Ribs aren’t just reserved for summertime barbecue season. Enjoy them any time of year, hot from the slow cooker! It may sound crazy, but after a dry-rubbed stint in the slow cooker, a glaze of homemade honey-garlic barbecue sauce and a quick turn under the broiler, these succulent ribs rival anything coming from the pit. It may take some experimentation with your particular slow cooker to determine the ideal cooking time for your ribs—too short and they won’t be as tender as they could be, too long and the meat will fall straight off the bones when you try to lift them—but for me, it consistently ends up being around six and a half hours. Don’t skimp on the sauce when basting—you want a nice, thick layer. And if you need to broil your ribs a bit longer to get them all sticky and caramelized (or shorter to prevent them from burning), that’s perfectly fine. Just watch them closely, and they’ll turn out fabulous!
YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
2 (2 ½- to 3-lb [1.1- to 1.4-kg]) racks pork baby back ribs (5 to 6 lb [2.3 to 2.7 kg] total)
RIB RUB
3 tbsp (21 g) paprika
1 tbsp (7 g) smoked paprika
1 tbsp (10 g) garlic powder
1 tbsp (7 g) mustard powder
1 tbsp (7 g) ground ginger
1 tsp (6 g) salt
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
SAUCE
1 ½ cups (355 ml) honey
¾ cup (180 ml) reduced-sodium soy sauce
¾ cup (177 ml) all-natural ketchup
10 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Cut each rack of ribs in half. In a small bowl, prepare the spice rub by combining the paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, ginger, salt, allspice and cayenne pepper until well blended. Rub the spice mixture all over both sides of each rack of ribs, coating them evenly.
Stand the ribs along the walls of a large oval slow cooker (with wide ends down and meaty sides facing the exterior). Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the ribs are tender.
While the ribs are cooking, prepare the sauce by combining the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about ⅓.
Position an oven rack 8 inches (20 cm) below the heating element and preheat the broiler. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Use tongs and a metal spatula to transfer the ribs to the prepared baking sheet, meaty-side down. Spoon or brush the sauce over the ribs and broil them for 4 minutes. Carefully turn the ribs over, generously brush them with additional sauce and continue to broil for about 8 minutes, or until the ribs are browned and the sauce is caramelized, brushing with sauce once more about halfway through the cooking time.
Tent the ribs with foil and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cutting board and slicing. Serve the ribs with the leftover sauce.