Pork · Slow cooker

Slow Cooker St. Louis Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

Aim'em & Claim'em Smokers puts a 3.28 lb rack of St. Louis spare ribs in the slow cooker with about 20 oz of barbecue sauce for 8 to 9 hours on Low. A short blast in a 350°F oven then caramelises the sauce.

R By Richard · Adapted from Aim'em & Claim'em Smokers · Published 7 October 2026
👁 319.2k source views ❤️ 4k source likes
🍲Slow cook 9 hr (Low)
Crockpot Ribs

Source video by Aim'em & Claim'em Smokers on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

A no-smoker way to cook ribs. A 3.28 lb rack of pre-trimmed St. Louis ribs is patted dry, rubbed on both sides and stood against the walls of the slow cooker, then covered in about 20 oz of barbecue sauce. It cooks for 8 to 9 hours on Low (4 to 5 hours on High). The ribs come out very tender and fall apart easily, so they are lifted out carefully, sauced again and baked at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes to caramelise the sauce.

Ingredients

Ribs
  • 3.28 lbSt. Louis style pork spare ribs, pre-trimmed
  • barbecue rub
Sauce
  • 570 gbarbecue sauce
Finishing
  • barbecue sauce
  • extra rub

Method

  1. Pat the rack of ribs dry with paper towels. Trim off a little excess fat if you wish, and leave the membrane on.

  2. Season both sides with the rub and pat it in. Leave the ribs for a short while so the rub starts to sweat in.

  3. Stand the ribs up against the walls of the slow cooker with the meat facing the outside, so the heat from the walls reaches the meat. You can lay them down if you prefer.

  4. Pour over about 20 oz of barbecue sauce.

  5. Put the lid on and cook on Low for 8 to 9 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours.

    ~540 min

  6. Switch off and lift the ribs out carefully, as they are very tender and may fall apart. The pot will be about half full of rendered fat and juices.

  7. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Put the ribs on a tray and brush with more barbecue sauce. For a dry-rub style, sprinkle extra rub over the sauce.

  8. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes to let the sauce caramelise, then serve.

    ~15 min

Frequently asked

How long do ribs take in the slow cooker?
The presenter cooks them for 8 to 9 hours on Low, or 4 to 5 hours on High.
Why leave the membrane on?
It helps the ribs hold together. Even so, after 9 hours they are very tender and can fall apart when you lift them.
Do the ribs need the oven?
Not to be cooked through, but the short oven stage caramelises the sauce so the ribs do not look as if they came from a slow cooker.
Will they taste smoked?
No, there is no smoke ring. The presenter suggests brushing liquid smoke on before the rub or adding some with the sauce if you want a smoky note.
Is the pot very full of liquid?
Yes, it ends up about half full as the fat renders out, even though only about 20 oz of sauce goes in.
Extraction notes (transparency): Rub amounts are not stated (a commercial all-purpose rub plus a chicken rub, patted on), so the rub is listed without a quantity. The sauce is a mix of three bottles totalling about one 20 oz bottle; any barbecue sauce can be used. Oven finish was 'about 10 to 15 minutes' at 350°F. Servings and prep time are not stated.