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These five-ingredient Slow Cooker ribs are the kind of meal that practically makes itself. Toss everything in before lunch, and by dinnertime the house smells incredible and the ribs are falling-off-the-bone tender — no browning, no fuss, no complicated steps.
Why you’ll love this
Only 5 ingredients — Barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and ribs. That’s it.
Completely hands-off — the Slow Cooker does all the work while you get on with your day.
Incredibly tender — the long, Slow cook gives you meat that pulls right off the bone, every time.
Totally forgiving — if it runs a little longer than planned, they’ll just be more tender. Hard to mess up.
Big flavor, minimal effort — the sauce comes together in one bowl and tastes like it cooked all day. Because it did.
On the ingredients
The ribs: I use baby backs, always. They fit better in the Slow Cooker and they’re a bit more forgiving than spare ribs, in my experience. You want them raw — don’t try this from frozen, it doesn’t work and it’s not safe, so if yours are frozen just plan a day ahead. The membrane on the back — you can pull it off if you want, and I usually do because it does help with tenderness, but I’ve made these plenty of times without bothering and they’re still wonderful. You do what you have time for.
The barbecue sauce: use what you like. I go back and forth between a couple of brands — there was one I loved for years that I think changed their formula, or maybe I just changed, it’s hard to say. Right now I’m using whatever’s on sale, which I realize is not very helpful. A smoky one or a slightly tangy one is what I’d steer toward over something really sweet, since we’re adding brown sugar anyway.
The ketchup is there to stretch the sauce and add a little extra tomato depth without spending money on more barbecue sauce. It works. Don’t skip it.
Brown sugar: packed. I usually do a quarter cup but honestly I eyeball it — sometimes a little more, sometimes not. If your barbecue sauce is already on the sweet side, pull it back.
Worcestershire: this is the thing that makes it taste a little more complex. Just two tablespoons. Don’t leave it out.
Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds raw pork baby back ribs (membrane pulled off if you’re feeling ambitious)
1½ cups barbecue sauce — your favorite, or whatever’s in the pantry
½ cup ketchup
About ¼ cup brown sugar, packed (I usually start there)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Let’s make them
Cut the rack into sections — I do three or four ribs per piece, whatever fits. This is also just easier to serve later; nobody wants to wrestle with a full rack at the dinner table, especially on a weeknight.
Lay the sections into the slow cooker, meaty side down as much as you can manage. They can overlap a little — mine always do, I have a medium-sized oval one that my mother-in-law gave us when we got married and it’s a little small for this recipe but I refuse to replace it — but try to get them mostly in one layer so the sauce reaches everything.
Mix the sauce in a bowl. Barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire. Stir it until the sugar is mostly dissolved and it looks glossy and a little thick. Pour it over the ribs, and use a spoon or tongs to lift the pieces a little so the sauce gets underneath them too. I’ve skipped this step before and the bottom ribs come out a little dry. Just takes an extra thirty seconds.
Put the lid on. Cook on LOW for seven to eight hours, or HIGH for about three and a half to four hours. I almost always do LOW — I start it in the morning and don’t think about it again until I smell it, which is usually around two or three in the afternoon and it’s honestly one of my favorite things.
When they’re done, they’ll be very tender, so use tongs and a wide spatula when you lift them out. Set them on a platter. If you want a thicker sauce — and I usually do — skim a little of the fat off the top of the liquid, ladle some into a saucepan, and let it simmer for five minutes or so. It gets sticky and glossy and good.
Brush or spoon some of that sauce over the ribs before you bring them to the table. Pass the rest on the side.
Variations
A version with apple cider vinegar stirred into the sauce is worth trying — cut the brown sugar back and add a couple tablespoons of vinegar and it’s tangier, which some people prefer. I made it that way once and it was good, though I think I added the vinegar a little unevenly and one section tasted more pickled than the others. That’s a me problem, not a recipe problem.
If you want a little heat, red pepper flakes in the sauce work well. Or a splash of hot sauce. A teaspoon of smoked paprika is nice if your barbecue sauce is mild.
The one thing I’d try if you have time: after they come out of the slow cooker, put them on a foil-lined pan, brush on more sauce, and run them under the broiler for three or four minutes. Watch them like a hawk. The edges get a little caramelized and it adds something — a little char, a little texture. It’s not required, but it’s a nice touch.
Leftovers
Get them in the fridge within a couple of hours. Shallow container, lid on. They keep for three or four days, and I think they might actually be better the next day — the sauce thickens up and the meat soaks in the flavor overnight.
Reheat them in a low oven covered with foil, or just in the microwave if it’s just you and you’re not trying to impress anyone. I’ve eaten cold leftover ribs standing at the open refrigerator at eleven at night and I have absolutely no regrets about it.