I LOVE Baby Back Ribs. I think one of the main complaints I’ve heard about ribs (other than the fact that people don’t like eating them straight off the bone) is that they’re fatty and tough. I’ve had this recipe for years, but I was never able to really get them as tender as I wanted them. The braising liquid is to DIE for, so I knew there was major potential, but I just couldn’t figure out what to do. After lots of rib research (hard work, I know), I discovered two things: even though spareribs are cheaper, buy baby backs. They’re meatier, less fatty, and more tender. And secondly, I needed to be braising the ribs slower at a lower temperature than I was doing in the oven. Enter my good friend…the crockpot! Yep, slow cooker ribs. Your greatest fantasies have just been realized. These will fall off the bone and a good portion of visible fat will come off during the slow cooking and the grilling.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Ribs – Baby back ribs are the way to go here. They are meatier, less fatty, and more tender than spare ribs.
- Braising liquid
- pineapple juice – A big part of the braising liquid is pineapple juice, which adds a sweet flavor but also helps tenderize the meat. Frozen concentrate works great, but bottled will work as well.
- brown sugar
- mustard powder
- ketchup
- soy sauce
- garlic
- red wine vinegar
- lemon juice
- ground ginger
- cayenne pepper
- cloves
- Barbecue Sauce – These ribs get cooked in the slow cooker and finished off on the grill (or under the broiler in a pinch). Grab your favorite bottled barbecue sauce to keep things simple or whip up your own. Kansas City Barbecue Sauce or Quick and Easy Barbecue Sauce would both be great.
How To Make Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
- Mix up your braising liquid: pineapple juice, brown sugar, mustard powder, ketchup, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, ground cloves, ground ginger, garlic cloves, and cayenne pepper. It seems like a lot, but every ingredient plays a part in making a delicious braising liquid!
- You’ll cup up your ribs in portions of 2-3 ribs and pop them in the slow cooker with your braising liquid. Those cook low and slow for several hours until tender.
- At that point you’ll carefully remove them from the crock pot and finish them on the grill with your favorite barbecue sauce.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover ribs in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy in 3-4 days for best results.
- You can also finish these under the broiler if you don’t have access to a barbecue. This is also a great option if your ribs are so tender that they are really falling apart when you remove them from the crock pot!
- These ribs are delicious with classic barbecue fare. Consider serving with Classic Potato Salad, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, Corn Salad with Queso Fresco, or Grilled Potatoes and Onions.
Frequently Asked Questions
These ribs are best made all the way through in one go. You can certainly prep your ribs a day ahead of time. The braising liquid could also be made ahead of time and kept it in the fridge until ready to use, just be aware that it will require longer cooking time as the crock pot has to heat up the liquid before it can start cooking. If you’re making your own barbecue sauce, that can be done a day or two in advance as well.
It should, but I haven’t actually tried it. In general I would expect beef ribs to need a longer cooking time and you may need to get creative when fitting them in the crock pot. If you try it out let me know how it goes!
Babyback Ribs
Ingredients
- 1-2 racks babyback ribs 1 rack feeds two adults; another rack of ribs will work with the marinade if your crockpot can fit them
- 3 cups pineapple juice
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons mustard powder
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- your favorite barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Cut the ribs into 2-3 bone portions and place them in a crockpot. Whisk together the remaining ingredients (except for the barbecue sauce). Pour the liquid over the ribs, cover, and cook for 5-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Carefully remove the ribs from the liquid.
- When ready to serve, preheat grill over medium heat. Brush one side with your favorite barbecue sauce. Place the ribs, sauce side down, on the hot grill and brush the tops generously with sauce. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes until nice char marks form. Carefully flip the ribs, close the lid, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Store leftover ribs in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy in 3-4 days for best results.
- You can also finish these under the broiler if you don’t have access to a barbecue. This is also a great option if your ribs are so tender that they are really falling apart when you remove them from the crock pot!
- These ribs are delicious with classic barbecue fare. Consider serving with Classic Potato Salad, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, Corn Salad with Queso Fresco, or Grilled Potatoes and Onions.
Questions & Reviews
i wanna make my first ribs…there's a party i am hosting this saturday…i guess it's too risky to try something now for a party eh…
I finally got around to trying these and we LOVED them. The flavor was awesome and I think they were possibly the most tender ribs I've ever had. I used to slow-roast mine on the grill, but I think I'll stick to this crock and grill method from now on. They were perfect!
I agree that you don't need to bother taking off the membrane with this recipe either. I always do when I cook mine on the grill, but your right, there's no need when you're crocking them first, and the other poster is probably right- they'd fall apart without it!
Thanks for a yummy recipe Kate 🙂
I crocked these last night and put them on the grill tonight. I picked up some BBQ sauce from Glory Days because believe it or not that is one of my favorites. 7 hours on low turned out to be just right to make them tender but also hold together on the grill.
I saw another comment about membranes, my advice is to leave these on because they basically hold the meat together once it is nice and tender. Anyway, I have not have ribs better than this at any restaurant. They were phenomenal. Thanks for suggest for those of us who don’t have smokers.
Ok, so the braising sauce was sooo good, that I didn’t even put on the BBQ sauce! I need to try it just to see what it’s like, but for the first time trying it, I didn’t want to “ruin” a good thing!
Kate, I have never cooked baby back ribs, I tried them for Father’s Day and they were scrumptious and easy! Thank YOu! jodi
Jen, I didn’t remove the membrane on mine. And I agree that that sounds disgusting. Maybe that’s another perk of baby backs–I really didn’t notice much of a membrane and it seems like anything extraneous just kind of came off while it was braising. I do know that when I’ve made spareribs, I didn’t remove the membranes and they were really, really hard to eat.
Tricia- since when are you “lady-like”?? hahaha. By the way, we’re totally overdue for a bbq.
Jen- I do take off the membrane, but it’s not hard. Just use a sharp knife and cut it right off. But like Kate said, some cuts don’t have much of a membrane anyway.
Do you believe in “removing the membrane” from ribs? I have read/heard that before, and it has always made me hesitate on making ribs. I don’t know how, and it sounds pretty gross.
I always thought that ribs were very un-lady like, but then I had them at Texas Roadhouse and fell in love. To heck with lady-like. . .these look amazing!!
Okay, um, Yum. I’m totally having ribs this weekend (even if I have to pay and arm and a leg for them!)