There's no easier way to make amazing ribs than this Slow Cooker Ribs recipe! It produces tender, flavorful ribs that only take a few minutes to prep and are sure to impress any guests!
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try Crock Pot Baked Ziti, Beef Noodle Soup, or Pot Roast!
Why I love these ribs:
- Hands-Off – Put the ribs in the slow cooker and let it do the work! There's no babysitting them like you would on the smoker, and the end result is fantastic.
- Favorite Meal – We enjoy ribs year-round, whether during the winter with a side of mashed potatoes and roasted veggies, or in the summer with potato salad, baked beans and cornbread.
- The BBQ Sauce– If you want to make them extra special, use my homemade BBQ sauce recipe!
How to Make BBQ Ribs in the Slow Cooker:
Prep Ribs on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub garlic powder, onion powder and brown sugar onto both sides. Lay them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil. Pre-bake the ribs at 400 degrees for 15 minutes on each side to seal in the juices and render some of the fat. Alternately, throw them on the grill on HIGH for 5 minutes on each side.
Place in Slow Cooker: Layer the ribs in the bottom of your slow cooker or curl the rack around the inside, meat side facing out. Smother them in BBQ sauce, reserving some for later. Cook crockpot bbq ribs on LOW for 4-6 hours. Mine are usually done cooking around the 4 hour mark. You want them to be tender, but not falling off the bone.
Serve crockpot ribs with more bbq sauce and your favorite sides.
Pro Tips:
- Type of Ribs to Buy: Baby back ribs, spare ribs, or country-style ribs will work for this slow cooker recipe. I prefer baby back pork ribs (and I buy them in a 3-pack from Costco).
- Remove membrane, if needed: Depending on where you purchase them, the ribs may still have a white, shiny membrane connective tissue on the back (bone side) that needs to be removed.
Serve With:
- Coleslaw
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Balsamic Roasted Carrots
- Mashed Potatoes
- Buttermilk Cornbread
- Wedge Salad
- Baked Potato Salad
- Corn Salad
- Baked Beans
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Burrata Salad
Follow me for more great recipes
Recipe
Slow Cooker Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork ribs* (about 2 lbs)
- 32 ounces BBQ sauce *
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the ribs generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub garlic powder, onion powder and brown sugar onto both sides of the ribs.
- Pre-Bake: Line a large baking sheet with tinfoil or parchment paper. Bake the ribs on prepared pan for 15 minutes. Flip the ribs to the other side and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Slow Cook: (I like to use a slow cooker liner, for easy clean-up). Place the rack of ribs around the inside of the slow cooker, meat side facing out. Alternately, cut the ribs into a few sections and place them in the slow cooker. Smother them in some barbecue sauce, reserving some sauce for serving later. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, until tender but not falling off the bone.
- Serve warm with extra barbecue sauce slathered on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated November 2019, September 2022 and January 2024.
This post contains affiliate links.
I did some country style ribs in the slow cooker,grilled them on small pit on each side for a few minutes to get that little crispiness. Mmmm Mmmm man were they delicious.😋
I don’t wish to complain so please don’t take it as such but…i did country style ribs followed your instructions to the T annnndd ended up with very dry meat. I did the quicker method so in high 3-3.5 hours. I pulled mine out at just under 3 because when i checked temp they were already over cooked at 190°. Any suggestions on where i went wrong if you had to guess. The preheat at 400 15 minutes on each side produced allot of juice in my pan which may be the issue but not certain. But other then dry they taste great with the Mac n cheese.
400 degrees!!
Ok, so the recipe says to bake for 15 minutes. Off hand, I’d just toss them in the oven at 375 degrees, does that sound about right? There is no baking temperature given…
I’ll make these soon, they sound great!
See Step 1 in the recipe instructions. They get baked at 400 degrees before going in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
I did these ribs 2 weeks ago and they were so good the kids asked for them again the next week. This is unheard of in my family, especially from my picky 17 year son 🙂 who announced they were the best thing I’d ever cooked.
What a huge compliment from you son! Way to go! Thank you sharing with me.
What name brand and type of bbq sauce do you use to give them that orange color?
Last time they came out to dark.
I use Sweet baby rays.
absolutely the best ribs ever!
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Oops, forgot to hit the rating.
Made this recipe for the first time. It is a keeper! The ribs were tender and delicious. I will definitely be making this again!
I have made these ribs 5 to 6 times and they are really great. One thing I found is that I end up using twice as much onion garlic powder mixture as the recipe calls for to cover 3 lbs of ribs. Am I applto much? I don’t mind using that much because they are so good.
Ron