Slow Cooker Apple Butter BBQ Ribs - Recipe Girl (2024)

FAQs

Should you flip ribs in slow cooker? ›

Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or on LOW for 7-9 hours OR cook until ribs are fall apart tender. Rotate ribs once during cooking so they cook evenly. Cooking time may vary between slow cookers.

The best way to maximize tenderness and juiciness is to braise your ribs, which means cook them in a liquid. This liquid needs to be salty to not draw the juices out of the ribs through osmosis. The liquid has to not be too salty though, or else it will end up salting the meat more than you want.

Can You Slow Cook Ribs Too Long? Yes, just like oven baked ribs, if you leave them in the crockpot for too long they can become dry and tough. This will likely not happen, but it is possible. So just use the timer on your crockpot if it has one or set your own.

You can cook ribs either covered with foil or uncovered. Foil is used to stop the meat from drying out but is not essential. If cooking uncovered and you notice the meat is drying out or browning too quickly, you can cover with foil for the remaining cook time.

Don't worry that the ribs go into the slow cooker without liquid; the heat is gentle enough that the ribs do not burn, and the meat releases liquid as it cooks, so it braises in its own spiced juices.

Ribs: I prefer baby back pork ribs but spareribs, country-style and boneless ribs will all work. Double or triple the recipe for multiple racks of ribs. I can fit two racks of ribs in my 5 quart slow cooker. BBQ Sauce: Try my homemade BBQ sauce, or store-bought like Stubb's or Sweet Baby Rays.

You may, if desired, spritz or mop your ribs while smoking with a liquid of your choice. Apple juice or cider, butter, Dr. Pepper, apple cider vinegar, beer… there are plenty of options.

Dry brining with baking soda is an ideal route for making slabs of ribs or roasts because it isn't time-sensitive! With this method, you can tenderize your cuts of meat with baking soda in the morning and have them ready to cook in for your afternoon barbecue or an appetizing feast at dinner.

Ribs that aren't tender are usually a result of undercooking. All slow cookers vary a bit, so keep an eye on things and test for doneness. When you can easily twist the bones around inside the meat, your ribs are done!

Nothing that a little sauce can't fix, and it does mean you get more of the pork flavor, but they're not as nuanced. And the winner is: The slow cooker, but just by a hair (by a rib?). If you're pressed for time, pressure cooker is the way to go.

What happens if you slow cook ribs too long? ›

You would think that longer cooking times would simply mean more tender, succulent beef. Sadly, this is simply not the case. Cooking any kind of meat for too long will usually leave it dry, tough, and utterly unappealing. In all honesty, cooking BBQ ribs to perfection is something of an artform.

Ribs are best when they're done low and slow, most everyone knows that, but taste what happens when your method includes half-a-stick of butter. A meaty rack of ribs, butter, tinfoil, and good barbecue rub and sauce is all you need, says Stahl who also uses the same barbecue rub for pulled pork.

I always smoke mine bone side down (so the meaty side is facing up), for two reasons. First, I want the smoke to penetrate the bone side too, so each and every bite of the ribs is equally smoky and delicious. Secondly, if you cook them bone side UP, the juices will pool in the concave center of the bones.

Lay the ribs meat side down on the middle half of the foil. Add ingredients to add extra flavour and moisture underneath and on top of the meat. Take your small length of foil and wrap the exposed bones carefully. Smooth out sharp corners, otherwise, the foil may pierce and your ribs will go black.