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Country Style Ribs- Slow Cooker Country Ribs on a white plate with macaroni salad and a fork taking a bite.

BBQ Country Style Ribs Recipe (for the Slow Cooker)


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5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Glenda Embree
  • Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x

Description

Tender, smoky, succulent and beautifully caramelized Country Style Ribs are easy to make, and you don’t even need a grill!  Ribs are a summertime classic, but you don’t need to miss out if you don’t own a smoker or a grill.  These scrumptious Slow Cooker Country Ribs are a hit at every barbecue.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 pounds country style ribs, (I buy beef & boneless. You can also buy pork and/or bone-in.)
  • 1/3 cup BBQ dry rub (recipe in notes, or substitute your favorite)
  • 2 large red onions, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory Brown Sugar)

Instructions

  1. Make the BBQ rub or get your store-bought rub and a platter or tray ready.
  2. Coat each of the ribs with BBQ rub. I poured the rub onto one end of the platter and rolled each one into the rub to coat all sides. Be sure to coat the ends, too.
  3. Chop the onion into medium dice.
  4. Spread the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker and drizzle the liquid smoke over the top.
  5. Arrange the ribs over the top of the onions.
  6. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the ribs are tender and cooked through. You will be able to easily pull pieces away with a fork when the ribs are done.
  7. When the ribs are done cooking, preheat your broiler while you arrange the ribs on a baking sheet.
  8. Brush the country-style ribs with barbecue sauce and place the baking sheet under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the sauce sets and begins to caramelize.  Keep an eye on the ribs.  Sugary barbecue sauce can burn quickly.  Check it at 1 minute and then every 15 seconds after that.

Notes

Homemade BBQ Rub

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 Tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container in a cool dark cupboard or pantry.

Boneless vs Bone-In

I always buy boneless country ribs for this recipe.  If you buy bone-in, remember that you should purchase more to net the same number of servings.  3 lbs. with bones will not feed near as many people as boneless. 

Can I Make Country Style Ribs in the Oven?

Yes. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Follow the recipe, but place the ribs in a roasting pan covered tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours. Remove the foil. The ribs should have started getting tender when you test them with a fork.

After the two hours is up, remove the country ribs from your roasting pan. Pour off all the drippings so your roaster is empty. You can discard the drippings or save them for gravy, whichever you prefer.

Enjoy the roasted onions, as is, alongside the ribs later, or you can discard them. We love to place them back in the pan and then place the ribs on top of them. They get toasty and caramelized as the ribs finish baking. It is a matter of preference. So make this what your family will love best.

Put the ribs back in the roaster, brush with barbecue sauce and return them to the oven. Now, turn the oven down to 275°F and bake the ribs for an additional hour until the sauce has caramelized and the country-style ribs are fork tender.

  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Category: Main Dish, Beef, Pork, Slow Cooker
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: American