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Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Barbecued Country Style Ribs

Author by on Updated on

5 from 4 votes
Slow cooker dinners are so convenient, and these country style ribs are not only simple, they're delicious!
Cook Time 7 hrs
Total Time 7 hrs 15 mins
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An overhead photo of slow cooker barbecued country style ribs on a plate.

These slow cooker country style ribs are absolutely delicious and the smells wafting throughout the house are hard to resist! Pair these beauties with baked potatoes and sweet corn for a fabulous weeknight dinner.

Serve my KFC Coleslaw recipe, so good and a perfect side!

An overhead photo of slow cooker barbecued country style ribs on a plate.

Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs

This is one of the easiest ways to cook ribs. Set it and forget it. The crockpot that is! The results are tender, fall apart pork ribs that everyone loves.

A close up photo of slow cooker barbecued country style ribs on a plate.

I love my slow cooker, though sometimes I forget about it all tucked away in the cabinet. I’ve been trying to bring it out more, and aside from my crockpot macaroni and cheese, this is one of my favorites meals to make in it. While this recipe uses pork ribs, I’m looking forward to trying these slow cooker braised short ribs too!

A overhead photo of slow cooker barbecued country style ribs on a plate.

Ingredients you need for these ribs:

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 large onion sliced into rings
  • 1 large apple sliced into rings
  • 5 pounds country style pork ribs
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients for the dry rub

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt finely ground
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Everyone has a favorite crock pot rib recipe, but if you don’t have one yet I encourage you to try this one. You’ll love me for it.

A close up photo of slow cooker barbecued country style ribs on a plate.

How to make country style ribs in the crockpot

Basically you’ll mix up the rub and then rub that all over the meat, brown them in a pan and add them to the crock on a bed of onion and apples. Ad barbecue sauce and cook!

  1. Mix the liquid smoke into the barbecue sauce and set aside.
  2. Layer onion in the bottom of the slower cooker. Layer the sliced apples over the onions.
  3. Mix all the rub ingredients together. Rub all over the ribs.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the ribs on all sides. You may have to work in batches. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet if needed.
  5. To the slow cooker, add a layer of ribs (start with any that contain bones) on top of the apples and onions. Cover those ribs with about 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce mixture, brushing on to cover the meat.
  6. Layer remaining ribs on top of the first layer and pour on the rest of the barbecue sauce. Use a brush to ensure all ribs are covered.
  7. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Slow Cooker Barbecued Country Style Ribs - AmandasCookin.com

More slow cooker recipes

If you enjoyed this, you may like some of my favorite slow cooker recipes, I’ve hand picked them below. Or you can have a look at all my slow cooker recipes here. And check this out if you are looking for kid friendly slow cooker recipes!

An overhead photo of slow cooker barbecued country style ribs on a plate.

Slow Cooker Barbecued Country Style Ribs

Slow cooker dinners are so convenient, and these country style ribs are not only simple, they're delicious!
5 from 4 votes

IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

Print It Rate It
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
7 hrs 15 mins
Calories: 536
Author: Amanda Formaro

Ingredients

For the Ribs

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 large onion sliced into rings
  • 1 large apple sliced into rings
  • 5 pounds country style pork ribs
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

The Rub

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt finely ground
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Mix the liquid smoke into the barbecue sauce and set aside.
  • Layer onion in the bottom of the slower cooker. Layer the sliced apples over the onions.
  • Mix all the rub ingredients together. Rub all over the ribs.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the ribs on all sides. You may have to work in batches. Add remaining olive oil to the skillet if needed.
  • To the slow cooker, add a layer of ribs (start with any that contain bones) on top of the apples and onions. Cover those ribs with about 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce mixture, brushing on to cover the meat.
  • Layer remaining ribs on top of the first layer and pour on the rest of the barbecue sauce. Use a brush to ensure all ribs are covered.
  • Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 536cal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 1151mg | Potassium: 903mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg
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Amanda Formaro

President at Amanda's Creative Studio, Inc.
Amanda Formaro is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four grown children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years. She is also a craft book author five times over and product developer as well as the owner of FunFamilyCrafts.com. You can find her on social media by using the buttons to the left!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenifer Moore says

    I love me some BBQ Ribs and wanting to spice up my basic recipe and am excited to give yours a try.
    Thanks for your recipe!

    Reply

  2. Danielle Poncedeleon says

    These were OMG Good! I did Carmelize them like someone else suggested, which only needed 1 minute under the broiler after a brushing of the BBQ sauce ( I used Sweet Baby Rays). Make sure to top with the sauce in the crock pot, including the onion and apple. I served with sweet potatoe fries. Boil sweet potatoe for 20 minutes, peel, sprinkle with paprika and sea salt and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Great combo! Thank you for sharing! I still can’t get over how good these were!

    Reply

  3. Sherry Rivera says

    Hi! Amanda,

    I just finished trying your recipe for the first time and it’s cooking; I will let you know what the family thinks. This recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait for dinner.

    Reply

  4. Krista says

    Hi! I have these in the crock pot now and it smells amazing! Do you recommend stirring the ribs at all or breaking them up before the time is up?

    Reply

    • Amanda Formaro says

      I’m sorry I didn’t see this earlier Krista! I hope you enjoyed them. I don’t break them up at all, I just lift them out of the crock and serve with a little more sauce :)

      Reply

  5. Michele says

    Is there anything else I could use in place of the liquid smoke? Wanting to make these today, but not wanting to go to the grocery store..lol

    Reply

  9. Owens papaw says

    Never thought of ribs in the slow cooker. I’m heading to the store to get set and I’ll let them cook overnight to serve during the game Saturday. Thanks, I’ll let you know how big a success they are.

    Reply

  10. Christina says

    I made these for my family a few weeks ago and they were a SMASH hit! So tender they just fell apart! Delicious! Only problem was that I forgot to bookmark the recipe! They’ve been asking for them again and again! Took me a while to find it again! I am making a double batch tonight! These are amazing with a bourbon glaze BBQ sauce and quickly broiled just before serving to carmelize the sauce! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  11. Elissa R says

    I made this recipe yesterday (cooking overnight) for our lunch today. My husband have always said, he did not like or enjoyed ribs, but I do, and I have been craving some. When DH came home from work last night(around 11pm), the ribs were so tender already, he tried a little piece, and he couldn’t stop eating! He claimed he needed to test if they were seasoned enough. He told me today that those ribs are phenomenal! It changed his mind about ribs! This recipe is a keeper!

    Thank you for sharing

    Reply

      • Norma says

        For babyback ribs, should they be browned as well? And would the cooking time be the same? Thanks

      • Amanda Formaro says

        Hi Norma. Yes, still brown them and the cooking time should work for these too :) You can certainly check them on hour or so early, but don’t take the lid off unless you absolutely have to as it reduces the temperature inside the pot and takes a while for it to build back up again.

  15. patsyk says

    I haven’t made ribs in the slow cooker… but, knowing how my family loves them, I’m going to have to try it! We usually smoke ours, but with the cold months, that’s not happening as much as it does in the summer.

    Reply

  19. tijuana (po' man meals) says

    i am a HUGE rib lover. my dad took me to every rib place he could find looking for the best. the funny thing is his favorite place was called the ‘rib shack’! what kind of name is that? anyway, these ribs look so delicious! can’t wait to try! :)

    Reply

  20. Katrina says

    Taylor was just telling me how much he loves ribs and asking when we’re ever going to have them. He would love these. And they do look delicious!

    Reply

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