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freshly made slow cooker ribs right in the slow cooker with bbq sauce and garnished with parsley.
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4.80 from 5 votes

Slow Cooker Ribs

Slathered in a tasty sweet BBQ sauce with a bit of a kick, these delicious Slow Cooker Ribs are finger-licking good! Cooked right in the crockpot until the meat just falls right off of the bone, this 10-ingredient recipe is unbelievably easy and perfect for a game day! 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 958kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 cups BBQ sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 pounds baby back pork ribs
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Remove the membrane or silverskin from the bottom side of the ribs. Flip over the rib rack so you are looking at the bottom side (the side without the meat.) Go to one end of the rib rack, using a knife slide it under the silverskin and pull. It should peel right off in one swipe.
    process shots showing how to make slow cooker ribs.
  • Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the ribs in the slow cooker.
    process shots showing how to make slow cooker ribs.
  • In a bowl combine all the sauce ingredients together, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, dried mustard salt and powder. Whisk well and pour over the ribs to cover them entirely in sauce. If stacking the ribs, pour sauce in between them as well.
    process shots showing how to make slow cooker ribs.
  • Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
    process shots showing how to make slow cooker ribs.
  • Before removing the ribs from the slow cooker, pour some of the BBQ sauce from the slow cooker over the ribs. Cut the ribs and serve with remaining BBQ sauce.

Notes

  1. You must remove the membrane. For fall off the bone tender slow cooker ribs, you must remove the silverskin from the backside of each rack before cooking them. Not doing so will result in ribs that aren’t as tender.
  2. Drench them in BBQ sauce. Make sure each and every surface of the ribs are covered in BBQ sauce before they start cooking. It’s better to use too much sauce than not enough in this case.
  3. Crisp them up. When the ribs are done slow cooking if you want to make them crispy on the outside just broil them for about 5 minutes on each side. Then slather them in the BBQ and serve.
  4. Leftover slow cooker ribs will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container or freezer bag. To reheat, just put them in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 10 minutes. However, if the BBQ ribs are frozen, it’s best to let them thaw out in the fridge overnight prior to reheating. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 958kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 197mg | Sodium: 1780mg | Potassium: 1148mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 977IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 4mg