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.
Made the ribs today. Delicious!
This recipe is an easy hands-down win for my family. It doesn’t get any easier to get such a mouth-watering result. This one for the win! Thank you to our sweet Stay at Home Chef for another Keeper!
I’ve been making this ribs since 2020 when Covid hit I came across on pintrest
They are a big hit with my family so easy to make, I prep in the morning and they are ready for dinner. Love them
These ribs were fabulous and so easy to make.
I only left mine in the crockpot on low for 5 hours
and they were falling apart!
Easy to prepare,cooking in crockpot as I type
I went by this recipe except I cooked mine on High for four hours. Let me tell you this….”They were fall off the bone Killer Good. From now on, this is how I will be cooking my ribs. Great recipe, I give it a 10. Thanks for sharing.
Let me tell you how delicious these ribs were! I only had 6 hour window and it was perfect timing. I used your rub recipe and it was perfect! I didn’t have onion powder in my pantry so I used onion flakes (sometimes you have to improvise) This recipe is a new family favourite. Everyone was fighting over the last piece! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes! Keep them coming!
I made these last night and they were delicious! I did a whole slab of spare ribs. I had no luck in removing the membrane but it did not seem to matter. I did not make an authentic BBQ rub but seasoned them with Adobo, fresh ground pepper and some Accent (don’t rat me out). I took one large onion and cut it into 4 thick slices and placed it in the bottom of my 6 quart slow cooker. I laid the ribs on top of the onion. Then I poured one cup of beef broth around the edge of the ribs. As much liquid as was in the slow cooker when I was done I think I could have gotten by with a 1/2 cup of broth. I cooked them on medium for just a bit over 5 hours and they were very tender but I was still able to lift them out of the pot without them falling all apart. I laid them out on a sheet pan. Meanwhile I retrieved the onion slices out of the cooker and chopped them up to go into a pan of baked beans I was preparing. I cooked the beans for 45 minutes. While they cooked I brushed the ribs with BBQ sauce. After the beans came out of the oven and while it was still hot I switched the oven over to broil and put them in there for 5 – 7 minutes. Admittedly these were not quite like off a charcoal grill but they sure were good. In fact I took a taste of the ribs after coming out of the cooker and before adding the BBQ sauce and they were so good just as is I could have enjoyed them without the BBQ sauce. Thank you for sharing your slow cooker technique. This comment area does not seem to have any stars to select but this would have certainly been worthy of 5 stars.
Awesome! I am going to follow your lead to the letter. Larry
I made this recipe using pork spareribs. OMG!! The best!! The flavor was awesome. I was afraid because I used spareribs and not baby backs that they would be tough, but they were not. They were truly fall off the bone! My new go-to for recipes will be THE STAY-AT-HOME CHEF❣️
I have been using this crockpot recipe for several years. It is always a hit. My spouse loves ribs and when they come out of the crockpot they are so tender and delicious and an easy clean up when you use the crockpot cooking bag!