Crockpot ribs are guaranteed to be fall off the bone tender. Learn the secrets for making the best slow cooker ribs including instructions for prepping the meat, giving it a good dry rub, and finishing them off for restaurant quality perfection.
You want your ribs to be fall-off-the-bone tender. The crockpot is a great choice. BUT, how do you go from the ugly mess of the slow cooker to beautifully caramelized fall of the bone ribs?
If you just throw ribs and bbq sauce in a slow cooker for 8 hours, you’ll get some fall-off-the-bone ribs, but they’ll be kind of funky and unappetizing. The bbq sauce won’t have caramelized at all, and the liquids in the meat will have produced a really runny bbq sauce liquid.
We find the crockpot to be the easiest method to cook ribs and it is my go-to method, especially when cooking for a crowd. Combine the ease of the crockpot with my easy secret tip and you’ll have yourself some pretty dang amazing ribs.
THE SECRET TO CROCKPOT (SLOW COOKER) RIBS
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. See the video for an easy demo. Just slide your fingers around the side to loosen it up and rip it right off.
- Give the ribs a dry rub. This step is optional. Some people like a good dry rub first for additional flavor.
- Put your ribs in the crockpot. Lather them with barbecue sauce. You can use a homemade sauce like my Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce for ribs or a store-bought bottle. Just remember to save a little bit for later.
- Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. The more racks in the pot, the longer you’ll need to cook.
- Gently remove the racks and lay them out on a foil lined baking sheet. Add more barbecue sauce on top.
- Broil under a broiler for 3-5 minutes until the barbecue sauce starts to bubble and caramelize. Alternately you could wrap them in foil and throw them on a heated grill for the same effect. I sometimes do this for crowds and picnics. This keep the ribs warm until ready to eat and makes it easy to pass out portions. Enjoy!
What kind of ribs should I use to make slow cooker ribs?
This recipe and method will work best with pork ribs including: baby back ribs, spare ribs, St. Louis style ribs, and country style pork ribs. For beef short ribs try my slow cooker short rib recipe or my recipe for classic braised beef short ribs. If you have a smoker we also highly recommend these Smoked Beef Ribs.
Can I finish my crockpot ribs on the grill instead of the oven?
Our secret to crockpot ribs is to caramelize the ribs under the broiler setting in your oven. Another option is to put them on the grill to get that extra caramelization. If you choose to use the grill, put them straight onto the grill (or onto a piece of aluminum foil) over high heat (500 degrees). Brush them with additional barbecue sauce and then close the lid. Let them grill for about 3-5 minutes, until the sauce starts to bubble and caramelize.
PRO TIP: One of the best tips for making ribs in the crockpot is to use a crockpot liner. These BPA-free plastic bags line your crockpot, making clean up a breeze! No more scrubbing out caramelized, burnt on sauce! They are awesome. You can find them in your grocery store near things like aluminum foil and plastic bags. They are a huge time saver.
My family says these are the ribs I have ever made!
Made this today. Yummy! Everyone loved it. Very easy and simple ingredients. I will be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these tonight for dinner. I used half as much salt, but otherwise followed exactly. They were absolutely delicious, and the entire family asked me to make them again. Thanks for a simple, super recipe!!
Easy and good
My 12 year old grandson and I both enjoy cooking either stove top, oven, gas grill, charcoal grill or smoker…we going to try the crockpot baby back ribs…..we off to the store to get a couple racks and liner for crockpot…he wants to do it himself so I have been relegated to second fiddle…it is just he and I in our household since his mother passed away 5 years ago and my wife passed away 2 years ago. Like I said.we both enjoy cooking and.we are looking forward to some new adventures….and will keep you posted on recipe successes as well as not so successful for us.
Robert, l’m very sorry for your double loss. I’m proud of your efforts with your grandson and suspect you’ll always be a big part of his future success and happiness. That said, I’d love to hear back about the attempt with the ribs in the crockpot. I’m trying it tomorrow and hope it turns out well.
Gene
Knowing there is a risk of flavor and some tenderness, can you adjust to the higher temp for slow cookers and do it in 4 hours? I do not usually get started by 8am to get done for 4 or 5pm. Right now I boil ribs first, then broil them. I have been waiting to do these in the slow cooker, but a higher temp run is way more feasible.
You can do them on high, but it’ll take about 6 hours for more ribs.
Do you need to add water to the crockpot too?
No. It is not necessary to add liquid to a slow cooker.
this is a very good way to make ribs, and easy!!!! I am not a good cook, nor do I have mnay dishes that I consider to be my best dish. Thanks for an easy recipe, and delicious!!
I am not a fan of ribs but was really tired of the same old recipes so decided to give this recipe a try. It looked really simple and easy. So for July 4th I put the ribs in the crock pot using your dry rub. I am now a fan of ribs, they were delicious, my husband loved them and my guests took leftovers home and today we had leftovers for dinner. Thank you for my new favorite food.
After cooking in crockpot can I put them in fridge and finish the grilling the next day?
You can, but they are better fresh.