Crockpot BBQ Babyback Ribs

My husband LOVES ribs and I've never attempted to make my own before Wednesday.  Baby back ribs were on sale at my grocery store this week so I thought I would give them a whirl.

After our first baby, good friends brought us dinner - ribs.  They were beyond good so I asked her how she made them.  She said she used her crockpot!  Seriously???  I did some research and found a recipe that looked promising.  I didn't use her BBQ sauce recipe because I didn't have time before our scheduled playdate.  Instead, I used a bottle of our favorite BBQ sauce.  Again, not the healthiest choice, but I needed to save time.  You can find the full recipe at:
http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2012/12/slow-cooker-barbecue-ribs.html

These were amazing!  Even the baby was gobbling up the meat.  I made 4 lbs and we hardly had any leftovers.  I served them with roasted broccoli and a low-fat mustard dill potato salad.  And with the warm weather back, it's grilling season!  So instead of starting or finishing them up in the oven, use your grill!   I hope you give them a try!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Crockpot BBQ Babyback Ribs
4 lbs of baby back pork ribs
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 cup water

Before we stick these bad boys in the crockpot to slow roast and melt in your mouth for 8 hours, we need to give them some color.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the rack in half (this makes it easier to fit in the crockpot later).  Sprinkle both sides with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. 

Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake for 15 minutes more.  The fat with render out, leaving it on the baking sheet and not in your crockpot.  This step also caramelizes the meat which will give it good flavor in the long run.  Place the ribs in the crockpot and pour the BBQ sauce on top.  Fill the bottle with 1/4 cup of water, shake the bottle, and pour it into the crockpot to get the remaining BBQ sauce out.

I forgot to take a picture of them when they came out of the oven, but you can tell by the pan that they browned up nicely.

Cook on low for 8 hours and try not to take the lid off.  Let the ribs just be and they will be falling off the bone tender. 

Yummy!

At this point you can serve the ribs as is, with a side of the BBQ sauce from the crockpot.  However, you can also caramelize the sauce some more and throw them back in the oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes. (Or throw them on the grill for some grill marks, caramelizing, and great smoky flavor). 

As you can see, they look great before I put them in the oven.

And after...who's ready to eat?

Serve these with your favorite sides.  Enjoy!