Slow Cooker Ribs

Another thing I really love about this recipe is this homemade bbq sauce. It’s flavored just how I like. It’s lightly sweet and tangy, it’s rich and has good depth, and it’s slightly smokey with a little kick.

The other great thing is that there will be extra sauce so you can grill chicken the next day and slather it with lots of this bbq sauce.

When in a rush you can use some of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce but I highly highly recommend trying this homemade sauce when you’ve got the time. It’s so easy to throw together it’s just a bit of measuring and simmering.

You want your ribs to be fall-off-the-bone tender. The crockpot is a great choice. BUT, how do you go from the ugly mess of the slow cooker to beautifully caramelized fall of the bone ribs?

for 8 hours, you’ll get some fall-off-the-bone ribs, but they’ll be kind of funky and unappetizing. The bbq sauce won’t have caramelized at all, and the liquids in the meat will have produced a really runny bbq sauce liquid.

How to Cook Ribs in a Slow Cooker

• First you’ll remove that thin whitish, somewhat translucent membrane from the back of the ribs. Here’s a video if you’ve never done it.
• Then you’ll rinse and dry the ribs and rub a spice rub over them.
• After that you’ll pour a little water into the slow cooker and add the ribs. If the bones aren’t too wide to wrap the ribs around the inside of the slow cooker and still be able to cover with a lid then do that, otherwise cut the in half and layer one over the other as I had to here.
• Cover and cook until very tender about 6 1/2 – 7 hours.
• Meanwhile prepare the sauce by mixing bbq sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmering 15 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly (chill if ribs won’t be done for a few hours).
• Remove ribs from slow cooker once cooked, carefully transfer to a wire rack over a rimmed sheet (covered with foil if you hate clean up).
• Broil on each side about 2 – 3 minutes to slightly caramelize and brown the sauce, serve warm!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons smoked paprika or paprika
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 pounds St. Louis-style pork spareribs or Baby Back ribs see note
• 1 24 ounce jar Barbecue Sauce (Blue’s Hog original is superb)
• ¼ cup cider vinegar if the barbecue sauce is on the sweet side

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Set the slow cooker to LOW and spray with nonstick cooking spray. (I always spray the underside of the lid to help with cleanup.)
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Rub the dry-rub mix evenly over the ribs.
3. Brush both sides of the rib with barbecue sauce and set the ribs in the slow cooker standing upright with the meaty side against the inside wall, of the slow cooker.
4. Pour the remaining barbecue sauce over the ribs. If using a sweet sauce, pour the cider vinegar over the ribs.
5. Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours or until the meat is fork-tender.
6. Serve with additional store-

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