The Best Crock Pot Ribs
These Crock Pot BBQ Ribs come out so tender with an amazing BBQ glaze. No smoker needed! Lip-smacking good and so easy!
THE MOST FLAVORFUL AND TENDER RIB RECIPE
These Crock Pot BBQ Ribs are such a simple way to make delicious pork ribs that are so flavorful and fall off the bone! There isn’t a whole lot of work to be done here. Just pop it all into your slow cooker and it will do all the work for you! These ribs are perfect for any night of the week!
Love this recipe!!!!! I followed your instructions to the ‘T’. The bones were falling all over the place. Everything came out good!
– Carolyn
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
No it is not absolutely necessary. I prefer to do this to get a nice, thick caramelized glaze on top of the ribs.
On the back of the ribs, you may see something called a membrane (it will look smooth and shiny). This membrane can be removed, it is up to you. I find cooking ribs in the slow cooker (as opposed to grilling or smoking) tenderizes the ribs to the point that you can easily eat this bit of the rib with no problem. But, a lot of people like it removed because they find it a bit chewy. I think it helps hold the ribs together better while slow cooking in the crock pot. You can take a small knife and make a small incision underneath it. Then get your fingers underneath it and pull it off. Check out my post on How to Grill Pork Ribs for picture instructions on how to do this.
Yes! I have a great homemade rub that I use for my Slow Cooker Pulled Pork!
I have two favorites. The first is the black label KC Masterpiece “Kansas City Classic” sauce (see ingredient image below). It can be hard to find these days though. So my next favorite is the classic Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce.
Yes! I actually have a recipe HERE for Air Fryer Pork Ribs.
These can be cut into sections before slow cooking. Just make sure they aren’t stacked on top of each other for even cooking.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- baby back ribs – if you purchase a rack that seems way too long to fit into your slow cooker, just cut it into large sections to get it to fit.
- kosher salt and black pepper – I like kosher salt for this because it’s not as “salty” as table salt but if all you have is table salt then go with that.
- garlic powder – this gives it a really nice very light garlic flavor but it is not strong at all.
- barbecue sauce – go with your favorite here. I generally go with Sweet Baby Rays or the KC Masterpiece (Kansas City Classic version) when I can find it. Or you can make barbecue sauce from scratch!
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT BBQ RIBS:
Season ribs with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I just sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of each on both sides. Then make sure you rub it in well.
Place ribs in your slow cooker with the meat side facing the wall of the slow cooker. It may slide down during cooking and that is fine. This just helps you to fit a whole rack into the slow cooker and to ensure even cooking. And with an oval slow cooker like this one, I can actually add in a second rack of ribs.
Pour barbecue sauce all over the ribs, making sure that it coats the ribs as much as possible. Note: I save about 1/3 cup of the BBQ sauce to serve the ribs with.
Cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours (until the thickest part of the ribs reaches an internal temperature of 145f degrees.) When done, continue to this optional next step. Take the ribs out and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Baste the ribs with some of the BBQ sauce that is hanging out in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Turn your oven broiler on to high and place ribs under broiler (while watching carefully!) Let the ribs caramelize under the broiler for just a few minutes. Again, this is not absolutely necessary but I love a good caramelized BBQ sauce.
Take them out, then chop them up into 2-rib sections for easy serving.
CRAVING MORE?
Originally published: May 2014
Updated photos & republished: July 2020
The Best Crock Pot Ribs
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds rack baby back ribs
- 21 ounce bottle barbecue sauce
- kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder (equal amounts of each)
Instructions
- Season both sides of ribs with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Rub it in well.
- Place ribs in your slow cooker with the meat side facing the wall of the slow cooker.
- Pour barbecue sauce all over the ribs, making sure that it coats the ribs as much as possible.
- Cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours (until the thickest part of the ribs reaches an internal temperature of 145f degrees.)
- Take the ribs out carefully and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Baste the ribs with some of the BBQ sauce that is hanging out in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Turn the oven broiler on to high and place ribs under broiler (while watching carefully!)
- Let the ribs caramelize under the broiler for just a few minutes. Take them out, then chop them up into 2-rib sections for easy serving.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- On the back of the ribs, you may see something called a membrane (it will look smooth and shiny). This membrane (also called silver skin) can be removed. I find cooking ribs in the slow cooker (as opposed to grilling or smoking) tenderizes the ribs to the point that you can easily eat this bit of the rib with no problem. You can take a small knife and make a small incision underneath it. Then get your fingers underneath it and pull it off.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Do you think I could crock pot cook them in advance then baste and broil before serving?
I made this last night and followed your recipe exactly and it was AMAZING – flavorful, juicy, and messy to perfection! My first successful batch of ribs (I’ve tried several times with other recipes, methods, etc). Many thanks for your step-by-step instructions and recipe, brava to you Brandie!!!
Oh goodness, thank you so much Bernadette! What a wonderful comment! That means more than you know and I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
Just tried this today & it’s absolutely delicious!!!
Love this recipe!!!!! I followed your instructions to the ‘T’. The bones were falling all over the place.
Everything came out good!
Carolyn
Love hearing that Carolyn! Thank you SO much!! I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!!
Easy directions, giving it a try now. Should have started them earlier. We will just have a late supper. ( will take kids to McDonald’s) this is almost as easy as going to the Rib Shack! lol
Can I use country style ribs
I haven’t tested it personally but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work
Awesome! I made these as descibed except I smoked them in my smoker for about 1.5 hours before the crock. Best ribs I ever made so here I go again. 2nd year on the Fourth of July. Just do it this way you will be happy.
So glad this was a hit for you!
Hello. Where is the exact recipe for the rub? Video shows ingredients but not amounts.? Thank you
Hi Carl, sorry for any confusion. It is just equal amounts salt, pepper and garlic powder (enough to cover the top and bottom of your ribs.)
I started the ribs on Low in the crock pot. Check after 2 hours to make sure the temp was good. Very surprised to find the meat at 200 degrees! Still turned out ok, just a bit over cooked.
I don’t understand the temperatures! Is it 146 degrees or 195-203 degrees??
145 for safe eating (according to the USDA) but it will get more tender the longer it cooks so it’s fine for it to go up to those higher temperatures 🙂
Have you cooked these in an Instant Pot using the Slow Cooker function?
I made these a couple of months ago and my family loved them. I’ve got another batch in the slow cooker right now since my son requested them for his birthday. I love how easy it is. I season them with Camp Mix and cover them with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce and four hours later, we’re eating some of the best BBQ we’ve ever had. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
I made these delicious crock pot baby back ribs this weekend and they were amazing! Fall off the bone tender. We enjoyed every messy bite!!!
Yay!! So happy to hear that! Thank you!
This is the only way to cook baby backs in the crock pot. I started using this recipe a year ago and my family loves them this way. Since I work a different shift than my family, the ribs are done when they get home from work/school. My husband especially loves that he doesn’t have to cook much on ribs night. The only problem I have is there is usually nothing left for me to eat when I get home from work 3 hrs after dinner time.
The ONLY thing I do differently is add a few more spices in the rub,,, garlic powder, onion powder and season salt. Enjoy!
My recipe is exactly like yours – down to using KC Masterpiece – which I use because it has no MSG and I also like the taste. I usually cut my ribs before I put them in and have managed to get in 3 full slabs of them. When they are done, in about 3 – 4 hours they literally fall off the bone. Great pot luck dish.