Sometimes you need to take your BBQ favorites inside but don’t want to sacrifice any of the flavor. My honey garlic spare ribs are slow cooked to perfection and are bursting with flavor. Let me show you how to make easy and delicious honey garlic slow cooker spare ribs!

Ribs are one of those foods that ALL my kids like! There aren’t many foods that all 4 kids like at the same time. Ribs are one of them! We try to make them at least once a month so that we know that we have at least one meal that everyone will love! These honey garlic spare ribs are our go-to on rib night!

What are Spare Ribs?

Spare ribs come from the belly portion of the pig. They tend to be thicker and meatier than the baby back ribs. (Now I have that old Chili’s jingle in my head.. I want my baby back baby back riiiibs). You can find them in most grocery stores or butcher shops.

Crock Pot Spare Rib Ingredients

One of the best things about these honey garlic ribs is that you don’t need a ton of ingredients! A few simple ingredients and you have amazing slow cooked ribs! You will need:

• 1 rack of baby back ribs
• garlic
• soy sauce
• honey
• onion powder
• paprika powder
• cumin

Spare ribs – Grab a rack of spare ribs from the meat section of the grocery store. You are going to want to grab one that is 8-10 pounds. Although that may sound like a lot, the bones factor in as well as the juices from the meat. That size rack of ribs should feed 4-6 people.

Garlic – I suggest 4 cloves of garlic for these slow cooker ribs. Here’s the thing about garlic though – you measure with your heart. Four cloves will make these ribs have a good garlic flavor. Want a stronger flavor? ADD MORE GARLIC! Heck, add powdered garlic and garlic cloves. We are measuring with our hearts here!

Soy Sauce – I used 2 different soy sauces for these ribs – dark and sweet. Can’t find one or the other? No worries! Any soy sauce will do as long as you have 1/2 cup total. I also love using coconut animos (a soy free soy sauce) in this recipe.

Honey – You will need a fourth of a cup of honey. This does two things – helps bind everything together and cuts the garlic just a bit. If you can – raw, local honey is best, but whatever honey you have on hand or prefer to use will work just fine.

Spices – Onion, paprika and cumin round out the ingredients for these ribs. I suggest starting with these spices and then adding your favorites. Spices are an easy way to personalize a recipe.

How to Make Ribs in the Slow Cooker

The good thing about these ribs is that the ingredients are easy to find and the prep is QUICK! There are only 4 steps from start to finish to make fall off the bone ribs in your slow cooker. Let’s get started –

Step 1 – Combine the spices to make a dry rub for the ribs. Mix together the onion powder, paprika and cumin in a small bowl. Rub the spices over the whole rack of ribs.

Step 2 – Make the marinade. Mince the garlic and add it to the soy sauces and honey. Mix until combined – the garlic will make it chunky. Use a pastry brush to brush over the dry rub. (Make sure the you rub the spices in so you don’t lose any when you add the marinade.) Reserve some of the marinade.

Step 3 – Cut the ribs. Some ribs may come pre-cut OR your ribs may fit in your slow cooker. Most racks of ribs will not – so you will need to cut them in half to get them in there. You can cut them before or after you add the marinade, your choice.

Step 4 – Cook. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or 4-5 hours on high. Remember that marinade that we saved? Brush some of that one every hour or so to keep the ribs moist and juicy during cooking. No time to brush it on? Save it for the last 30 minutes of cooking and add it on the ribs. You want all that extra flavor – trust me!

Side dish recommendations

This is BBQ food so we need BBQ related sides here. Some of my suggestions for the side dishes for slow cooker spare ribs are:

• Grandma’s potato salad
• Mac and cheese
• Classic coleslaw
• Macaroni salad
• Baked potatoes

Slow Cooker Spare Rib Tips and FAQs

This rib recipe is pretty straight forward and I would say it’s a beginner cook friendly recipe, but here are some quick tips and questions that may make it even easier.

How do you cook spare ribs in the slow cooker? Easy – start with a dry rub, add a marinade and cook for 4-5 hours on HIGH or 7-8 hours on HIGH. The marinade will keep the pork ribs juicy while cooking and you will get fall of the bone ribs when they are done.

TIP: Start with the spices listed in the recipe and add your own to customize the flavor!

Should ribs be covered in liquid in the slow cooker? No, they don’t have to be. Why? Because the ribs release their own juices while cooking, as done most meat. You can add a 1/2 cup of water to the slow cooker if you would like, but it is not necessary when cooking the ribs.

TIP: Reserve some of the marinade to brush over the ribs will they are cooking. While the meat releases juices, this will keep the ribs moist.

What’s the difference between spare ribs and baby back ribs? Spare ribs come the belly area of the pig making them fattier and larger. Baby back ribs come from the spine area and they are thinner, less meat and more curved in nature.

Other slow cooker recipes to try

Looking for other slow cooker recipes to try? We love them in our house! Here are some of our favorites:

• Mongolian Beef
• Honey Garlic Chicken
• Ground Beef Tacos
• French Onion Beef Roast

Slow cooker spare ribs

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