Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs
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A Crockpot Baby Back Ribs Recipe that is SO easy to make! Learn how to make slow cooker ribs that are delicious and fall off the bone tender!
Some people think the best ribs are made on the smoker or grill… but trust me when I say, these crock pot baby back ribs are way better!
Cooking ribs in the crockpot makes them perfectly tender and fall-off-the-bone, and they’re SO easy to do (seriously… anyone can do it!). Just rub the pork ribs with some spices, cook in the crockpot, and finish in the oven with some BBQ sauce! Like most crockpot recipes, you can let the pot do most of the work.
Because the rack of ribs cooks low and slow, they are incredibly tender every time! They are also very easy to customize if you eat paleo, keto, or are doing Whole30 (check the green box below for substitutions).
If you love easy crockpot proteins, try our slow cooker Whole Chicken, Salsa Verde Chicken, or Turkey Breast.
Tyler’s tip for crockpot baby back ribs
Slow cooker baby back ribs get dry when you overcook them or cook them too high. We don’t recommend cooking for more than 5 hours. We also recommend cooking your slow cooker baby back ribs on low vs high to avoid them from drying out. Cooking ribs with liquid at the bottom of the pot helps to keep slow cooker baby back ribs from drying out.
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ingredients
Substitutions
Ribs: You can use St. Louis Ribs in place of baby back ribs. They might take a little bit longer to cook, so just ensure they have an internal cooking temp of 145°. We also have a crockpot chicken wings recipe you may like!
Salt: You can use less salt if you are watching your sodium intake.
Brown Sugar: You can use coconut sugar in place of brown sugar. If you are doing Whole30, you can skip the sugar, but it really does add a lot of flavor!
Liquid: You can cook ribs in a slow cooker without liquid, but we don’t recommend it. The liquid in the slow cooker helps to steam the ribs and make them super tender. Any liquid will work in the crockpot. Water, beer, apple juice or chicken broth all work.
BBQ Sauce: You can use your favorite BBQ Sauce on these ribs. We like a homemade bbq sauce.
How To Make Baby Back Ribs In A Crock Pot
- Mix together the spices. Spray ribs with olive oil. Then coat ribs with dry rub and press spices in.
- Pour the water into the crockpot and place the ribs in, bone side down. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. They’ll start to get darker brown in color and more tender. You want the ribs to be flexible, but not falling off the bone.
- After 4 hours, preheat oven to 425°, remove ribs, and place on a nonstick foil lined baking sheet. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce and bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
What to serve with Crockpot Ribs
These Crockpot Ribs are super filling. They can be eaten as an appetizer or a meal. Here are some of our favorite things to serve them with:
- Corn Tomato Avocado Salad
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Healthy Mac and Cheese
- Vinegar Based Coleslaw
- Spinach Strawberry Salad
- Best Potato Salad Recipe
- For even more ideas, check out these Healthy Side Dishes
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Refrigerator: These ribs will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer: We haven’t tried freezing these ribs, but I don’t think they would freeze very well.
Reheating: It’s best to reheat crockpot ribs in the oven or in a toaster oven until warmed through. We wouldn’t recommend microwaving them or reheating them on the stove.
Other healthy crockpot recipes:
Love your crockpot? Check out these 40+ Healthy Crockpot Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy crockpot cookbook.
Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs baby back ribs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup water OR beer, apple juice, broth
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from ribs. The best way to do this is to stick a butter knife under the membrane and pull the membrane from the back with a paper towel (it’s hard to grip and the paper towel helps!)
- Mix together dry rub of salt, pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder.
- Spray both sides of ribs with olive oil cooking spray
- Coat both sides of the ribs generously with the dry rub. You can gently press the rub into the ribs so it adheres. Optional: let the ribs sit with the dry rub for 5-10 minutes.
- Pour the liquid in the crockpot. Place the ribs in a greased crockpot. You can lay flat if they’ll fit or curl so that they fit in the crockpot.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours. We don’t recommend cooking on high.
- After 4 hours, preheat the oven to 425.
- Gently remove the ribs from the crockpot and place on a nonstick foil lined baking sheet.
- Top with barbecue sauce and bake for 15 minutes.
- Slice & enjoy!
My crockpot setting for low is 8 or 10 hours .the high setting is for 4 not sure which to use.
The recipes says: Cook on low for 4-5 hours. If yours defaults to 8 hours maybe you could set a timer for 4 hours and shut it off manually.