Want to tuck into some tasty ribs but don’t want to spend hours stoking a smoker? Then you need to try our simple guide to slow cooker ribs. Cooking ribs at a low temperature for several hours in a slow cooker breaks down the connective tissue and allows the rich BBQ sauce to infuse the meat with flavor. The result is incredibly tasty, fall-off-the-bone tender ribs.
Ingredients and Tools
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork spare ribs
- 2 cups BBQ sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Tools
- Suvie or a slow cooker
- Baking sheet
Directions
Remove the membrane from the bottom of the ribs. Season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine the BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid smoke.
Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Suvie Instructions
Place the ribs into the Suvie protein pan. Divide between two pans if necessary. Pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the ribs and ensure that they are completely coated.
Place the pan, or pans, in the upper right cooking zone. Fill the reservoir with water and enter the Slow Cook settings and set to Cook Now or Schedule.
Slow Cook Settings
Protein: LOW, 8 hours
Starch: 0 minutes
or
Protein: HIGH, 4 hours
Starch: 0 minutes
After the cook, remove the pan or pans.
Slow Cooker Instructions
Place the ribs in the slow cooker pot. Pour over the BBQ sauce mixture and coat the ribs.
Place the lid on the pot and Cook:
Low for 8 hours
Or
High for 4 hours
Finishing
Suvie
Remove the ribs from the Suvie pan. Pour the cooking liquid into a bowl but do not discard. Wipe the pan clean and place the ribs back into the pan. Using a brush, glaze the ribs with the cooking liquid. Return the pan to Suvie and broil for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking.
Remove the pans from Suvie. Remove the ribs and place on a cutting board and rest for 10 minutes. Cut the ribs between the bones and serve.
Grill
Remove the ribs from the slow cooker pot and place on a baking sheet. Glaze the ribs with the cooking liquid and broil under a hot grill for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and place the ribs on a cutting board. Rest for 10 minutes. Cut the ribs between the bones and serve.
Recipes to try
Memphis Style Wet Ribs
Kansas City Ribs
BBQ Pork Ribs
FAQs
Can I use baby back ribs instead?
You can, this recipe will work with spare ribs and baby back ribs.
Can I pre-slice the ribs before cooking?
Of course. Pre-slicing the ribs will create more surface area to apply the BBQ sauce mixture. This is a great option if you want to dial up the flavor intensity.
Can I apply a dry rub to the ribs before cooking?
Yes, we tried to keep this recipe as simple as possible so we skipped the dry rub step. If you need a little dry rub inspiration try our recipes for BBQ Ribs, Kansas City Ribs, Memphis Style Wet Ribs.
Can I use beef ribs instead?
You can! This recipe will work with beef ribs as well. For the perfect fall apart texutre we recommend cooking beef ribs for between 6-8 on the LOW setting.
