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.
what are some simple side dishes to serve with this?
I love a good old country style dinner. These ribs are exactly that, but so simple to throw in a slow cooker or crock pot and have ready by dinner time.
If you need a few side dish ideas that are quick and easy, to serve with these ribs, here is what I recommend:
- Easy Homemade Cornbread
- Healthier Honey Cornbread Muffins
- Mexican Street Corn
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Brown Sugar and Bacon Green Beans
- Spicy BBQ Root Beer Baked Beans
could i make this recipe with any type of ribs?
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.
Related recipe: If you love boneless ribs, try our Slow Cooker Country Style BBQ Ribs!
How to make ribs in the slow cooker:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (honestly, we’d recommend using a slow cooker liner for this recipe to make your cleanup easier).
In a small bowl, mix together mustard, salt, garlic powder, seasoned salt, brown sugar, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Rub both sides of the rack of ribs with the seasoning mixture. Cut the ribs into 4-6 pieces (about 2-3 ribs each piece) and place in slow cooker.
Cook ribs in your crock pot on high for 4-6 hours. Add your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for an additional 1-2 hours.
Remove ribs from slow cooker and serve.
Note: if you want to caramelize your BBQ sauce on the ribs, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, place ribs on top, and brush with more BBQ sauce. Place pan in oven preheated to 400 degrees and cook for 8-10 minutes.
have you ever made ribs in the instant pot? watch how, here:
Did you know we have a Youtube Channel? We have hundreds of simple and delicious recipes, your family is going to love. We take you through each recipe, step by step, and show you exactly how to make them.
These Instant Pot Fall Off The Bone BBQ Ribs are easy to make, and literally are ready to eat in minutes. They are so tender and juicy, you won’t believe how simple they are. Watch how to make them, HERE.
See the full recipe and step by step instructions for making ribs in the Instant Pot HERE.
looking for more rib recipes? here are a few of our favorite:
- Slow Cooker BBQ Country Style Ribs
- Instant Pot Fall Off the Bone BBQ Ribs
- Easy Smoked BBQ Ribs
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Apple Butter BBQ Spare Ribs
- Fall Off the Bone Ribs
Crock Pot 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 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce, we love Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy
Equipment
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
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(I highly recommend using a crock-pot liner for easy cleanup!)
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 🙂
so you wait to put on the sauce? Is it better that way or something?
@Anonymous . . . I honestly don’t know if it is better or not- I have never tried it another way! I think that it would be just fine to pour the sauce on the ribs at the beginning . . . if you try it, let us know!
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?
kind of disappointed…. i used pork spareribs and not much flavor. I am wondering if beef would have been a better choice!
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?
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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!
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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!