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a row of slow cooker bbq ribs after being cooked, cut up on parchment paper with extra bbq sauce
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5 from 18 votes

Slow Cooker Ribs

These Slow Cooker Ribs come together with our five star BBQ Sauce and best Pork Rub for a tender fall of the bone recipe you will absolutely love.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Lisa Longley

Ingredients

  • 3 to 7 pounds pork spare ribs see note 1

Pork Rub

  • 3 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 1/2 tablespoon table salt

BBQ Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

For Pork Rub

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
    3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon kosher salt

For BBQ Sauce (see note 5)

  • Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
    1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups ketchup, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slow Cooker Ribs

  • If you wish, remove the back membrane from the ribs. This is an optional step. (See note 2.)
  • Rub the pork rub liberally into the ribs. You may have some left over. For best results, refrigerate after rubbing for 4 to 8 hours (or overnight) before slow cooking.
    3 to 7 pounds pork spare ribs
  • Pour a small amount of BBQ sauce in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the ribs. You may need to cut them in half to fit them. Pour a little more bbq sauce between layers and finally add more to the top of the ribs. (You will have BBQ sauce left over.)
  • Cook the ribs on low for 8 to 9 hours. (See note 3) Remove from the slow cooker, tent for 10 minutes, and cut to serve. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.

Video

Notes

  1. There are multiple types of spare ribs that you can buy. They will all work with this recipe. The major difference is time it takes to cook, but we have found with this particular recipe, that 8 hours works great for all three types.
  2. There is very thin membrane on the back of ribs. While it is edible and you likely won't notice it's texture if you don't remove it, removing it allows the seasoning to penetrate the meat and will ultimately make for better ribs.
  3. Cooking ribs on low heat for 8 hours is what is going to make them the most tender. I do not recommend cooking these on high for four hours.
  4. Since ribs are best when they cook low and slow to make for the most tender meat, this recipe already requires 8 hours, I would not recommend starting with frozen ribs.
  5. If you'd rather not make the BBQ sauce, you can use 2/12 cups store-bought BBQ sauce.