Are you looking for BBQ Ribs that cook mess FREE? Your search ends HERE!
This recipe goes out to my rib-loving father 🙂 The one other time I made ribs, it was such a mess, and they really didn’t turn out all that great.There were a ton of recipes out there for ribs in the crockpot, but there was either too much heat, too much ketchup and not enough sweet. So I got to work at a good combo.
The big key to this recipe is the quick roasting in the oven. This removes the fat and liquid that would otherwise cause soupy results in the crockpot. I know it seems like an extra step, but it takes no time, and is worth it!
Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs
- pork baby back ribs
- salt and pepper to taste
- bottle of bbq sauce
- hot sauce
- ketchup
- brown sugar
- vinegar
- dried oregano
- Worcestershire sauce
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
- In a bowl, mix together the bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs. Turn to coat.
- Set crockpot on LOW for 6-7 hours. I would recommend 7 hours. Stir once during cooking time so ribs don’t stick to sides and burn.
- Ooooooooh. This IS finger-licking good!
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Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork baby back ribs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 18oz bottle of bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
- 1-4 tsp hot sauce depending on how spicy you like it. Since the girls were eating this, I only did 1 tsp
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
- In a bowl, mix together the bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Place ribs in slow cooker.
- Pour sauce over ribs.
- Turn to coat.
- Set crockpot on LOW for 6-7 hours. Stir once during cooking time so ribs don't stick to sides and burn.
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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TOOLS USED FOR THIS SLOW COOKER BBQ RIBS
Slow Cooker: Here is one of my favorite crockpots!
Slow Cooker Liners: Do you love easy clean-up jobs? Give these liners a try.
Ready for some more easy crockpot recipes?
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- Crockpot Chicken and Gravy – a classic
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup – full of yummy veggies
- Beef Tips – family favorite
- Crock pot BBQ Chicken – fan favorite!
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Stuffing – a whole meal in one!
- Crockpot Honey Garlic Meatballs – a great appetizer or meal
- Crockpot Detox Soup – a super healthy meal
Post updated March 31, 2020
Anonymous says
You are always so thoughtful Chef Corey…can’t wait to try these…Love, Love, Love, the idea of no-fuss no-mess ribs!!!
Dianna M.
Corey @ Family Fresh Meals says
Thanks Dianna!
Angie {Successful2gether} says
Oh my dear! These look DELECTABLE 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Corey @ Family Fresh Meals says
That they are 🙂 Thank goodness my hubby is a vegetarian so there was more for me to eat! hehehe
Ming@Bentomonsters says
This looks very very gd! It’s 9 pm here n I’m feeling hungry looking at ur photos. 🙂
The Crunchy Mamacita says
Thank you so much for linking up to the Recipe Party @ The Sweet Spot. I hope to see more great recipes from your blog next week!
Anna @ hiddenponies says
I JUST ate supper, and this has made me totally hungry again!
Ashley's Cooking Adventures says
Oh my hubby would LOVE these! I am pinning this one for future use! Thanks! 🙂
Magen says
Just made these tonight- they were a HUGE hit with the hubs! I returned to work from maternity leave last week and am making 14 of your crockpot meals in a row for dinner. Somehow my husband brought home a 7.5lb chicken (instead of a 4lb) and we used your recipe/method to roast…and have been eating it for three days (chicken on salad, pita chicken pizzas, with veggies). This was the second recipe in the rotation and we were ready for a break from chicken and this was perfect!
Cynthia says
Anytime I think the meat may stick to the dish I place a slice of onion between the two and voila, no sticking. Can’t wait to try these tonight.
LL says
I made this with beef ribs and it worked great! First time I ever made ribs! Thanks!
Shelley says
I can’t cook…I did these ribs for my family…they were a hit! Thank you!! Really delicious!! 😉
Tracy says
I’m wondering if anyone has tried or knows if you could make these ribs (through the oven step and mixing the sauce) and put in the freezer to pull out, thaw and put right into the crockpot? I’m trying to get some freezer crockpot meals together and these look so tasty! Thanks!
Natalie Scott says
Hello, I am planning on making this tomorrow but my crock pot isn’t big enough to fit a rack of ribs so I got boneless. (plus I’m pregnant and the thought of taking meat off the bone is just NOT working for me haha) I’m wondering if anyone has tried this with boneless ribs? Is there any adjustment needed for the timing or anything when you cook it that way? Also I see some people recommending putting an onion at the bottom to prevent sticking, has anyone had an issue with that or does the sauce on the bottom take care of it? Thanks inadvance
Debbie S. says
I made these last night and cooked them for the recommended 7 hours. I was able to pull the bones right out. I followed the directions exactly. My husband liked them, but I thought it was gross. I don’t like my ribs to fall off the bone. I won’t make this again. If I want ribs, I will do the work and smoke/BBQ them. If I wanted a pulled pork consistency, I would have bought a loin or shoulder, cooked it in root beer and added BBQ sauce to taste. These ribs ended up way too saucy/sweet for me to enjoy.
Corey says
Sorry to hear that you didn’t like them, but I’m glad your hubby did! I must say, you are the first person I have heard say that they didn’t like their ribs to be so tender that they fall off the bone. I thought that’s what most people do like. 🙂
Andrew says
Debbie, I was hoping that your one-star review was sarcastic since you complained how gross your “fall off the bone” ribs turned out. If the meat “falls off the bone”, that means that your ribs turned out tender and perfect, as evidenced by your husband liking them. If you think that’s gross…well, I don’t know what to tell you.
Corey, the only change I made was to cook the ribs in a slow cooker for 4 hours on HIGH. Mine still turned out delicious and the meat was so tender and juicy that it fell off the bone! I would definitely make them again!
Corey says
SO glad you loved them Andrew 🙂
Brit May says
I made these a over a week ago and they were SO good. My daughter was eating them which absolutely means something!! Definitely gonna try more of your crock pot recipes, but until then were planning on doing these again 🙂 thanks so much!!
Brit May says
And actually, i always end up using more than two pounds of ribs.. and the amount of sauce you say works seems to cover all of them. I just put a bit over 6 pounds i believe in and they covered quite well with the sauce amounts you recommend 🙂
Corey says
Wondeful Brit! I’m so happy you loved them 🙂
Dana says
When is the best time to stir them? I usually use the crockpot cooking bags to make clean up easier, would using the bag for this recipe work ok? Can you use as many ribs as you want & fill up the crock pit by cutting them in half? Or if you have to many will it not cook thoroughly? I really want to try this.
Corey says
Dana, I have never used the bags for this recipe so I cannot say.
Ryan says
What type vinegar? Apple cider? White?
Corey says
I used white vinegar for this recipe 🙂
Kate says
I just made these, they were delicious! It was such an easy recipe to follow. Thank you!
Corey says
I am so happy to hear you loved it Kate!
Wini says
I’ve made a simple version of the Crock Pot BBQ Ribs. I want to try to follow your recipe and get the right sauce mix. So… what’s the reason to brown it first? This looks so good. Definitely going to pin it and try it. Thank you!
Corey says
Hi Wini!
I explain that a little in the post 🙂 The big key to this recipe is the quick roasting in the oven. This removes the fat and liquid that would otherwise cause soupy results in the crockpot. I know it seems like an extra step, but it takes no time, and is worth it!
Jan says
Made these for Mother’s Day. Yes I cooked. Didn’t want to eat at one of the nasty Mother’s Day buffet’s hubby keeps finding each year. I wanted some real food. Started these while he went jogging. Which left no alternative.
OMG!!! They did fall off the bones. All I heard was lips smacking from hubby and my boys. They finished the ribs first before starting in on the sides. Had nerve to ask if there was more in the crock pot. Cooked 5 pounds of baby backs.
Definitely a keeper.
Corey says
I am so happy you loved them Jan! That is awesome how much your family loved them! XO and Happy Mother’s Day!
Serys says
I’ve tried other crockpot bbq rib recipes before, but they’ve always came out bland. There is something special about this one. I don’t know what it is, but the flavors are more prominent and a lot more bolder. You can actually taste the bbq flavor on the ribs. This is a really wonderful recipe, and a definite keeper. Thank you!
Angela says
I tried these ribs tonight for Christmas dinner. I know ribs for Christmas dinner, we just wanted something out of the ordinary, something different. These ribs were just the thing we needed. OMG fall off the bone tender and juicy are just a few words to describe these ribs. My kids who are “extremely picky” about everything, ate them up and asked for more. The only change I made was that I put my crock pot on high instead of low and I put them under the broiler when they were finished so that the sauce can caramelize a tiny bit. Will make these again and again and again. Thanks for the recipe!
Corey says
so glad yo loved them!
Dana says
Hey thanks for this recipe the meat fell right off the bone and the taste was just perfwct and delicious thank you so much?
Lauren Rafti says
I would like to make these this week and was wondering if I could cook the ribs in the oven for the 30 minutes the night before and then throw everything in the crockpot the next morning before work? I leave for work at 7am so anything I can do the night before saves me time in the morning!
Thank you! Recipe looks delicious by the way
Abi says
I made this recipe using pork spear ribs and they came out AMAZING! My husband ate 5 of them! And he isn’t much of a rib/pork person but he loved them. I love ribs and they were perfect. Thank you so much! I will make these again for sure, and I’m going to look at your other meals now hehe 🙂
LizaMD says
Hi, I’m planning these for today, while visiting my daughter.. I understand a bit of the woman’s comment about not liking her ribs to fall off the bone, I’d rather be able to hold the rib than have to eat it with a knife and fork. Do they really just slide off the bone? Do you think cutting the cooking time back a bit might keep that from happening? I like them tender but not falling off, I know there’s a fine line when smoking ribs but the husbands not here to do that and I’m feeling ribs. Looking forward to giving this a try!
Connie says
I’ve used this recipe three times now–every single time, absolutely WONDERFUL! Making it again today 🙂 I’ve done ribs all kinds of ways and they’re usually too dry or not done well enough. These fall off the bone (and into our mouths). Perfect! Thank you so much!
Corey says
Wonderful Connie! Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment. Enjoy those ribs!
Megan says
What hot sauce did you use?
Corey says
I love Franks 🙂
Julie says
Nice recipe! Tried this for my first time cooking ribs after moving out, and it was yummy. A little too heavy on the ketchup flavour for me, but I’m an oddball who doesn’t like ketchup so experimenting with the ratios to see if I can offset it somehow. Maybe more hot sauce. I also love that you brown the ribs first, THEN stick them in the slow cooker. All the other recipes I’ve seen say to put it in the slow cooker first then caramelize in the oven after, but that always ends with ribs that are way too mushy and runny and there’s no point in talking about fall-off-the-bone, they’re off the bone before I even get them out of the slow cooker! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Mike says
I sm making these right now. After me and my daughter got tubs from a fancy BBQ restaraunt we were very disappointed at how dry and toug the meat was. So, I am looking forward to see how these turn out. Thanks for the recipe!
Becky says
I work as a caregiver for three elderly ladies who reside in an assisted living house. I made these ribs a couple of times for them and they were met with tasty approval. They smelled SO GOOD while they were in the crockpot, I am doing four-and-a-half pounds of ribs at home today, with friends coming for dinner. I’ve slow-cooked ribs in the oven before — messy, messy, messy. What I love about these, besides the tender, fall-off-the-bone, delicious end product, is that clean-up is so easy!
Becky says
Oh, forgot to mention — for the elderly women, I left the hot sauce out of your recipe, although I’ll be adding it in for my own!
Corey says
Sounds like a good plan Becky 🙂
Corey says
This comment sure made me smile Becky! Thank you so much! I am so happy the ribs were a hit!
Maria says
I have tried other recipes in the slow cooker before but these were much better The house smelled wonderful as they cooked all day. They were delicious and flavorful. Thank you, I’ll surely make them again.
Jen says
I love your recipes! I’m making these tomorrow night. What size crock pot is that? I have a 6 quart and I’m wondering if I do a rack of ribs will my cook time be different? Curious to know what size you use for this recipe. Thanks!
Alyssa Morrison says
Cory,
Have you ever made these with a country style rib (no bones)? I want to try making this recipe this weekend, but wanted to know your thoughts!
I absolutely LOVE your recipes! Thank you!
Alyssa M.
Corey says
Alyssa, I have and I think those would work great for this recipe 🙂
Nick S says
These are fantastic, thank you! The change we made was one I read in a blog awhile back. We did the ribs totally in the slow cooker. Afterwards, we picked them out, put more sauce on them and broiled them for 3 minutes to heat the sauce.
Very very good!
Megan says
These ribs were amazing! I will be making them gain for sure!! 🙂
Leah says
This is my go-to slow cooker rib recipe!! No tweaking needed! Cooking the ribs in the oven really is the key! They have so much flavour! I share this recipe with everyone! Please don’t ever take it down!!
Stacy says
If I use 2.7 lb and stack them will it be the same cook time?
Corey says
You might need to add a little bit of cooking time, but not much. Just keep an eye on the ribs close to the end of cooking time.
JoAnn says
Glad to see someone tried it with beef ribs (back in 2014, lol) because I would like try it with beef ribs, i will also try it with pork ribs, too
JoAnn says
Hi Corey, I saw that someone used beef ribs instead of pork, I have a fussy eater who doesn’t like pork, so I just wanted to ask with beef ribs do you still roast them in the oven for a bit to drain the fat? Thank you
Leah says
My go to rib recipe for a while now! Thank you!
Deanna says
So enjoyable! The meat just falls off the ribs ! Definitely you should try !