Slow Cooker Ribs

Smokey, sweet, and over 40 grams of protein per serving, this Slow Cooker Ribs recipe has been a family favorite for YEARS! Fall-off-the-bone tender, the ribs are coated in a homemade barbecue, meaning every bite is incredibly flavorful. Cooked low and slow, it’s a hands-off recipe I can prep in the morning and come back to later in the day. This is the kind of comfort food you’ll want to make again and again, whether it's for busy weeknights or dinner gatherings! If you've been looking for the PERFECT tested and perfected slow cooker ribs recipe, you'll love this easy one.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 15

Servings Servings

Calories 486kcal

Author Christine McMichael

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Ingredients

4-5 pound rack baby back beef ribs
2 large onions halved and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves thinly sliced

For the Sauce

3 15-ounce cans tomato sauce 4 cups total
3/4 cup maple syrup
6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons onion powder
1 Tablespoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups water or broth

Instructions

Grease the slow cooker with cooking spray.
Place a thin layer of onions at the bottom of the slow cooker insert (about 1⁄4 of the sliced onions.)
Place ribs on top of the onions.
Place remaining sliced onions and garlic on top of the ribs.
Whisk all sauce ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Pour over the ribs/onions and make sure some drips to the bottom of the pan.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours until the ribs are tender. Even more liquid will start to appear after the 5 hour mark.
Remove ribs from the crockpot carefully with tongs and set onto a cutting board.
Let ribs cool slightly, then slice between the ribs and serve with the onion & garlic from the slow cooker.

Notes

Regardless of how many ribs you use (depending on their size), the rest of the liquid and spices in the recipe will remain the same as long as you don’t exceed 5 pounds of ribs.
For the ribs with the long bone, 7-8 hours of cooking time was perfection. For ribs that may have less meat and have a shorter bone, you may find that 6 hours is sufficient.
Serving: You can serve the ribs right away by carefully lifting the ribs from the pot and slicing on a cutting board, but they will fall apart more easily – super delicious still! Serving suggestion/tips below.
Each serving is about 3-5 ribs.

Nutrition