Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

Name: Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4.5 pounds boneless country style pork ribs; 2 cans Dr. Pepper soda, divided; 3/4 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite, we love our Sweet Baby Ray's!)

January 8, 2016August 16, 2023

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Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs are Country Style Pork Ribs, slow cooked in Dr. Pepper, then baked to caramelize the Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. Only 3 ingredients!

I am what you would call a fair weather winter person. Growing up in the Midwest, it doesn’t seem right to NOT have snow on the ground at Christmastime, but by the time mid-January hits, I am tired of the dreary grey skies and the cold and the white stuff that has now turned a not so pretty white.

I long for long summer days with sunshine and patio sitting and GRILLING.

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My son has been home from college for the last month, and he returns this weekend. I have been letting him get in his dinner requests this week. Yesterday though, I thought I would wing it. I had some boneless country style pork ribs in the freezer, so I defrosted them and decided to have barbecue. My family NEVER argues about barbecue, it’s something I know that everyone will be happy about.

I typically boil my ribs in beer before I grill them. You can find my recipe for those pork ribs HERE. Yesterday though, more white stuff was falling from the winter sky, and I decided dinner would not be getting made on the patio. I tossed the ribs in my slow cooker, and dumped a can of Dr. Pepper over the top.

After they cooked slow all day, becoming so tender I could barely move them to my baking rack, I knew they would be awesome. I transferred them to a rack over a cookie sheet, and brushed them with a combination of BBQ sauce and more Dr. Pepper. The sauce was super yummy! I baked them for 30 minutes to caramelize the sauce, flipping them once and adding more sauce.

They were sensational. I served them with hash browns, cheesy cornbread drop biscuits and sweet corn. My husband said “This is the best dinner you have made in a long time!” (He’s partial to the entire menu, so I had no doubt he would be thrilled!) I love making him and his tummy happy!

Did I mention this recipe only requires three ingredients?

What three ingredients do I need to make these Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs?

Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs
Dr. Pepper Soda (Cherry Dr. Pepper is good, too!)
Barbecue Sauce

Yep! That’s it! The crock pot does all of the work making them tender then you bake them to caramelize the sauce on them before you eat them. You could also do that step on the grill if you aren’t suffering through a freezing January like we are.

I like to buy the boneless ribs. If you prefer the ones with the bone, they work, too! I prefer pork ribs over beef, as I think they just have so much more meat. Plus, pork is seriously economical!

Place the ribs in your slow cooker, and pour a can of Dr. Pepper over the top.

The lid goes on, and you can either cook them on low all day, or you can cook them on high in half the time.

When they are nice and tender, carefully remove them from the crock pot and place them on a wire rack over a foil covered cookie sheet.

Combine your favorite BBQ sauce with some more Dr. Pepper. We love our Sweet Baby Rays!

Brush BBQ sauce on them and bake them for 15 minutes. Flip them and do the same to the other side.

Find the FULL printable recipe at the bottom of this post!!

All set!! Don’t they look amazing?

Dig in!!

Don’t want to wait all day?? Make these delicious ribs in your Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot!

**INSTANT POT DR. PEPPER BBQ PORK RIBS** Fall apart tender, Instant Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Pork Ribs are ready to eat in about an hour. Boneless country Style Pork Ribs, prepared in your pressure cooker, then glazed with Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce on your grill or in your oven. Grab the napkins and dig in!

If you love Dr. Pepper and you love BBQ Ribs — here are a couple more recipes you need to try!

Crock Pot Dr. Pepper BBQ Pork Sandwiches — DR. PEPPER BBQ PORK SANDWICHES Make these mouthwatering BBQ Pork Sandwiches right in your crockpot. Pork loin roast, slow-cooked all day, making its very own Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce. Make sure you grab a napkin!

BBQ Pork Ribs – Boiled in beer until tender, grilled and covered in homemade sauce, these Country Style Pork Loin Ribs are fall-apart, finger-licking delicious!

20 Recipes you can make with a Bottle of BBQ Sauce - An Affair from the Heart — CRAZY ABOUT BARBECUE! Grab a napkin, a cold brew and dig into some All-American Barbecue! Here are 20+ recipes you can make with a bottle of BBQ Sauce!

A Few Other Great Dr. Pepper Recipes:

Let’s Dig in!

Yield: 4 pounds