This 4-ingredient slow cooker April ribs recipe is the kind of set-it-and-forget-it comfort food busy families rely on. You start with raw bone-in country style ribs and simply pour them into the slow cooker with three pantry-friendly additions. By the time everyone’s home and hungry, the meat is fall-apart tender, the sauce is rich and cozy, and the whole house smells like you’ve been cooking all day (even though the slow cooker did the work). It’s a hearty, no-fuss meal that feels special enough for Sunday, but is easy enough for a weeknight.
Serve these tender slow cooker ribs over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or steamed white rice so they can soak up all that savory-sweet sauce. Add a simple veggie on the side like roasted green beans, steamed broccoli, or a crisp green salad to balance the richness. Warm dinner rolls or cornbread are wonderful for sopping up the extra juices at the bottom of the slow cooker. For a family-style table, I like to bring the slow cooker insert right to the counter and let everyone scoop their own ribs and sauce.
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker April RibsServings: 6
Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds raw bone-in country style pork ribs
1 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite store-bought or homemade)
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
1 packet (1 ounce) dry onion soup mix
Directions
Place the raw bone-in country style ribs in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, arranging them in an even layer as much as possible. It’s fine if they overlap a bit, but try to keep most of the meat on the bottom so it cooks evenly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, apple juice or apple cider, and dry onion soup mix until the soup mix is mostly dissolved and the sauce looks smooth.
Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the raw ribs in the slow cooker, making sure all the meat gets coated. Use a spoon to gently turn any pieces that look dry so everything has some sauce on it.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the ribs are very tender and easily pull apart with a fork.
Once cooked, carefully remove the ribs from the slow cooker with tongs, as they will be very tender and may fall apart. If you’d like a slightly thicker sauce, turn the slow cooker to HIGH, remove the lid, and let the sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes while you get the table ready.
Taste the sauce and adjust if needed with a pinch of salt or a splash of extra barbecue sauce. Spoon the warm sauce over the ribs just before serving.
Variations & Tips
For milder flavor for picky eaters, choose a sweet, mild barbecue sauce and use apple juice instead of cider. If your family likes a little kick, use a smoky or spicy barbecue sauce and add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce mixture. You can swap the apple juice for chicken broth if you don’t have juice on hand, which makes the sauce a bit less sweet and more savory. For a slightly less rich meal, trim any thick layers of visible fat from the ribs before adding them to the slow cooker. If you prefer a more caramelized finish, transfer the cooked ribs to a baking sheet, brush with extra barbecue sauce, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the edges start to char. Leftovers reheat well and can be shredded and tucked into buns for easy BBQ sandwiches the next day. If you need to stretch the meal for a bigger family, add thick-cut carrot chunks and halved baby potatoes around the ribs before pouring on the sauce; they’ll cook in the same time and soak up all that flavor.
