Robyn Stone
Easy Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe – This easy slow cooker ribs recipe makes tender, fall off the bone ribs! No grill or oven is required with these amazing ribs!
Friends, I have a confession. Save time warming up the oven or standing over the heat of the grill if you are making ribs for me, because these are my all-time favorite, most amazing, delicious, tender, fall off the bone ribs I’ve ever made and I love ’em.
And so does everyone else who has ever tasted them.
Ready for the secret?
Easy Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe
I make them in my slow cooker.
And let me tell you, they are fabulous!
How to Make Easy Slow Cooker Ribs
Arrange the ribs.
To make them, I start by spritzing my slow cooker insert with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray. Then, I arrange my rack of ribs along the edges of the slow cooker like shown up above. Depending on the size of your slow cooker and the size of your ribs, you can determine how many racks you can fit. For my 6-quart slow cooker, I’ve managed to snuggle in 5Â about 2-pound each, racks of ribs.
Add the sauce.
Now, add your favorite BBQ sauce to your ribs. I like to go lightly here and not add all of my BBQ sauce since I like to finish them off with a fresh glaze of BBQ sauce for serving as well as serve a little bit of BBQ sauce on the side. So, I generally only add about 3/4 cup of the sauce to the ribs in the slow cooker.
Favorite BBQ Sauces for Ribs:
- Mama’s Coca Cola BBQ Sauce
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce
- Sweet & Spicy Molasses BBQ Sauce (from the Add a Pinch Cookbook)
You can also use your favorite prepared BBQ Sauce. Sticky Fingers has always been one that we have enjoyed as a purchased option.
All it takes.
Then, set the timer and walk away! When you are ready to serve, just slice the ribs into individual pieces and glaze with another 1/4 cup of your BBQ sauce. That’s all it takes.
When planning to make these slow cooker ribs, you’ll want to determine how many people you’ll be serving. I always like to add a little extra to my estimate so that I have leftovers or extras if needed.
How Many Ribs Per Person Do I Need?
Minimum as part of meal. My rule of thumb for determining how many ribs per person I need is to plan for 1/2 pound of ribs on average if I have a well planned menu including great side dishes.
Maximum as part of meal. If I know I’ll be serving a lot of hungry people, and mainly hungry men, I go ahead and plan for 1 pound of ribs per person.
Buffet or Appetizer. If the ribs are a part of an appetizer or other meats are being served, I plan between 1/4 and 1/2 pound of ribs per person.
Here’s my Slow Cooker Ribs recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Easy Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ribs
- 2 cups BBQ Sauce homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Spritz slow cooker insert with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Arrange the rack of ribs by standing them on their ends around the edges of the insert.
- Pour about 3/4 cup of the BBQ sauce over the ribs, place the lid onto the slow cooker and set the timer for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Before serving, remove the ribs from the slow cooker and cut into individual ribs. Brush with additional BBQ sauce, about 1/4 cup. Serve on a platter with remaining sauce.
Nutrition Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Can the ribs be frozen or do I need to thaw them first?
Hi Brook,
You will need to thaw the ribs first. You don’t ever need to cook frozen pork in the slow cooker. Hope you enjoy the ribs! Thanks!
Why does my spare ribs have lots liquid in the slow cooker? My spare ribs were not frozen .
Meat can produce lots of liquid in a slow cooker and the lid prevents it from evaporating. Also, make sure you only pour 3/4 cup of the sauce in the slow cooker and use the rest as a sauce after the ribs have cooked.