Description
Tender and flavorful pork spareribs slow-cooked to perfection in a smoky, sweet barbecue sauce. This Crockpot Ribs recipe combines a homemade dry rub with a tangy BBQ sauce and a touch of apple cider vinegar for balanced flavor and fall-off-the-bone texture, perfect for an easy and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Ribs and Dry Rub
- 6 pounds St. Louis-style pork spareribs or baby back ribs
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika or regular paprika
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Sauce
- 24 ounces BBQ sauce (store-bought or homemade; Blue’s Hog original recommended)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (if the barbecue sauce is sweet)
Instructions
- Prepare the Slow Cooker: Set the slow cooker to low and spray the inside, including the underside of the lid, with nonstick cooking spray to ease cleanup.
- Remove Membrane: Remove the silver membrane from the back of the ribs if still attached, ensuring better texture and flavor absorption.
- Make Dry Rub: In a small bowl, whisk together smoked paprika, brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes until well combined.
- Apply Dry Rub: Rub the dry mix evenly over both sides of the ribs, coating thoroughly for full flavor penetration.
- Brush with BBQ Sauce and Arrange: Brush both sides of the ribs with barbecue sauce. Place the ribs standing upright inside the slow cooker with the meaty side facing the inner wall.
- Add Remaining Sauce and Vinegar: Pour the remaining barbecue sauce over the ribs. If using a sweet sauce, drizzle apple cider vinegar on top for balanced acidity.
- Cook the Ribs: Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
- Reduce Sauce (Optional): For extra saucy ribs, strain the cooking juices through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until reduced to about 2 cups.
- Serve: Slice the ribs between the bones and serve hot with additional barbecue sauce on the side.
Notes
- Removing the membrane improves tenderness and prevents a chewy texture.
- You can substitute baby back ribs if preferred; cook time remains similar.
- Using apple cider vinegar balances sweeter BBQ sauces and adds tang.
- To deepen flavor, you can marinate the ribs with the dry rub for a few hours before cooking.
- If your slow cooker runs hot, start checking tenderness at 5 hours to avoid overcooking.
- Leftover ribs and sauce can be reheated gently on stovetop or in the oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 500 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
