Easy Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe – the most delicious, tender, and juicy ribs! Only 5 ingredients. And no grill is required with these ribs!
Spare Ribs vs. Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs have more meat. But they don’t “fall off the bone.”
Spare ribs fall off the bone and are cheaper than baby back ribs.
You can use either kind of rib in this recipe. Griffin and I prefer spare ribs ribs because nothing beats the fall off the bone kind of ribs!
You will follow the same recipe directions for either spare ribs or baby back ribs.
Recipe modifications
I keep this recipe super simple by using my favorite store bought BBQ rub and BBQ sauce. But you can make your own if you want!
How many ribs per person do I need?
I do about 1/2 pound up to 1 pound per person when serving as a the main dish. This recipe will serve about 4 people. If you have a 6 or 7 quart crockpot, you can double this recipe and lay the ribs on top of each other. I would add an hour to the cooking time if you double it though.
What to serve with this easy slow cooker ribs recipe?
I love these with cornbread and southern baked beans!
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 (2 lb) rack spare pork ribs (Baby back or spare ribs work. Use spare ribs if you want the meat to fall off the bone.)
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons bbq seasoning (I like the Jack Daniel’s Pork Rub)
- 3/4 cup Barbecue Sauce (or do 1/4 cup apple butter and 1/2 cup bbq sauce mixed together)
Instructions
Remove the "silver skin" (Here is a video tutorial):
- Lay the slab of ribs bone-side up so that they curve towards you. The silver skin is a pale white skin, like plastic stretched over the bone side of the ribs.
- Slide a butter knife under the silver skin in between two bones in the middle of the rack.
- Using a paper towel, gently pull the membrane off the ribs.
Prepare the ribs:
- Cut the rack in half (or thirds if you have a small slow cooker).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and apple cider vinegar.
- Brush the ribs on all sides with the mustard mixture.
- Liberally season the ribs on all sides with bbq seasoning.
- Add the ribs to the slow cooker. Arrange in a single layer if you can.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. The ribs are done when they reach 190 to 200 degrees.
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Season with a little more bbq seasoning. Generously brush bbq sauce on top of the ribs.
- Broil for 3-4 minutes until the bbq sauce starts to bubble and caramelize.
- Remove from the oven and top with a little more bbq sauce. Broil for another 2-3 minutes until the bbq sauce starts to bubble again.
- Cut the rib rack into individual ribs. Serve with extra bbq sauce.
