Incredible Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs are just that…incredible
Of course, living in Texas…we know all about good BBQ.
These aren’t slow-cooked with indirect heat from a smoker…BUT…trust us, these gems are still fall-off-the bone good, with so much flavor, you’ll throw your hat in the air, and yell: YEE HAW!!!
SLOW COOKER RIBS ARE SIMPLE TO PREPARE
The great thing about the slow cooker is you just set and forget…until they are almost ready to eat.
Watch us show you how easy it is to prepare these Incredible Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
SLOW COOKING BABY BACK RIBS IS THE WAY TO GO
We just love pork baby back ribs.
The slow cook method makes them tender and so delicious.
Ask your butcher to remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs.
The rub for these Slow Cooker Ribs is so simple to prepare, but makes all the difference in the world for authentic slow cooked ribs taste.
You get a little sweet with the brown sugar, and a little heat with the chili powder and cayenne.
The perfect rub for these ribs. Another amazing slow cooker recipe is our Slow Cooker Ham and Potatoes au Gratin with Mushroom Sauce. To die for!
HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE PUT THESE RIBS OVER THE TOP
And making your own Homemade BBQ Sauce could not be easier, and the taste is authentic and just perfect for these ribs.
Once you try this sauce, you’ll never buy the bottled stuff again.
It’s that good, and so simple to make!
Incredible Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
- Spray of non-stick cooking spray
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chili powder we love Ancho
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried ground thyme
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 to 3 1/2 lb trimmed pork baby back ribs
- Easy BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Rub the mixture all over the ribs.
- Place ribs in slow cooker and cover.
- Cook on LOW for 7 - 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
- Make the Easy BBQ Sauce
- Remove ribs from the slow cooker and discard the liquid.
- Turn your broiler to low, or, turn your slow cooker to high.
- Coat the ribs with the sauce and place under broiler (or back into to the slow cooker).
- Cook under broiler for about 2 minutes, remove, re-coat with another layer of sauce, and cook for another couple minutes. OR, let ribs cook on HIGH in slow cooker for 30 minutes.
- Remove and serve at once, with additional BBQ sauce!
Video
Nutrition
This is so incredibly delicious! Didn’t have the time or ingredients to create your BBQ sauce, but will definitely give that a go in the near future! This is hands down my new go-to rib rub recipe! I do have to ask however, in your step-by-step instructions there is no mention of when and where to add the chili powder… is that a mistake, or is that optional (since cayenne pepper is also added)? Still a great recipe with or without the chili powder and thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Bree!! Thanks so much for the great review! And thanks for the heads up about when to add the chili powder. That gets added in with the other rub ingredients. We’ve updated the recipe to reflect that. We are so so so glad that you loved the recipe. We absolutely love it, too! Next time, give the BBQ sauce a try, it’s crazy easy, too!!! Thanks again!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Excellent! This was my first attempt at making ribs in a crockpot. They were definite “fall off the bone” tender. Crockpot for 6.5 hours followed by a few minutes of broiling. Did not try the BBQ Sauce recipe (yet).
Thanks, Marion!!! So super glad you loved the ribs and thanks for the great review. Now…you gotta try that BBQ sauce!! Best, Kris & Wesley
FALL APART DELICIOUS, YOU MUST TRY THIS!
Woo hoo!! Thanks, Sharen! So glad you liked these ribs. They are our favorite, too!
Ok. So I’m part of a Latino family and holidays are filled with traditional food. I wanted to do something different for NYE. I set out to make these ribs. My family can be very critical when it comes to food. I made the baby back ribs and used your bbq sauce recipe as well. Very easy to make. The only thing I did differently was I cut back a tiny bit on anything that was spicy but I don’t think it was necessary. There was a slight kick but not overwhelming. I think it should be fine if I use your measurements next time. I did not make it in the slow cooker though, I used the oven. Slow cooked at 250 for 7 hours , I purchased 3 racks and cut each in half and individually wrapped each one in aluminum foil. The ribs were ready a couple of hours before everyone arrived: I turned off the oven and left them covered ( I was nervous about this but it didn’t affect the tenderness of the ribs). Once everyone was ready to eat, I slathered on the sauce and followed the steps in the recipe. Served with a home made slaw and loaded baked potatoes. No one left a thing on their plates. Well just bones. The ribs just fell off the bones so easily. The rub and the sauce were perfect. I will be making this again!!! I made extra sauce to possibly use for chicken as well. Thank you for providing a great recipe!!!
That is amazing!!! Sounds absolutely incredible. Congratulations on such a HUGE success! And thank you so much for letting us know. We appreciate that so very much! Happy New Year!! Stay in touch, all the best…Kris & Wesley
My husband and three sons give this two thumbs up! The ribs were tender and flavorful. The sauce is truly lip smacking goodness. Will absolutely make this again
Hi Tracy! YES!!!! That’s so amazing to hear! We are so glad you had success with the slow-cooker ribs and thrilled you got rave reviews from your hubby and sons! AWESOME!!! And thank you so much for letting us know. That means the world to us! Stay in touch!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Putting the ribs in the slow cooker at first with no liquid in the cooker? Will that burn the bottom of the ribs after the 7-8 hours?
Hi Danielle! So sorry for the delayed response! No need to add additional liquid. As the ribs slow-cook in the slow cooker, they will release liquid and you shouldn’t experience any burning. However, you might sneak a peak every now and then, and if it looks like liquid is need, just add a couple tbsp of water. Let us know how it turns out!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Can these ribs be made a day ahead to but in the oven the next night? And, can you freeze them prior to finalizing in the oven?
Hi Diana, if I’m understanding you question, you can definitely make these in the slow cooker a day in advance, and then re-heat the following day in the oven, and then finish off under the broiler. And we’ve never frozen the ribs after slow cooking them, but they should freeze just fine. I’d recommend letting them come back to room temperature before adding into the oven to re-heat. Hope this helps and let us know of any other questions and let us know how they turn out!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Hi Kris – You totally understood what I was asking. I’m constantly looking for amazing things to prepare ahead of time (my granddaughter, Ella, loves ribs), making it easier for me when one ormolu of our four sons and family, and my sister and family, come for a summer trip, or a special Thanksgiving/Christmas. I can’t possibly spend the whole time in the kitchen (missing times with grandkids). I want to try freezing ribs after slow cooking – a little hard to cook for 2 people, then plan for a crowd. Thanks.
Fantastic, and makes complete sense, Diana! Do let us know when you make these ribs and what you and your beautiful family think of them. Hope you all enjoy them very much! Best, Kris & Wesley
Ok if I cheat a little by using my favorite bottled BBQ sauce?
Of course! We think our easy homemade BBQ sauce is the bomb, BUT…no doubt your fav bottled version is good, too. No matter what…these ribs are amazing! Let us know what you think!! Best, Kris & Wesley
The BESSSST. My husband loves them too. These are so simple to prepare in the morning and go on about my day. Definitely give them a try
Woo hoo, Deanna!! So awesome to hear! So glad you love and your hubby loves these as much as we do! And thanks sooooo much for letting us know and the great review!!! We truly appreciate that!! Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Oh my gosh, I love y’all. You two are so much fun. Thank you. I am making mine now in Dallas, Texas! Shoutout!
Hi Camille!! Thank you so so so much!!! And howdy, neighbor!!! Let us know how the ribs turn out. We love ’em a lot!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
They were so good! Thank you!!
OMG! Fall off the bone tender! So good and the BBQ sealed the deal!
Yay!!! So glad you liked them!! Now, you’ve got us craving them. And we agree, that BBQ sauce is the real deal!! Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know. We truly do appreciate that!! 🙂 Best, Kris & Wesley
Ok guys I’ve never made baby back ribs ever and so I’m trusting you. I mixed up the rub spices and it smells amazing. I am making them Tuesday. Wish me well!
You’ve got this, Mary!! You’re going to love them!! Please let us know!! xo Kris & Wesley
OMG A M A Z I N G ! I was a super hero only without a cape. Thank you soooooo much. The BBQ sauce had just the right amount of bite..
xoxoxoxoo
Can you broil before putting in the slow cooker?
Hi Avery…you could, although we never tried that before. We like to place under the broiler right at the end, just to crisp the sauce up a bit. The broiler will add a light browning and crispiness, that would probably lessen once it goes into the slow cooker, but it won’t hurt the ribs. Let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out. All the best, Kris & Wesley
Hi Kris! I’m making these tomorrow while I’m at work and I seem to have a real gift for burning and/or drying out meat in the crock pot. 🙁 Will these be okay all day while I’m at work?
Lisa
You won’t burn them, I promise! How did they turn out?
They were absolutely fabulous!! I didn’t realize until this morning when I went to put them in the crock that I’d purchased beef ribs instead of pork but by that time I was committed, and I have to say, even with the substitution, they were ridiculously good! Thanks so much for the great recipe!!
Great! We love beef ribs, too. Anything slow cooked with a rub and homemade BBQ sauce is gonna be good! So glad you liked it! I’m going to put some more slow cooker recipes on the site…people really like them (and so do we!). 🙂
those are some darn fine looking ribs! I’ve cooked so many other things in the slow cooker I don’t know why ribs didn’t occur to me. This might just hold me over until I take the cover off the smoker in a few weeks. great looking site too, glad I found you via tastespotting!
Hi Melinda! They are crazy good, and unbelievably easy. I hesitated at first putting them on the site, cuz growing up in Texas…I know how ‘real’ ribs are prepared…but these were just so good, I decided to publish it. Glad you like the site and we absolutely LOVE http://www.recipefiction.com. Beautiful! We’ll visit often. All the best. Kris & Wesley (The Loon).