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Crock Pot Ribs are the best, most tender, flavorful ribs you’ll make! These are just about the easiest thing in the world and the meat just about falls off the bone!
We love tender, saucy BBQ ribs in our house, and the crockpot is surprisingly my favorite way to make them!
Yes – I’m being serious. Crockpot Ribs are seriously some of the best ribs we make, always tender, always flavorful, and always devoured by whoever we serve them too!
That doesn’t mean our smoked baby back ribs aren’t major favorites around here too, but these crock pot ribs are definitely easier and we honestly make them more often because of it!
We love pork in this house. My pulled pork is literally the best thing ever. Rub it with our barbecue dry rub and enjoy! I make it almost every time we have a big family get together, because not only does everyone love it, it’s easy.
Our crockpot smothered pork chops and crockpot ranch pork chops are a couple other favorites, if you also have a bunch of pork lovers in your home. 😉
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Easy: I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to make smoked baby back ribs in a smoker (which are great!) but the crockpot is a lot easier. You’ll always get tender juicy meat that practically falls off the bone.
- Sauce: You could use any store bought sauce here but it’s so easy to make your own, and it’ll taste so much better! Try one of our homemade sauces, like our Carolina BBQ sauce or bourbon BBQ sauce.
- Versatile: Ribs for one or ribs for six? You can easily scale this recipe!
- Year Round Favorite: I live in central Illinois and the winters can get brutal. Smoking outside in the cold is difficult because it’s hard to guess how long the food will take in windy, cold temperatures. Sticking to the crockpot takes that guesswork out and I get to stay warm at the same time.
Ingredient Notes:
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Baby Back Ribs – These BBQ ribs are lean with tender, juicy meat! They’re smaller than spare ribs or country style and I think they are best for slow cooking. Remove the silver skin/membrane from the back of the ribs if it isn’t already removed.
BBQ Dry Rub – We scaled down my dry rub to make the perfect amount of these ribs.
Barbcue Sauce – You can use any BBQ sauce you’d like with this slow cooker ribs recipe, but I’d highly recommend checking out my tangy Carolina BBQ sauce if you like things tangy, or our Bourbon BBQ sauce if you like things a bit sweeter. Go the extra mile and brush some of our Alabama white sauce on these after cooking, if you like!
Apple Cider – You’ll need some moisture in the crock pot so the ribs get nice and tender and won’t dry out. Apple cider does all that and it adds a touch of sweetness to the ribs! Use the leftover apple cider in our apple cider donut bread or an apple cider mimosa!
Variations:
- Ribs: We’re using baby back ribs here, but spare ribs should also work well. Adjust cook time as needed until the ribs are nice and tender.
- Sauce: My husband prefers his ribs with just a dry rub, so we leave the sauce off of some for him. The rub is flavorful enough on it’s own!
- Apple Cider: This recipe was made using apple cider, but apple cider vinegar works surprisingly well too. Cut it down to 1/4 cup. This will help tenderize the meat. Dr. Pepper is another popular option.
What Readers are Saying!
I am not a rib cooker and I will tell you these turned out wonderful. Planning to use this recipe again!! And share like crazy…” – Mary
How to Make Crockpot Ribs:
Dry Rub: Combine the seasoning in a small bowl and whisk together to combine.
Season: Sprinkle the rub over your baby back ribs and rub it all in on both sides.
Helpful Tip!
If you like the smoky flavor that you usually get with smoked BBQ ribs, use smoked paprika in the dry rub seasoning!
Slow Cook: Add the apple cider (or apple juice!) to your slow cooker, pop the ribs in, cover, and cook!
Chances are your crock pot won’t be large enough to lay all the ribs flat. That’s okay! Just stack them flat on top of each other.
Every slow cooker heats differently, but mine takes 4 hours on high and 8 hours on low. If your crockpot cooks hotter, you can reduce the time as needed.
Helpful Tip!
While “falling off the bone” sounds good, I’d recommend not slow cooking ribs to that point. You do want them tender, but they won’t be as easy to handle, broil, and sauce if they are falling apart. But if that’s how you like your ribs, go for it!
Broil: These slow cooker pork ribs get pulled out and popped on a baking sheet. Slather them in your preferred BBQ sauce and then pop them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Once the barbecue sauce starts to caramelize, your slow cooker ribs are ready! Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. You can also serve these with the BBQ sauce on the side. Broiling them is still a good idea though!
These are seriously best slow cooker ribs!!
What to Serve With Crock Pot Ribs:
Oh goodness, there are so many tasty possibilities!
- We always have my Coleslaw Recipe with these slow cooker BBQ ribs!
- Jiffy Corn Casserole is a definite hit.
- Cowboy Beans, Cauliflower Potato Salad, and Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole are all amazing as well.
- Some Cajun fried corn is so easy to make with an air fryer!
- You can’t go wrong with my Baked Mac and Cheese!
- Don’t forget dessert! My Peanut Butter Sheet Cake always sounds good!
Low Carb Ribs:
Trying to cut back on excess carbs and sugar?
Try this slow cooker keto ribs recipe which has a sugar free BBQ dry rub and sauce. It uses the same method as this recipe and turns out perfect every time.
Recipe FAQ:
Pork ribs come in three main cuts. Baby back ribs are lean and tender, spare ribs have less meat but are very flavorful, and country-style ribs are big and meaty. I like baby back ribs the best for this recipe but you can use other types.
We’re using apple cider, but apple juice, Dr. Pepper, or Coca Cola all work well.
There’s no need to cover your ribs in liquid when slow cooking them. Add a bit to the bottom of the crockpot to keep things steamy inside the crockpot, but you won’t cover the ribs.
Ribs that aren’t tender are usually a result of undercooking. All slow cookers vary a bit, so keep an eye on things and test for doneness. When you can easily twist the bones around inside the meat, your ribs are done!
MORE CROCKPOT RECIPES!
If you love using the crockpot to make dinner time easy, I have some tasty recipes for you to check out below!
- My French dip sandwich is the most popular recipe on this site!
- Crockpot BBQ chicken, crockpot pork roast, and crockpot chicken and stuffing are on repeat at my house month after month.
- Serve these ribs with some cucumber tomato salad and crockpot mashed potatoes!
- These slow cooker chicken wings are perfect for gatherings or just as an appetizer!
Crock Pot Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 racks baby back ribs
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs and cut each rack of ribs in half or thirds so that they fit easily in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and parsley.
- Sprinkle the dry rub over each side of the ribs and use your hands to press it into the meat.
- Add the apple cider to the bottom of a slow cooker and place the ribs in the slow cooker.
- Cook, covered, on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- When ribs are very tender, but not quite falling apart, carefully remove them from the slow cooker to a large baking sheet. Brush with barbecue sauce.
- Place under the broiler until the sauce has thickened and begun to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye as the sugar in the sauce can burn quickly.
- Serve immediately.
Jeanne Roberts says
Do you need to take the “skin” off as you are supposed to do when you grill ribs?
Karly says
Yep!
Mary says
I am not a rib cooker and I will tell you these turned out wonderful. Planning to use this recipe again!! And share like crazy.
Thank goodness for google. I googled crockpot ribs. This one came up and at 415am it looked like a winner. My ribs went in the crockpot frozen. No problem. The meat fell off the bone. My first tine using the broil setting in an oven too.
Thank you for the recipe.
Karly says
So glad you gave them a try! 🙂
Gloria says
I tried this last night and I must say it is one recipe that stands true! Although I didn’t need the full 8 hours either, they fell off the bone & the flavor was great. Loved the caramelization process for the final touch. It was a hit with hubby…and he’s very picky!!! Meal was complete w/ Mac n cheese, baked beans & coleslaw. Thanks!
Karly says
So glad they were hubby approved! 🙂
JL says
Oh no! I’m doing this now and realized I grabbed apple juice instead of cider. Should I skip it or use the juice instead?
Also I’m only doing 1 rack cuz there’s only 2 of us at home. How do I adjust the cooking time? Thank u.
Karly says
Apple juice and apple cider are basically the same thing…won’t hurt anything to use the juice. For the cook time, I’m really not sure how it will change. Should be a bit less time, so just keep an eye on them.
Delaney says
Is the BBQ sauce necessary or can I broil without the sauce? My boyfriend and i arent the biggest fans of BBQ sauce.
Karly says
I always leave one or two of them plain for my husband and it works fine! 🙂
Amanda says
Can u use beef ribs instead of pork?
Karly says
I haven’t tried it, but I think it’d work fine.
Britt says
HOW many pounds of meat does the rub cover? I’m about to try this recipe! Yay!!!
Karly says
Hi Britt! This should easily cover the 3 racks of ribs. If you have extra, just store it in a sealed container for next time. 🙂
Jessica Kahanek says
I improvised since I didn’t have either apple cider or apple juice. So instead I used cinnamon apple sauce : )
Joyce Perez says
Love Love Love bar-b que ribs will make this very soon thanks for the recipe and others as well
casey says
do you use dried parsley or fresh?…im using fresh so i hope thats ok
Karly says
Either should be fine, but I use dried in things like rubs and spice blends. 🙂
Lida says
This recipe is nasty, the only thing giving it any flavor at all was the bbq sauce…We are used to smoking our ribs, but since it was cold, I tried this recipe…I think if you use an good rub and let it soak in for 24 hours, it might turn out better, I will never cook my ribs any other way besides smoking them, it’s the best way. The ribs were falling off the bone and soft though.
Karly says
You can’t expect the same flavor of a slow cooker rib that you would from a smoked rib. They’re obviously going to taste pretty different.
Kendra says
Ummmm NOTHING will taste the same as smoked meat?
Nina says
Use some liquid smoke!!!!!!
Kierra Phillips says
I’m not sure why, but I read apple cider as apple cider vinegar when I made this recipe last night ; despite my mistake, absolutely delicious. Saving this recipe for future uses!
Judy says
I did the same….not a fan at all. I should read it twice. Waste of ribs.
Karly says
I’m sure they weren’t all that great with the vinegar. If you try again, be sure to use apple cider. 🙂
Cynthia says
Can you please put a note next to your Apple cider ingredient that says something like this…1/2 cup of apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar…Apple cider juice). I, too, thought apple cider vinegar. It’s not your fault, as I read it incorrectly. But since so many people have made this mistake, it would be helpful. Thank you.
Karly says
Hi Cynthia! I’m scared that adding the word vinegar in there is going to cause people to use it even more often…people skim and if they see that word it may just make the problem worse. I’ll try adding a note in the recipe card, but half the time people don’t even read those. 😉
Karly says
Uh oh! I bet those were some tangy ribs. I’m sure they’ll be even better with apple cider. 🙂
Jody says
Crap mine are in crockpot with apple cider vinegar too! Hope they are still good…
Karly says
Uh oh! I hope it still works out for you!
Sher says
I read Apple cider vinegar too and used it and loved them. I grated some Apple and brown sugar into the excess liquid after removing the ribs from the Crockpot and left that while broiling the ribs. I then used a slotted spoon to collect the Apple to lay onto in the ribs. Delicious
Sonia says
Would like to know if apple juice can be used instead, will make this by the end of the week.
Karly says
Apple juice works just fine! 🙂 Enjoy!
sharon says
also make your baked potatoes in the crock pot in a line while ribs cook I stand the ribs on the side and baked potato’s in a liner in the middle
Scott says
I add 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to the apple cider…. perfect