ribs?
Barbecue pork ribs can be grilled, baked, cooked in an instant pot, or slow-simmered in a crock pot. Grill enthusiasts will tell you the grill is the only way to go, but I disagree! The crock pot is the absolute best way to make barbecued ribs.
Trust me on this because once you’ve simmered these babies in the slow cooker, you will never want to fix them any other way! Sure, ribs on the grill get that black charred “burnt ends” flavor, but they are SO time-consuming. Plus, it’s really difficult to get them just right. They’re often undercooked and chewy or overcooked and dried out.
On the flip side, BBQ ribs simmered in a crock pot will give you tons of flavor, loads of juiciness, and even some smoky caramelizing you get from the grill. They will taste like heaven, melt in your mouth, and take up almost no time!
If you ask me, crock pot pork ribs are the only way to go!
How Do I Keep Leftover BBQ Ribs?
Could you tightly wrap the leftover ribs in foil and place them inside an airtight bag or container? They will stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. In the freezer, they will last for three months. When ready to reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge (if necessary), then remove them from the container and foil. Lightly brush with more BBQ sauce, then rewrap them in foil and place them on an oven pan. Heat them in a 275 F oven until the ribs are warmed. Enjoy!
Other Remarkable Rib Recipes!
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Grilled Ribs
- Short Rib Naan Pizza
- Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce
- BBQ Dry Rub
Ingredients
Instructions
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the BBQ sauce, minced garlic, and salt. Mix to combine. Pour half of the sauce into the slow cooker.
- Add the ribs into the crock pot in sections. I prefer to put them in with the bones standing up for even distribution of sauce and tenderness. (You do not have to remove the membrane off the back.)
- Pour the remaining sauce over top of the ribs. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (see notes).
- Once cooked, remove the ribs from the slow cooker and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil. Set aside. (see notes)
- Ladle some of the BBQ sauce in the crock into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat but keep a fast boil for about 2 minutes until thickened. Spoon the fat off the top and place the sauce in a small bowl to serve with the ribs.
- Place an oven rack in the top position. Then set your oven to broil. Place the baking sheet with the ribs on the top rack and broil for 1-2 minutes or until lightly charred. (keep an eye on things so the ribs don't burn!)
- Serve the ribs an large sections, cut into smaller sections, or into individual bones before serving warm with the dipping sauce.
Notes
- I find that 8 hours on LOW is perfect. If you want fall-off-the-bone ribs, you can cook them for 9-10 hours.
- I do not recommend cooking the ribs on HIGH for 4-5 hours, regardless of what other websites say. They are too tough… low and slow is the way to go.
- You don’t have to broil the ribs once they’re done cooking. I like to broil them for a little char and texture. You can serve them with the dipping sauce directly from the slow cooker.
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