Slow Cooker Ribs

🐷🎉 Tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone baby back pork ribs that are finger-lickin’ good! With just 5 minutes of active prep, your slow cooker does all the work in creating ribs that your friends and family will beg you to make over and over!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 rack baby back pork ribs (about 3 to 4 pounds; mine were 4 pounds)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (use chili chipotle powder for a smoky kick)
• 2 teaspoons freshly black pepper (make sure it's freshly ground)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional (for spicier ribs))
• 1 to 2 cups barbecue sauce (I prefer a thick, molasses-based sauce like Baby Ray's)
• 2 tablespoons water

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Trim: Optionally, flip the ribs over and take the skin off the bone. Start at the side of the ribs where they taper off. At the edge, you will see there is a thin layer of skin over the ribs. You can sometimes pry it up with your finger or you can take a paring knife and run it along the bone right under the skin just to get a small flap up so you can get a grip on it. It is slippery so I suggest using a paper towel to help leverage your hold on the skin; it will then pull off easily. You can skip this step of taking the skin off. This helps with tenderizing but some people skip it.
2. 2Heat: Plug in and turn on your oval 8-quart slow cooker to get it preheating (a 7-quart oval slow cooker should be okay, but I don't recommend any smaller).
3. 3Cut the ribs in half between two of the bones; set aside.
4. 4Whisk: To a small bowl, add the brown sugar, paprika (or chipotle), black pepper, salt, garlic powder,onion powder, optional cayenne pepper, and whisk together to create the dry rub; set aside.
5. 5Combine: To a separate small bowl, add 1 cup of the barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons of water to thin it slighting, and stir to combine; set aside.
6. 6Lay one of the half racks of ribs into the slow cooker, meat side up.
7. 7Sprinkle: Evenly sprinkle half the dry rub on top.
8. 8Drizzle: Evenly drizzle half of the barbecue sauce mixture on top.
9. 9Add the other half rack of ribs on top, meat side up.
10. 10Sprinkle: Evenly sprinkle the remaining rub.
11. 11Drizzle: Evenly drizzle the remaining barbecue sauce.
12. 12Cook: Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours; however I recommend cooking on
13. 13Test: low to prevent the ribs from drying out. Tip - You know the ribs are done when you pierce the meat with a fork between two bones and there is no resistance.
14. 14Rest: Allow the meat to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Or optionally, continue onto step 15 and broil the ribs to create a thicker, stickier glaze* (See Notes for more info).
15. 15Preheat: To optionally continue with broiling the ribs - Adjust the oven rack to the second-highest position and preheat your broiler to high.
16. 16Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
17. 17Arrange: Very carefully lift the ribs out of the slow cooker, one half at a time, and place them on the lined sheet pan.
18. 18Brush: Optionally, brush them with additional barbecue sauce if you like them extra saucy, about 1 cup; or leave them as is.
19. 19Broil for a few minutes, until the outside of the ribs is bubbling and caramelized. Keep watching at all times because they can burn very fast!
20. 20Store: Allow the ribs to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Extra ribs will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.