These slow cooker country style ribs basically announce themselves, once they start cooking, the whole house smells like dinner. The pork ribs cook low and slow until tender, then a quick broil gives the BBQ sauce that sticky, caramelized finish we all love. Just add a side or two and dinner’s done.
*This is a sponsored post in partnership with the Iowa Pork Producers Association. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Why We Love Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs
- Affordable Flavor – These ribs give you all the flavor of a full rack of ribs with a price tag that is slightly less. A single rib is a meaty portion, so by the time you add a sides or two you’ll only need 1-2 ribs per person.
- Boneless or Only A Little Bone! – Country style pork ribs can come boneless, or when they do have a bone in them it’s small. The meat easily separates from the bone making it really easy to remove that bone if you have pickier eaters. The bone also helps give more flavor!
- Easy To Make – Unlike regular ribs where removing the membrane is important, there is no extra prep you need to do with country style pork ribs. Add them to the slow cooker, spice them up and then just wait for the amazing smell to hit your nose telling you dinner is soon!
Ingredients For Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs
- country style pork ribs loin country style or butt style ribs, bone in or out.
- brown sugar
- garlic powder
- paprika
- black pepper
- salt
- apple cider vinegar
- BBQ sauce I used Sweet Baby Rays
You may notice the bone looks like it is a different size in this ingredients image compared to the comparison image below. I filmed this image with a different pack of ribs as I was testing the recipe multiple times, but they are the same cut. There is some variation from pack to pack!
Country Style Ribs: Loin vs. Butt (What’s the Difference?)
There are two cuts of meat that are both called country style ribs in the store, butt style country style ribs and loin style country style ribs. All country style ribs can have a bone, but also come boneless.
Loin Country Style Ribs are cut closer to where the pork loin is cut, from behind the shoulder blade. This cut of meat is slightly leaner with less fat marbling throughout the meat. They make a really tasty, flavorful rib but will taste slightly less meaty then the butt style ribs.
Butt Country Style Ribs are cut from the pork butt area, and are cut near the cut where pork ribs usually come from. They have thicker fat marbling which give them more of a meaty, pork rib flavor.
Either cut of country style rib works in this recipe, I tested both cuts several times and they both are delicious cooked this way.
What Are Pork Spare Ribs?
Pork spare ribs are cut from the belly. They also are a tasty and meaty choice, but are usually marked in the store as spare ribs. Spare ribs could be used in this recipe, but I haven’t tried them. Let me know if you try it in the comments!
How To Make Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs
Cooking The Ribs
- Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking oil. Place the ribs in the bottoms of the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl mix together the brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and salt. Pour half of the seasoning over the ribs, then flip the ribs before adding the second half of the seasoning.
- Add 1 cup of the bbq sauce and the apple cider vinegar over the ribs.
- Set the slow cooker to low. Close the lid and cook the ribs for 6-7 hours or until tender. Pork ribs are safe to eat at 145°F, but for fall-apart tender ribs, the internal temperature may be a little higher. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re fork-tender and the meat pulls apart with a fork with little resistance.
Optional Broiling- To Caramelize The BBQ Sauce Flavor
- Set oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place ribs on the baking sheet. Brush with extra ½ cup of bbq sauce.
- Place ribs under the broiler for 1-3 minutes or until the sauce just begins to caramelize, the brown sugar in the sauce starts to form a glossy exterior. Watch carefully as if you leave the ribs under the broiler for too long they can quickly burn. Serve with extra bbq sauce and enjoy!
Kristy’s Tip: Why Broil The Ribs?
Broiling for just a minute or two at the end gives the ribs that sticky, caramelized BBQ finish, just don’t walk away, it goes quick!
Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs
Variation Ideas
Change Up The Rub – I’ve got you covered in the recipe with a tasty bbq rub full of great spices. If you have a bbq rub mix in a jar that you already love you can use that generously too! I recommend a jarred rub that at minimum contains garlic, brown sugar and paprika in the mix for best flavor and results.
Add Vegetables – Throw some garlic and onions in the bottom of the slow cooker to just add to the flavor. You could also add potatoes or carrots, but they will be coated in bbq sauce. I think this will work better with the loin style ribs as they are a little leaner.
The butt style ribs make the sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker a bit oilier, and I don’t know that potatoes would be great in the bbq sauce with more oil added. I would cook my potatoes separately like these roasted baby potatoes, baked potatoes or my potato wedges.
Slow Country Style Pork Ribs FAQ
Yes you absolutely can! I found it was easiest to pull the pork apart and remove the bones, then freeze it as pulled pork. You can then reheat the pork over the stove in a pot or in the microwave. Turn it into a pulled pork sandwich, a pulled pork taco or throw it over mac and cheese.
Hey you sure can and I bet it will be delicious with this recipe. Cutting a pork loin into “boneless ribs” actually turns them into boneless pork chops.
I have not tested this recipe that way though, and it’s not quite the same cut of meat as loin country style ribs. BUT I bet it’s delicious, don’t let that stop you from giving it a try. Let me know if you make a pork loin that way. Or use my pork loin in the slow cooker recipe for good results, it’s pretty tasty.
Yes if cooked way too long, they can dry out or fall apart too much to serve as ribs. Stick to 6–7 hours on low for best texture.
You can cook on high for 3.5–4 hours, but the texture is better low and slow.
You can add a few dashes of hot sauce, a pinch or two of cayenne pepper or just use a spicy bbq sauce. Add carefully, as it can be really easy to make it too spicy fast if you add too much.
Yes! Season the ribs and add everything to the ribs in the slow cooker base. Then slide the crock part of the slow cooker in the fridge and cover up to 24 hours in advance. Then just pop the crock into the crockpot base and you’re ready to cook.
How Long Will Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs Last?
Expect leftovers of these ribs to last for about three days when stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Well that’s always assumes no one else breaks into them first!
More Delicious Pork Recipes
Slow Cooker Country Style Pork Ribs
Let your slow cooker do the work! These country style ribs come out super tender, and a quick broil makes the BBQ sauce extra sticky and delicious. Add mashed potatoes, corn, or whatever’s in the fridge, dinner’s handled.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Cooking The Ribs
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Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking oil. Place the ribs in the bottoms of the slow cooker.
3-5 pounds country style pork ribs
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In a medium bowl mix together the brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and salt. Pour half of the seasoning over the ribs, then flip the ribs before adding the second half of the seasoning.
2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
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Add 1 cup of the bbq sauce and the apple cider vinegar over the ribs.
1 cup BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
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Set the slow cooker to low. Close the lid and cook the ribs for 6-7 hours or until tender. Pork ribs are safe to eat at 145°F, but for fall-apart tender ribs, the internal temperature may be a little higher. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re fork-tender and the meat pulls apart with a fork with little resistance.
Optional Broiling- To Caramelize The BBQ Sauce Flavor
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Set oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place ribs on the baking sheet. Brush with extra ½ cup of bbq sauce.
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Place ribs under the broiler for 1-3 minutes or until the sauce just begins to caramelize, the brown sugar in the sauce starts to form a glossy exterior. Watch carefully as if you leave the ribs under the broiler for too long they can quickly burn. Serve with extra bbq sauce and enjoy!
Butt style country style ribs are cut from the pork butt area, and are cut near the cut where pork ribs usually come from. They have thicker fat marbling which give them more of a meaty, pork rib flavor.
Loin style ribs are cut closer to where the pork loin is cut, from behind the shoulder blade. This cut of meat is slightly leaner with less fat marbling throughout the meat. They still make a tasty flavorful rib, but will taste slightly less meaty then the butt style ribs.
Either cut of country style rib works in this recipe, I tested both cuts several times and they both are delicious cooked this way.
If you use a smaller or larger slow cooker, you may need to check the doneness. Slow cookers work best when they are at least half full.
You can cook on high for 3.5–4 hours, but the texture is much better cooked on low. Cooking slow gives the fat more time to render into the meat, making more tender pork.
Country style ribs are a meaty, generous portion. Plan on 1-2 ribs per person. They usually come in packages that have 5-6 ribs depending on the weight of each rib.
Nutrition facts are an estimate for your convenience, but are calculated assuming a 4 pound pack of ribs and 6 ribs per package.
Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1004mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
