One of my husband’s favorite foods is BBQ ribs, but they always make such a mess on our grill and this time of year, we can’t exactly go outside and grill in the snow. So, when I heard that you could make ribs in the crock pot, I put it to the test.
These were absolutely delicious. They were so tender and so juicy, I may never experience any other rib recipe again. This only took a few simple ingredients and was full of flavor. You will love these easy and delicious Crock Pot BBQ Ribs, that come together in a matter of minutes.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make slow cooker BBQ ribs, you will need the following ingredients:
- Rack of ribs
- Ground mustard
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Brown sugar
- Ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Water
- BBQ sauce
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Liner
- Non-stick Cooking Spray
- Mixing Bowl (Small)
- Whisk
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
How to Make Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
- Line slow cooker with a slow cooker liner (optional) and then spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together mustard, salt, garlic powder, seasoned salt, brown sugar, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Rub both sides of rack of ribs with seasoning mixture. Cut ribs into 4-6 pieces and place in slow cooker. Pour water in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cook ribs in crock pot on high 4-6 hours. Add BBQ sauce and then cook for an additional 1-2 hours.
- Remove ribs from crock pot and serve.
Recipe Notes
This recipe calls for a rack of ribs. However, I have made this using boneless pork ribs and they were absolutely delicious. They do cook a little differently, and the meat has more juice to it, that is released when it is cooked, so they came out not as saucy, from all the excess rib juice.
However, they were still delicious. Depending on which ribs you try, they may need more or less cooking time, depending on what you decide, rib wise. Either way, this recipe is delicious with any kind of ribs.
Enjoy More Delicious Pork Main Dishes
Whether you like your pork cooked in the slow cooker, grill, or Instant Pot, pork is one of the most versatile main dishes. Check out our comprehensive collection of pork main dishes here.
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter BBQ Spareribs
- Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin
- Slow Cooker BBQ Country Style Ribs
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Slow Cooker BBQ Ranch Ribs
- Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs
- Slow Cooker Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin
- Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
- Slow Cooker Chile Verde Pork Enchiladas
Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 lb rack of ribs
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- dash cayenne pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons water
- 1 ½ cups BBQ Sauce, we love Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy
Equipment
- Slow Cooker Liner
Instructions
- Line slow cooker with a slow cooker liner (optional) and then spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together mustard, salt, garlic powder, seasoned salt, brown sugar, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Rub both sides of rack of ribs with seasoning mixture. Cut ribs into 4-6 pieces and place in slow cooker. Pour water in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cook ribs in crock pot on high 4-6 hours. Add BBQ sauce and then cook for an additional 1-2 hours.
- Remove ribs from crock pot and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
These look so good!!! I’m definitely making these!
Hubby and I love ribs! This looks delicious and easy 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
I made these today (haven’t ate them yet) and when I went to them there was a BUNCH of liquid in the bottom and my BBQ sauce did not stay….how did you get the BBQ sauce to stay on and get like that?
Just had to come back and say that I took the ribs out of the crock pot and put them in the oven to dry them out a little and then put a little more BBQ sauce on them and left the a little bit longer and they taste GREAT
Do you use beef or pork ribs?
If you have time and want an amazing rib, try Alton Brown’s Baby Backs at food network. I do use his dry rub #9 to season pork butt or ribs and throw them in the crockpot, though. Delish!
Rub Number Nine:
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground thyme
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon allspice
Place all of the ingredients in an airtight container and shake to combine. Store for up to 3 months.
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
Mmmm, I just made this and it came out amazing! I bought country style pork ribs (with a bit of fat, this gives it flavor). Followed the directions and whisked up some of my own BBQ sauce cause I forgot to buy some the moment I walked out of the store **face palm**. Super juicy, so I took a bit of the juice out before I added in the BBQ sauce. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I spooned out some of the liquid before adding the sauce.
Have you ever made these w/ omitting the mustard? My husband is allergic.
Did you make your recipe or the Alton Brown one?
I didn’t realize that there are different kinds of ribs, and I just bought and put “Beef Back Ribs” in my crock. I’m thinking that was a big mistake. Should I scrap it now and make other dinner plans?
I’ve made these and i always pour the sauce over the ribs as i’m putting them in the crock pot, about half way thru cooking i rotate the ribs so the ones on top are now compleatly covered in the sauce at the bottom, and when i serve them i spoon some of the sauce over the top, they always come out great!
Do you thaw the ribs out before you put them in the crock pot or can they be frozen
I usually thaw them because it makes the rub stay on better!
I never have used mustard and mine come out amazing!
Has anyone ever tried this with boneless ribs?
I used a rack of cheap pork ribs, and even though the meat quality wasn’t great the recipe most definitely made up for it. We made the dry rub listed and added a tablespoon of brown sugar and chili powder. I hope it goes without saying for some people, but the recipe lists mustard but should say mustard powder. Anyways, the dry rub smelled amazing and we cooked it for 6 hours on high. We used crock pot liners and ditched all the juices and put a new liner in. We added the barbecue sauce and cooked for 2 more hours. The end result was heavenly. I have added this to me and my wife’s recipe book!
It is tbsp you use of salt instead of tsp? I’ve made it once and it was way too salty, so I just wanted to make sure. I also combined your recipe and the one you found on Allrecipes, it was yummy. Thanks
I actually make it exactly as written, but feel free to modify it to your tastes! 🙂 Less salt is probably better for you! 🙂
I use the Hugh’s dry rub recipe on Allrecipes and basically cook my ribs the same way. I pull the ribs out before they are in the “fall apart” stage and drain the fat out of the crockpot. Then I put the ribs back in, pour the sauce over and cook for another hour or so. They come out perfect every time.
Regarding the Hugh’s rub recipe, I don’t add the salt, as I have to watch my salt intake. I just salt the items lightly as I make them. The rub is great on chicken, beef and pork.
Jenny
I’ve made this before and loved it. I’m making it tomorrow for a bigger crowd so I am tripling the amount of boneless ribs that I used before. How much longer should I cook them or should I just cook them three times separately?
You could cook them 3 times separately. If you put too many in at the same time, they don’t cook well. Other option would be to borrow a neighbors crock pot. Best of luck to you! 🙂 The Six Sisters
When I have to make a big batch, I buy the disposable aluminum roasting pans and cook them in the oven at 200 degrees for the same amount of time.
The taste is amazing. My family loved them. Making them again tomorrow, but this time I will pour off the juice after cooking them 4 hours, then add the sauce to finish cooking another hor or so. I like my ribs sticky not saucy. Lol!