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A person holding a baby back rib that has been pulled from a rack of slow cooker baby back ribs.

Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs

Course: Entree
Cuisine: BBQ / Southern
Keyword: easy baby back ribs recipe, how to slow cook ribs, Ribs
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
BBQ Sauce: 20 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 593kcal
These slow cooker baby back ribs truly give authentic Texas-style smoked ribs a run for the money. The rub and homemade sauce deliver that authentic BBQ taste and cooking on LOW makes them melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 6 to 7 quart slow cooker

Ingredients

  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar light or dark
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp ground thyme dried
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 3 to 3 1/2 lb baby back ribs trimmed and membrane removed from the back of the ribs
  • Easy BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  • Coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
    Non-stick cooking spray
  • Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
    2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp ground thyme, 1 tsp Kosher salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Rub the mixture all over the ribs.
    3 to 3 1/2 lb baby back ribs
  • Place ribs in slow cooker and cover.
  • Cook on LOW for 7 - 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
  • 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 the broiler (or back into 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. IMPORTANT: Broilers vary, keep an eye on the ribs, and don't let them burn!
  • Remove and serve at once, with additional BBQ sauce!

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 
If you don't have a butcher available to help you remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs, and you don't want to attempt to remove it yourself, just leave it on. Removing it simply makes the ribs easier to break apart, but they will still be extremely tender, even with the membrane unremoved. 
The ribs can be prepped with the rub up to 12 hours in advance. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to start slow cooking. We don't recommend letting the ribs slow cook for more than 7 hours, 8 maximum. If they go much longer, they might burn on the bottom and the meat will become so tender that they will fall apart when you try and remove them from the slow cooker.
The BBQ Sauce can be made up to several days in advance. 
Leftovers will keep in the fridge (covered) for up to 5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 693mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1173IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg