Crockpot Barbecue Ribs
My husband calls these ribs legit. I found this funny at first, until I stopped to think about it. I totally agree with him. These ribs are legit. Pretty gosh darn awesome would be another way to put it – if you’re not cool like us and use words like legit.
Now, let’s be clear that these do have a few more steps than just dumping everything into the crockpot. But it’s sooooo worth it. And pretty please don’t skip any of the steps. All of them make these as we talked about earlier … legit. And trust me – there’s nothing difficult here. So just do it. Plus, the crockpot does most of the work. Most.
First, you brown the ribs in the oven. Then you go ahead and dump them in the crockpot with some barbecue sauce. Finally, you finish them off real quick on the grill. And what do you wind up with? Ribs that we’ve made quite a few times already this summer.
Finger lickin’ good and husband approved.
Yield: 4 servings
Crockpot Barbecue Ribs
Recipe for crockpot barbecue ribs. The ribs are browned first in the oven, cooked in the crockpot and finished on the grill.

Ingredients:
- 2 pounds pork baby back ribs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 ½ cups peach chipotle barbecue sauce
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Season the ribs with the salt/pepper, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Transfer the ribs to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully flip the ribs over in the pan. Bake for another 15 minutes then drain any fat from the pan.
- Transfer the ribs to the crockpot (I have to cut my rack of ribs in half or in thirds to get them to fit in my crockpot. I have a smaller crockpot so this may not be necessary). Pour the barbecue sauce over the ribs. Turn them to coat. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the ribs are tender (in my crockpot, this take 4 ½).
- Light up a grill (charcoal or gas) over medium heat. While the grill is heating, remove the ribs from the crockpot and brush them on both sides with the extra sauce in the crockpot. Place the ribs directly on the grill and cook covered for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until they are nicely caramelized and have some bark.
You certainly do not have to use the peach chipotle barbecue sauce linked in the recipe. However, I highly recommend it. It takes these ribs to another level of awesome.
Adapted from Allrecipes.
Hi Ashley! I am making these delicious sounding ribs for company tomorrow night and can’t wait. I’ve already made the bbq sauce, and it’s awesome. Question for you: many rib recipes have a step where you remove the membrane from the underside of the rack. Do you see any reason to do this? Thanks!
Hey Lisa! I’ve personally never removed the membrane. My mom never did growing up so I think it’s habit in my case! These get so tender to begin with that I’ve never even noticed! I hope you enjoy!! And so happy to hear on the BBQ sauce – it’s a favorite at our house!!
I love easy recipes! I used to use my slow cooker all the time, but I forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me – I need to pull it out and cook myself some ribs!
I tend to forget about it too! I need to be better about using it more often!
Wow ribs made in a crockpot?! Amazing! I love the idea and they look mouth-watering. I’m getting hungry now.
Thanks Tiffany!
I looove just throwing some ribs in the crock pot! However, I don’t do all the extras like the baking and grilling around it–kinda defeats the purpose of the crockpot for me. However, these look suuuuper delicious, so maybe I’ll have to rethink that 😉
It’s definitely worth it with these!
Oh my. I definitely need to get me a crockpot. This looks fantastic!
Yes, crockpots can definitely be helpful to have around!
I am so in love with this recipe, I love bbq ribs and I love my crockpot. Put it all together and this is magic! Thank you Ashley!
Thanks Pamela! It’s nice to have the crockpot do most of the work for you : )
Yum, these look awesome! Now you have me craving ribs!! Pinned 🙂
haha Thanks Rachel!
I’ve never tried making ribs in the crockpot but can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks Kelly!
Oh how I DO love me some ribs! These look fantastic, girly. And definitely legit 🙂
hehe thanks Ashley!
Hi there – what a lovely blog you have and the food looks beautiful and delicious. These ribs are definitely “legit”! : ) Ribs are such a time investment but a total showstopper. Worth the effort. : )
Aw, thank you Monica! They definitely are – but soo worth it!
Wow, that does look finger lickin’ good! My husband loves anything BBQ and he would approve too! Looks delicious and I can see myself getting *really* messy here. YUM! 🙂
hehe thanks Anne! They’re definitely messy … my husband said I should serve them with those wet napkins you get at restaurants … too bad I don’t keep those in the house haha : )
OMG. First its peaches and pecans. Now its ribs with bbq sauce. You do Southern really well, Ashley! 🙂 I have never seen a crockpot ribs recipe. This is great!My husband and son would love this. I am soooo not ribs savy. Is there such a thing as beef ribs that would work with this recipe? (We don’t eat pork but I know my guys eat beef ribs.) Your Peach Chipotle BBQ sauce has already been printed for making SOON. 🙂
haha Thanks Wendy! There are beef short ribs … I don’t see why they wouldn’t work. Maybe the cook time would be slightly different but I think it should still be okay…
How did you know I’ve been wanting to make some crockpot ribs 😉
Have to try the Peach BBQ sauce!
haha I just knew : ) You’ll have to let me know if you give it a try!
So mouthwatering, Ashley! What a great recipe, I’ve got to try it! Love that you finish them on the grill to get that gorgeous char, too.
Thanks Georgia! I love the ease of cooking in the crockpot and then the final grilling makes them special!
I call things legit too. Actually, not really, but I’m going to start. lol These ribs look really good, I would definitely go through all the steps. We don’t want so-so ribs if we’re going through the trouble! I gotta put this on my to-make list!
haha you should start. Then you can be super cool like me : ) Exactly – especially since they’re not usually cheap either!
Wow, these ribs looks seriously finger lickin’ good! My hubby would totally wipe the whole crockpot out clean! Love the addition of smoked paprika with your peach chipotle bbq sauce – sounds incredible!
haha sounds just like my husband : ) It adds just a hint more of that awesome smokiness!
Way to go for finding an easy, three step process for awesome ribs! I bet they taste great with your homemade barbecue sauce. My dad would love these!
Thanks Katy! My husband ate way too many the first time I made these : ) haha
Ribs are probably one of my favorite foods!!! My husband has always grilled them, but we’ve never tried them in the crock pot. It definitely is so much easier that way!
It’s really easy! They get nice and tender in there (and you don’t have to think about them) and then you just finish them on the grill to get that wonderful bark!