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.
Do you ever use this method for beef ribs?
Yes, I have. The beef ribs are a lot larger so you can fit less in the slow cooker.
My wife asked me to look up a crock-pot rib recipe. This is the one I found, she says she is going to cook them tomorrow, after reading all these comments I don't want to wait that long, what should I do? I have never tried cooking crock-pot ribs before, mine are usually fall off the bone so you will have a tough customer with me. lol Too bad I can't do them tonight. Dave from Las Vegas
A lot depends on the make and model of your slow cooker as to how high the temperature actually gets. Crock pot brand are pretty reliable. Cheap off brands are sometimes shady. As long as you are using a decent slow cooker and keep it on low, there's no reason to worry. I've cooked from 1 to 3 racks at a time.
I made a rack of these ribs today! Simplicity, delicious and easy clean up. Thanks Rachel for sharing.
How do you layer them in the crocpot? I tried one recipe where you stand them up around inside the pot, but i never layered them on top of each other. How do you do it?
I cut my racks in half and just just stack them up. Lay one down, brush it with sauce, then the next until it is full.
Love these gorgeous ribs Rachel. Wonderful tips, and we will have to try these in the crockpot soon. Maybe for Father's Day….
If the grease from bbq ribs is a bit much for you, try putting about 1/4 of a teaspoon of fresh lemon zest in. I use it with my bbq sauce on the gas grill and it cuts the "greasy taste and feel"" substantially. Jim from Florida
This is the easiest and best indoor rib recipe Ive ever tried. Ribs are so juicy and tender, the bones come right out and a 1/3 slab makes for a perfect rib sandwich.
how many lbs did you use in the demo? How many serving would you say?
In the demo I used one full rack of ribs. A rack of baby back ribs will weigh somewhere in the 2 to 3 pound range. We eat about half a rack per person, and that'll stuff you full. I've done 3 racks of ribs in a slow cooker before and it was a tight fit.
These look amazing. I will absolutely be trying these tomorrow. Do you mind if I share this post on my social media? {I would of course tag and link} 😀
Absolutely Nichole! Feel free to share!
Bridget from SE Oregon here. I am going to try this recipe for the SB on Sunday. I've never done ribs in the Crock Pot, so I am really looking forward to it! I have St. Louis style spare ribs, (they were on sale!), so I hope they work as well as the baby backs. I agree with the whole 'low setting only' idea. Here's why: Crock Pots aren't what they used to be. About 8 years ago, Rival modified its Crocks- the newer models cook about 20 degrees hotter than earlier models. A Crock that is more than 8 or 10 years old will deliver an energetic simmer on the high setting, and a bare simmer on low, whereas the new models will deliver a rolling boil on the high setting. Rule of thumb: Never use the high setting on new slow cookers unless you are just finishing a sauce or something. And if you hit a garage sale or thrift shop and find an old slow cooker? Snap it up!