Description
Tender and flavorful baby back ribs cooked slowly in a crock pot and finished under the broiler with a tangy BBQ sauce glaze for a perfect balance of smoky, sweet, and savory tastes.
Ingredients
Scale
Ribs
- 2 racks baby back ribs (about 3 to 4 pounds)
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup water
- 2 to 3 tablespoons rib rub (or homemade rib rub in the notes)
Sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ cup chili sauce
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (of choice)
Instructions
- Prepare homemade rub (optional): If making the homemade rib rub, combine all the ingredients as described in the notes section to create the spice mixture for the ribs.
- Remove membrane and apply rub: Carefully remove the silver membrane from the back of the ribs to ensure tenderness. Then, evenly rub the spice mixture on both the front and back sides of the ribs to coat thoroughly.
- Arrange ribs in slow cooker: Place sliced onion, garlic cloves, water, and the rubbed ribs inside the slow cooker, making sure ribs are positioned evenly for consistent cooking.
- Slow cook the ribs: Cook the ribs on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 8 hours until they become fork-tender and easy to pull apart.
- Preheat the broiler and prepare sauce: Preheat your oven’s broiler. Mix together ketchup, chili sauce, and barbecue sauce in a bowl to create a flavorful glaze.
- Broil ribs with sauce glaze: Brush the cooked ribs generously with the sauce mixture and place them under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, or until charred and caramelized on the edges, watching carefully to avoid burning.
Notes
- To remove the silver membrane from ribs, slide a knife under the thin layer on the back and pull it off with a paper towel for grip.
- Homemade rib rub typically consists of paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- You can substitute the broiling step with grilling for a smoky finish if preferred.
- Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week and used as a dip or additional glaze.
- Ensure ribs are fully cooked and tender before broiling to avoid toughness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours (high) or 8 hours (low) plus 5 minutes broiling
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Crock Pot ribs, slow cooker ribs, baby back ribs, BBQ ribs, easy ribs, slow cooked ribs, oven broiled ribs
