What’s the one kitchen skill that’s worth mastering? Finding the perfect cooking time and temperature. Sure, it will vary with each new kind of food you prepare, but striking that balance will yield a delicious, worthwhile result. Slow-cooker
ribs are no different. And just because you don’t have a giant jerry-rigged smoker doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy and share a tender, well-seasoned rack of ribs. The prep is simple: Rub them with your favorite dry rub, load them into the slow cooker, smother them with BBQ sauce, and cook them completely hands-free until they’re falling off the bone. The low and slow cook gives those tough fibers a chance to break down and become fork-tender, while the seasoning and BBQ sauce get ample time to flavor the meat. With little effort and a few hours of patience, these will have you feeling like a pit boss.
To enhance the low and slow cooking process, we covered the ribs in a dry rub inspired by our Cajun seasoning. Using smoked paprika will give the ribs just a hint of smokiness to remind you of true BBQ. The dry rub does some of the heavy lifting for flavor, but the BBQ sauce you choose is just as important. In testing, we found that sweeter BBQ sauces (like the OG Sweet Baby Ray’s) were a great complement to the savory dry rub. If you prefer a BBQ sauce with a more vinegary, zesty kick, add 2 tablespoons brown sugar to your rest rub ingredients to provide the right level of sweetness. Just make sure the BBQ sauce you use is thick enough to stick to the ribs. No shade to Carolina BBQ sauce, but it’s not your best bet here.
Pro tip: Vacuum-sealed pork can sometimes have a funky, sulfurous smell when it’s first removed from the packaging. That smell might make you think your ribs have gone bad, causing you to toss the whole rack, fight the urge to do that! Lack of oxygen in the packaging leads to some chemical reaction that causes the meat to have an off odor. Leave your meat sitting at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and the smell should dissipate as the meat comes into contact with the air.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
What’s the one kitchen skill that’s worth mastering? Finding the perfect cooking time and temperature. Sure, it will vary with each new kind of food you prepare, but striking that balance will yield a delicious, worthwhile result. Slow-cooker
ribs are no different. And just because you don’t have a giant jerry-rigged smoker doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy and share a tender, well-seasoned rack of ribs. The prep is simple: Rub them with your favorite dry rub, load them into the slow cooker, smother them with BBQ sauce, and cook them completely hands-free until they’re falling off the bone. The low and slow cook gives those tough fibers a chance to break down and become fork-tender, while the seasoning and BBQ sauce get ample time to flavor the meat. With little effort and a few hours of patience, these will have you feeling like a pit boss.
To enhance the low and slow cooking process, we covered the ribs in a dry rub inspired by our Cajun seasoning. Using smoked paprika will give the ribs just a hint of smokiness to remind you of true BBQ. The dry rub does some of the heavy lifting for flavor, but the BBQ sauce you choose is just as important. In testing, we found that sweeter BBQ sauces (like the OG Sweet Baby Ray’s) were a great complement to the savory dry rub. If you prefer a BBQ sauce with a more vinegary, zesty kick, add 2 tablespoons brown sugar to your rest rub ingredients to provide the right level of sweetness. Just make sure the BBQ sauce you use is thick enough to stick to the ribs. No shade to Carolina BBQ sauce, but it’s not your best bet here.
Pro tip: Vacuum-sealed pork can sometimes have a funky, sulfurous smell when it’s first removed from the packaging. That smell might make you think your ribs have gone bad, causing you to toss the whole rack, fight the urge to do that! Lack of oxygen in the packaging leads to some chemical reaction that causes the meat to have an off odor. Leave your meat sitting at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and the smell should dissipate as the meat comes into contact with the air.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
- Yields:
-
4 – 6
serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 40 mins
- Total Time:
- 4 hrs
- Cal/Serv:
- 1426
Directions
-
- Step 1
Remove ribs from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Cut each rack in half. Arrange ribs bone side up. Using a flexible knife, loosen thin layer of membrane from one of the half-racks of ribs. Using a dry paper towel for grip, pull membrane from ribs until it comes off and discard. Repeat with remaining racks.
- Step 2Season ribs on both sides with salt. In a small bowl, stir cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and black pepper. Sprinkle seasoning mix on both sides of ribs.
- Step 3Transfer ribs to a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker, arranging so bones are parallel to long sides of slow cooker. Pour 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce over ribs. Using a pastry brush, make sure sauce coats front and back of ribs.
- Step 4Cook ribs until very tender, on high for 3 1/2 hours or low for 7 hours.
- Step 5Preheat oven to 400º. Transfer ribs bone side down to a large foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup leftover cooking liquid and remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Brush sauce mixture over ribs.
- Step 6Bake ribs until sauce begins to brown and caramelize, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly before slicing.
- Step 1
Related Video: Grilled Ribs
