I’m not really sure it’s legal to cook ribs in a crockpot in Texas {Wink} . . . so we may have to keep this recipe on the hush~

But since I don’t have a smoker and the weather outside is turning wet and cold, here is a great way to enjoy great Texas barbecue flavor all fall and winter without stepping a foot outside!

We don’t eat ribs that often, but every now and again my boys love these ribs- they literally fall off the bone and are melt-in-your mouth tender!

Note:  This recipe makes a lot of ribs.   {Not a problem when my boys are around} You’ll need a large oval crockpot to cook them in.  If you have a smaller family or a round deeper crockpot, you may need to cut the recipe in half or thirds.

Crockpot Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients:

6 pounds baby back pork ribs

2 tablespoons paprika

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

3 -5 cups barbecue sauce (divided use)

Directions:

Mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Rub mixture over both sides of ribs.  (Leave membrane on the ribs to help hold them together.)  Spray your crockpot with cooking spray and arrange the ribs by standing them up against the wall and then filling in the center.  Pour 3 cups of barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW.  {Sorry, there just isn’t a pretty way to photo raw meat . . . }

Once the ribs are done in the crockpot, you need to brown them under the broiler.   Even though they look pretty tasty at this point – I promise they will be so much better if you’ll do this!!

Preheat your oven broiler.  Line a baking sheet pan with foil and top with a wire rack.   Very carefully remove the ribs from the crockpot and place on the wire rack – bone side down (they are very tender- but if they fall apart, just pick up the pieces on lay on wire rack).   Pour more barbecue sauce over the ribs and place under the broiler for about 10 minutes.  This will brown the meat and caramelize the sauce onto the ribs – trust me, you’ll be so glad you did this!

Now grab a napkin and dig in!

My family loves to eat these ribs with Crispy Smashed Potatoes .

Note:  This recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution.  They recommend you reduce the juices from the slower cooker to form a sauce to put over the ribs.  However, I’m not one that likes a lot of fat (even though there is a lot of flavor there) plus the juices aren’t real sweet . . . . So I prefer to just use more barbecue sauce instead.  If you want to use the pan juices, skim off any fat off the top and strain into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, 15-20 minutes.  Then spoon over ribs and broil.