It’s summer! Time to break out the swimsuits, apply the sunscreen, and fire up the grill! If you are like me, there is something special about pork spare ribs on a hot summer day. If you want to learn how to cook the best slow cooker ribs you’ve ever tasted, stick around!
My personal all-time favorite method for cooking extremely tender baby back ribs is to slow cook them over several hours. There is something magical that happens to pork ribs when they slow cook in their own juices.
City BBQ’s food is pre-cooked, so it takes almost no time at all to dig in. For the speed and price, it’s not bad but it’s not good enough.
I have been slow cooking and smoking ribs for several decades now. Ribs have always been tricky to master.
Cook them too long, and they will be dry and undesirable. Undercook them, and they will be tough to pull off the bone. There’s definitely a sweet spot when it comes to ribs, and it’s up to you to find it.
How to Cook the Best Crock Pot Ribs Ever
To anyone just starting out cooking ribs, I would offer the following advice: Be patient.
Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to cooking ribs. This is why a recommend using a crockpot, with pork ribs instead of beef. Set the slow cooker to low, and allow to cook for 8 hours.
These crock pot pork ribs recipe are an easy recipe for BBQ ribs that are sweet, tender, and spicy. @slimchefrecipes.com
I also recommend dry-rubbing your ribs 24 hours before cooking. The mix that I use is a simple rub consisting of…
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparing Your Ribs Before Adding Them to the Crock Pot
It’s also very important that you remove the thin back membrane and to trim the excess fat before cooking baby back ribs.
Another benefit to using a crock pot is the ability to implement moisture into the equation. When I cook my pork baby back ribs, I always coat them in a cola/BBQ sauce mix.
Most of the time, I make my own barbecue sauce. But for this recipe, I used a store-bought Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce instead. The result was fantastic.
You’ve never tried a rib recipe like this one.
I’ve tried plenty of ribs in my life, but I’ve never had a more tender rib than these. For this reason, I recommend searing your rack of ribs before dropping them in the crockpot.
These baby back ribs had the perfect amount of moisture, had enough flavor to break through, and had a great blend of sweet, spicy, savory, and tenderness.
Don’t believe me? Try them for yourself!
Crock Pot Pork Ribs Recipe
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 3
Calories: 311
Ingredients
1 slab baby back pork ribs
1 liter Coca Cola
2 bottles Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
Pork Ribs Rub
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Instructions for Preparing the Pork Ribs
1) Remove the thin membrane from the back of the ribs.
2) Remove any excess fat from the baby back ribs before cooking.
3) Cut ribs to size so they fit inside a crock pot.
Pork Ribs Rub
4) Combine all the pork ribs rub ingredients together in a bowl.
5) Coat pork ribs in olive oil and apply the rub to both sides.
6) Cover the ribs and set inside the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Preferably 24 hours.
Cooking the Pork Ribs
7) Set the crockpot to “low”.*
*Before you add the rack of ribs in the crockpot, I highly recommend searing them on medium-high heat until they develop a brown crust. If you do not sear the pork ribs, they will be so tender that they will fall apart when you remove them from the crockpot.
8) Lay the pork rib sections flat inside the crock pot.
9) Add Coca Cola and Sweet Baby Rays sauce to the crock pot.
10) Cook on low for 8 hours.
Pork Ribs Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving (3 g)
Calories 311
Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6 g (9%)
Saturated Fat 2 g (10%)
Cholesterol 22 mg (7%)
Sodium 794 mg (33%)
Potassium 348 mg 10%
Total Carbohydrates 58 g (19%)
Dietary Fiber 3 g (12%)
Sugars 39 g
Protein 8 g (16%)
Vitamin A (27%)
Vitamin C 18%
Calcium 5%
Iron 9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Final Thoughts on These Slow Cooker Pork Ribs
If you enjoyed these tender baby back ribs, we would love to hear from you in the comment section below or on social media. Be sure to check out our other featured articles!
