Country Style Pork Ribs in the slow cooker is a hands-off dinnertime favorite, featuring tender, flavorful pork slow-cooked with savory-sweet BBQ flavor. It comes packed with comfort in every bite — an easy dinner the entire family will love!
Comfort food is what we do best around here, and you better believe we're bringing our A-game when it comes to slow-cooked country-style pork ribs. This dish is the kind of rib recipe that makes people go quiet at the table...in the best way possible.
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Why This Recipe Works
Around here, we've cooked ribs every which way: baked, broiled, grilled, and of course, slow-cooked. After years of testing, I can assure you: this is the method that delivers the most fall-apart, tender ribs with the least amount of fuss.
Country-style pork ribs are a cut that was practically made for the slow cooker. After hours of low and slow cooking, the connective tissue in pork shoulder begins to break down, transforming a humble, affordable cut of meat into tender, buttery bites that practically melt in your mouth. If this recipe isn't proof enough, let our slow cooker pulled pork convince you further.
The texture of this finished dish is truly a beautiful thing, but when combined with the following flavor enhancements, it's pure comfort food magic.
- The Spice Mix | A simple mix of brown sugar and spices, similar to our rib rub but customized to blend perfectly with country-style ribs. It's sweet, smoky, savory, and everything you could possibly want in a no-stress, slow-cooked, comfort food dinner.
- The Sauce | A simple mix of sticky-sweet, store-bought BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce elevates the dish to saucy perfection. It's perfectly balanced with a sticky-sweet backbone rounded out with tangy, savory flavor notes. If want similar flavors with a little more spice, give our homemade BBQ sauce a try.
And, if you're team sauce when it comes to pork, you're going to want to add these Smothered Pork Chops to your weekly menu.
Ingredients
Country-Style Pork Ribs | Boneless country-style pork ribs cook faster than bone-in, so if time is of the essence, go boneless. Bone-in adds more flavor to the finished dish, so if time allows, it's totally worth it to go this route.
Onion | The sliced onion layer adds a great deal of flavor to the ribs and sauce. Slowly cooked underneath the ribs, they absorb all that rich meat flavor. They are so good served on top with a spoonful of mashed potatoes or grits.
Seasoning | This is a tried-and-true BBQ seasoning blend we love to use, particularly on our pork dishes. A simple mix of brown sugar, Kosher salt, chili powder, mustard powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. It's the perfect mix of sweet, savory, and salty with smoky vibes packed in thanks to the chili powder. Don't skip the mustard powder--its tanginess cuts through the fat in all the right ways.
Sauce | This sauce is semi-homemade and comes together with three simple ingredients: a sticky-sweet BBQ sauce for sweetness and smoky undertones, apple cider vinegar for tang (bonus alert: it also helps to tenderize the meat!), and Worcestershire sauce. This gives your slow cooker country-style pork ribs a punch of salty and savory flavor, enhancing the cut's natural meaty flavor.
How Make Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Slow Cooker
Season the Ribs | In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the ribs.
Add Onions + Ribs to Slow Cooker | Place sliced onions in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay the ribs over the onions in a single layer.
Make the Sauce | In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour half of the sauce mixture evenly over the ribs. Take care not to cross contaminate the sauce. Set aside remaining sauce for future use.
Cook | Cover and cook on low for 5–8 hours or on high for 3–4 ½ hours, until ribs are fork-tender and easily pull apart. The cook time depends on the level of marbling and fat within your country-style ribs. Essentially, the more marbling, the longer it takes to break down the connective tissue, and the longer it'll take to cook to the point of tender perfection.
Keep in mind that bone-in ribs take a bit longer to cook, 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours on high. Boneless ribs take 5 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on low.
Pro-Tip: We highly recommend cooking these ribs on the low heat setting of your crockpot. You'll have much juicier results and a guaranteed melt-in-your-mouth texture this way.
Broil (Optional) | Preheat your oven broiler. Transfer cooked ribs to a foil-lined baking sheet, and brush with extra BBQ sauce. Broil for 3–5 minutes, or until caramelized and bubbly. Do not take your eyes off the oven; watch closely so nothing burns.
Serve + Enjoy! | To serve, spoon onions and pan juices over ribs. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side, if desired.
What to Serve with Ribs
I developed the side dish menu for a BBQ spot here in Bryan-College Station and have done my fair share of homework on how to take a rib plate from good to great.
Country-style pork ribs in the crock pot are rich and meaty, so they pair best with hearty, comforting sides that balance their bold flavor. Mac and cheese adds a creamy, cheesy counterpoint that’s always a crowd favorite, while homemade cornbread offers just the right hint of sweetness to sop up every bit of sauce. No sauce left behind!
Sweet potato fries bring a crispy, caramelized edge with a touch of natural sugar that complements the savory ribs. Collard greens, slowly simmered with smoky seasoning, add a welcome bitter contrast and earthy depth, while mashed potatoes deliver a smooth, buttery bite that soaks up all that rib juice goodness.
Fried okra, a Southern classic, brings home that crispy crunch. Baked beans contribute to that hearty, savory vibe like our ribs. And last but not least, purple hull peas—a staple in many Southern gardens—round out the plate with their tender texture and subtly nutty flavor, adding a taste of tradition to every bite. Together, these sides create a well-rounded, guaranteed unforgettable meal that feels like Sunday supper at Grandma’s table.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no wrong answer here. But keep in mind that boneless country-style pork ribs have a shorter cook time than bone-in. If you're pressed for time, go the boneless route, but if you have the time, bone-in delivers more of a flavor impact when it's all said and done.
Bone-in ribs will take 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours on high. Boneless ribs will take 5 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on low.
No, contrary to what many believe, meat does not need to be completely submerged in liquid while slow cooking. In fact, too much liquid can result in boiled meat — no, thank you. This is fattier cut of pork, supplying and releasing its own moisture.
Your ribs are done once they are fork tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bone.
The meat is fully cooked through once the slow cooker time is up. Using the broiler is about achieving flavor in this recipe, meaning you don't have to finish it under the broiler. However, it's quick and easy to add more flavor to the dish and land yourself a sticky-sweet BBQ sauce glaze in a matter of minutes.
5 More Comforting Crockpot Recipes to Try
Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pounds country-style pork ribs bone-in or boneless
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup BBQ sauce, preferably thick and sweet
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the ribs.
- Place sliced onions in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay the ribs over the onions in a single layer.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together BBQ sauce, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour half of the sauce mixture evenly over the ribs. Take care not to cross contaminate the sauce. Set aside remaining sauce for future use.
- Cover and cook on low for 5–8 hours or on high for 3–4 ½ hours, until ribs are fork-tender and easily pull apart.
- Optional: Preheat your oven broiler. Transfer cooked ribs to a foil-lined baking sheet, and brush with extra BBQ sauce. Broil for 3–5 minutes, or until caramelized and bubbly. Do not take your eyes off of the oven; watch closely so nothing burns.
- To serve, spoon onions and pan juices over ribs. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side, if desired.
Martha Ann says
Will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing! My family loved how tender and delicious these ribs turned out!