Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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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!

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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.

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

^Love it? PIN It!^

 

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.

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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.

 

Cheesy Cornbread Drop Biscuits
Cheesy Cornbread Drop Biscuits – A fluffy and slightly sweet in the middle biscuit, full of flavor with a crisp exterior. They make the perfect pairing to soups and salads.

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?

  1. Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs
  2. Dr. Pepper Soda (Cherry Dr. Pepper is good, too!)
  3. 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.  

 

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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! 

 

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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.  

 

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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.  

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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

 

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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!!

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

All set!! Don’t they look amazing?

 

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

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
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
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:

 

 

 


Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

Let’s Dig in! M.

 

Close up of Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs on a white serving plate
4.49 from 572 votes
Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs

Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs, slow cooked in Dr. Pepper, then baked to caramelize the Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time7 hours
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time7 hours 35 minutes
Course: Crock Pot
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 3 ingredient meals, country style pork ribs, Crockpot BBQ Ribs, Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce, Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs
Servings: 4 pounds
Calories: 1029kcal
Author: Michaela Kenkel

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!

Instructions

  • Place ribs in the bottom of your slow cooker, pour 1 can of soda over them. Cover and slow cook for 7 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil then place a wire rack over the top.
  • Combine 3/4 cup BBQ sauce with 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper soda.
  • Carefully remove the ribs from the slow cooker, placing on rack. Brush tops with sauce. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and brush other side. Bake 15 minutes more.
  • Serve remaining sauce at the table.

Nutrition

Serving: 11ounces | Calories: 1029kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 90g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 327mg | Sodium: 619mg | Sugar: 25g

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs - An Affair from the Heart

This recipe has been updated from its original post … if you followed this old photo here, you are still in the right place! 🙂

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103 Comments

  1. Hi Michela —

    I am a recently widowed single grandfather and I made these ribs… VERY good (and I haven’t cooked in over 20 years!). One thind I did differently though was since I was eating an orange while I was cooking, I threw the orange peel in the slow cooker along with the meat. Quite good and the orange peel added some color to the dish after I got through baking the bbs sauce on the ribs… served it with asparagus…. my problem was that I didn’t make enough… I only used about 1 1/2 pounds of ribs for myself and a 13 year old grandson. Looked REALLY yummy when I put it all together with the orange peel on top of the ribs and surrounded by the asparagus.

    Thank you for posting this recipe. My wife was a great cook (as testified by my waistline) but even she never made this.

    1. Harold – you just melted my heart with your comment. Thank you for taking the time to let me know that you and your grandson liked the recipe. I think the addition of the orange was pure brilliance! I am trying that next time. I bet it did make for a pretty presentation! Next time you’ll have to double the amount of ribs, right? 😉 I am sure your wife was smiling down on you two while you enjoyed them. Michaela

  2. I found this recipe on Pinterest and omg is it fall off the bone good! I followed the recipe exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing!!

  3. Hi! These look wonderful! One question. I’d like to double the recipe. Is it ok to layer the ribs then? Thx for your reply!

  4. I am in LOVE with this recipe!!! I left them in the crock pot while I was at work and baked them when I got home!! Super easy and oh so delicious!!!!!

  5. OMG!!!! I Just tried it today. My ribs didn’t make it to the cookie sheet. Not a bad thing, let me tell you. I tried it with Cherry Dr. Pepper and I put 2 Vidalia onions in along with it. I put the barbecue sauce in with the juices that was created from the slow cooker. And I’m just eating it like this. So yummy!!

  6. Hi! I’m planning on doing this on the weekend for my hubby… quick question, what about salt and pepper? Don’t you need to add that first?

    1. I have never used any. They are fine without it, but if you’d like to add some, I think it’s all a matter of taste. I wouldn’t get too carried away with salt though! 😉

    1. I never have seasoned them. I know some have — I can’t imagine it will mess anything up, but it may alter the flavor. Maybe try to make them without the first time and decide if you tastebuds think they need a little something?

  7. Fantastic recipe! Last weekend at BBQ party, I tried out your recipe as it can be prepared so quickly. Everyone there loved the recipe and appreciated me for the recipe. It was really super yummy. Thanks much for sharing!

    1. I’m not sure? Did you have the same amount of ribs? Maybe they were thinner? The oven part is only to glaze the BBQ sauce on them, maybe next time shorten that time?

    1. When you place them in the oven or on the grill you are basically just caramelizing the BBQ sauce on them before you serve them. When they come out of the crock pot, they are already cooked, but won’t have that BBQ sauce look to them. I guess if that doesn’t bother you, you could just serve them with BBQ sauce?

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