Slow Cooker BBQ Ribswith corn on the cob / tangy cabbage and carrot slaw
Want to make tender fall-off-the-bone ribs at home? The secret is to cook them low and slow, making the slow-cooker a perfect tool. Brush them with your favorite BBQ sauce and finish them in the oven for ribs that will rival any restaurant version.
Smarts: The ribs could be made in the Instant Pot. For tips, join the Cook Smarts Instant Pot Facebook Group
Ingredients
- Paprika - 1 Tbsp
- Garlic powder - 2 tsp
- Coriander, ground - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Baby back pork ribs - 2 lbs (2 lbs ~ 1 rack / slab of ribs)
- Stock, any type - 1 cup
- Corn - 4 ears, shucked
- Foil - for cooking
- BBQ sauce - 1/4 cup (plus more for serving)
- Butter - for serving
- Shallots - 1 clove, diced
- Carrots - 6 oz, shredded with a box grater
- Cabbage, green - 10 oz, very thinly sliced (sub coleslaw mix)
- Cilantro - 1 Tbsp, chopped
- Vinegar, apple cider - 2 1/2 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make dry rub - Combine paprika, garlic powder, coriander, salt, chili powder, and black pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Shallots / Carrots / Cabbage - Prep as directed and combine. (Note: If you’d like to shred the carrots and cabbage in a food processor, check out this video for carrots and this video for cabbage.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Prepare ribs - Set ribs on a cutting board. Remove and discard membrane. (Check out this link for step-by-step photos.) Rub ribs on all sides with dry rub. If needed, slice ribs into portions that will fit (stacked) in your slow cooker. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
- Slow cook ribs - Pour stock into the bowl of a slow cooker. Add ribs and cook until tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. (If you prefer to use the oven, place the ribs in a single layer on a sheet pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake at 275F / 135C until tender, 3 to 4 hours.) (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Corn - Shuck corn. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Make slaw - Chop cilantro. Whisk together vinegar, oil, and sugar. Add shallots, carrots, cabbage, and cilantro. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Make
- Heat oven to 400F / 204C degrees.
- While oven is heating, bring a large stock pot of salted water for the corn to boil.
- Spread slow-cooked ribs out, meat side up, on a foil-lined sheet pan. Brush ribs with BBQ sauce.
- Bake ribs for 15 minutes to let the sauce flavor the meat.
- When ribs are nearly finished baking, add corn to boiling water and boil until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Season slaw with some salt and pepper and toss it to combine.
- Serve ribs over slaw. Enjoy corn on the cob with butter and some salt.
Reviews
This meal has 35 reviews
Once again, thank you Cook Smarts for making me feel like a gourmet chef. This was such an amazing meal!
This was AMAZING! My husband loved it! Only thing I would change would be to add BBQ sauce to both sides before putting in oven, not just the top. Made with Sweet Baby Rays Maple BBQ Sauce (very maple-y) with a side of asparagus.
I added a lot more bbq sauce and would maybe change up the coleslaw as it just wasn't our taste but over all it was delicious!!
These BBQ lentil sandwiches were fantastic, and so easy!! Of course Ms. 5yo asked me to please (!) put the bun and lentils in her lunch without the slaw. 🤷♀️ More slaw for me. I’ll be making again.
I used two cans of lentils and it came out perfect! Next time I'll pay more attention and only use half the bag of slaw, but it was a nice addition to cut through the sweetness.
The ribs were so good. I’d never made them before so I was a little nervous but it was super easy and they were fall off the bone delicious. Corn and slaw were great side dishes and it was a nice farewell to summer meal.