Hubba Bubba and I used to have a Friday night tradition of getting take-out from our favorite barbecue joint and sucking on baby back ribs in front of the TV. Ribs have always been a treat in our house, since great ribs take a certain amount of dedication and time to make. Pit masters pride themselves on top-secret recipes and very specific, hours-long methods. So it used to be that if we wanted ribs, Hubba Bubba would either dedicate half a day to making them himself, or he’d pick them up from the BBQ bosses at Baby Blues.
That is, until my brother-in-law Dan introduced me to this method. These baby backs are SO easy, yet turn out SO falling-off-the-bone good, that what was once a Friday-night treat around here has now become an any-night-of-the-week Easiest Dinner Ever.
If you like ribs, and if you’ve been enjoying the Easiest Dinners Ever I’ve been posting lately, then trust me when I tell you not to skip this one.
Ribs. Salt & pepper. Pineapple juice. Barbecue sauce. That’s it. Seriously.
You let the crockpot do most of the work while you do something fun, such as folding the laundry, emptying the dishwasher, scrubbing the shower, fishing Sesame Street action figures out of the toilet… you know, “ME TIME.” The crockpot cooks the ribs to that perfect meat-falling-off-the-bone point, and all you have to do is finish them in the oven for about 10 minutes to bake in the barbecue sauce flavor.
I served my ribs with this deeeelicious Broccoli Salad. They would also pair perfectly with this Ramen Noodle Slaw. But if you don’t have time to assemble a salad (and hey, sometimes you don’t), here are a few ideas for some quick sides to go with these easiest-ever ribs:
– microwaveable sides you can buy in the grocery store deli, such as cinnamon apples or macaroni & cheese
– deli cole slaw
– canned baked beans, heated on the stove
– store-bought rolls, canned biscuits or crescent rolls, or make-from-a-mix cornbread such as Jiffy
Hello there, Friday night ribs. Welcome to Monday.
CROCKPOT BABY BACK RIBS (printable pdf)
Recipe courtesy of my brother-in-law, Dan Dickerson
Serves 2
- 1 rack baby back pork ribs
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 quart (approx) pineapple juice
- 1/2 bottle store-bought barbecue sauce
Cut rib rack in half (or more if necessary) to fit into crockpot. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Add pineapple juice until ribs are mostly covered, although they do not need to be totally submerged. Cook on high for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400. Use tongs to transfer ribs to a foil-lined baking sheet. At this point the meat should be so tender that the ribs will break apart on their own as you transfer them. Generously brush ribs on all sides with barbecue sauce. Bake meat-side-up for about 10-15 minutes.
xoxo,