How to cook BBQ Ribs in a Crockpot
Baby back pork ribs: You’ll need roughly 4 pounds of ribs to make this recipe which you’ll cut into 6 sections. If the membrane is still attached on the back, you’ll need to remove it by using a knife to lift a corner, gripping it with a paper towel for better grip, then peel it off – hopefully in one piece! Dried herbs and spices: The homemade rib rub is made up of paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, ground chipotle pepper, onion powder, dried thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper. SO much flavor!
BBQ Ribs Sauce
This homemade BBQ Sauce recipe comes together very quickly with just a handful of ingredients. You will need:
Ketchup: Look for organic ketchup or one that isn’t sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup if possible. Apple cider vinegar: This adds the balancing tang to offset the sweetness. Molasses: This adds rich, thick smoky-sweet undertones and is a BBQ Sauce must! Make sure you are using unsulfured molasses and NOT blackstrap molasses. Unsulfured molasses is the finest quality and only a small amount of sugar has been removed from the first boiling. Brown Sugar: This sweetens the sauce and helps deepen the molasses flavor. Blackberry preserves: This secret ingredient adds sweetness with depth instead of using all brown sugar. Liquid smoke: (it really is liquid smoke!) imparts a wonderfully smoky flavor that elevates the BBQ Sauce to an other realm. It is created by capturing smoke as it rises through a combustion chamber filled with wood chips to a condenser. In the condenser, the smoke cools and forms a liquid, thus liquid smoke. (thank you Wikipedia). It is a very common ingredient and should be easy to find next to the barbecue sauces in your grocery store. Seasonings: Smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, ground chipotle pepper, onion powder, ground mustard, dried thyme, salt, and pepper infuse the barbecue sauce with classic flavor with hints of smokiness and heat. You can use more or less chipotle chili powder depending on how spicy you like it.
If you can’t find blackberry preserves, I’ve had readers comment they have also used strawberry preserves, raspberry preserves, fig preserves and apple jam with success. You can use any brown sugar you have on hand – light, medium or dark. You can use granulated sugar or honey if that’s all you have on hand but, in this case, I would reduce the sugar by a tablespoon or two and add extra molasses in its place. You can also use a blend of sweeteners. If you’re out of ketchup, you could try substituting with tomato sauce, but you will need to add some extra vinegar and sugar to compensate for the flavor of the ketchup.
Use all the spices: The slow cooker ribs dry rub recipe makes quite a bit but you are going to want to use all of the blend for perfect flavor packed ribs. Not too spicy, not too sweet, but just right — or so said my parents who dropped by and polished off the leftovers. Coat thoroughly: I like to dip each rib piece in the spice mix, front and back, then rub the mix all over with my hands. Use the HOMEMADE BBQ Sauce: Many readers have since commented that this is their favorite barbecue sauce ever — so whatever you do, don’t skip this barbecue sauce — it truly makes these ribs spectacular! I love it so much I have also used a version of it in my Crockpot BBQ Chicken and my BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwiches – you don’ want to miss it! Simmer the sauce gently: This melds the flavors and slightly thickens the sauce – it does not need to be anything more than a gentle simmer. Simmer the sauce on low to reduce splattering as this sauce likes to sputter or use a splatter screen. Cook until tender: If the ribs aren’t fall off-the-bone-tender, they simply need longer to cook. Even 30 minutes can make a difference between tender ribs and “fall off the bone” ribs.
Make it sweeter: add more brown sugar. I suggest you simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, taste and add additional sugar at this time if desired (and not right off the bat); continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Make it tangier: add additional apple cider vinegar at the end of simmering. Make it smokier: add additional liquid smoke, ½ teaspoon at a time. Make the seasonings your own: Like more garlic? Use more garlic. Like more mustard? Use more mustard. You can adjust all of the seasonings to suit your tastes and even add additional seasonings such as oregano or parsley. Make it thicker: simmer the sauce for upwards of 15 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency, however, it is already gorgeously thick after 15 minutes so I don’t think you’ll find this necessary.
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