Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Country Ribs–country style pork ribs are cooked low and slow in your slow cooker until fork tender and then served with a sweet and sour sauce. If you want, you can make baked potatoes at the same time and in the same crockpot to serve with your ribs.
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Get the INSTANT POT version of the recipe here
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Country Ribs
I’ve been making this recipe for years and I figured I would update the recipe with new pictures and add an Instant Pot version too. What are country-style pork ribs? Well country style pork ribs are actually not ribs at all. They’re from the blade end or the shoulder and they might have some bones in them but most likely will be boneless. Basically thick cuts of meat that have similar texture and flavor as the meat around ribs. This cut of meat is perfect for the slow cooker. They get really tender and have lots of flavor. Plus the bonus is that they are super budget friendly.
As you can see, I bought my pork country style ribs at Winco for $1.78 per pound. This package was 3 pounds and cost me only $5.32. This amount was enough to feed 6 people.
I started this recipe by making a sauce out of ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and a few seasonings. I stirred it all together in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then I nestled all the ribs into the pot.
I nestled all the ribs into the homemade sweet and sour sauce.
At this point you can wrap up some russet potatoes in foil and throw them in as well. They’ll cook at the same rate as the ribs and you can have meat and potatoes for dinner. Or you can leave the potatoes out, it’s up to you. I cooked mine for about 8 hours on low. The meat was super tender. I thickened up the sauce with a cornstarch slurry and spooned it over the meat on a serving platter. I hope you enjoy these slow cooker sweet and sour country ribs as much as we did!
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What Slow Cooker Did You Use?
For this recipe I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.* I love this slow cooker (you can see me talking about it in a video here). It cooks low and evenly. I love the medium heat choice because most slow cookers that I’ve seen only have the option of cooking on low or high. If you’re going to buy just one slow cooker, this is the one that I recommend.
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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Country Ribs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-10 hours on low
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Country style pork ribs are cooked low and slow in your slow cooker until fork tender and then served with a sweet and sour sauce. If you want, you can make baked potatoes at the same time and in the same pot to serve with your ribs.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 c packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2–4 lbs country style pork ribs (bone-in or boneless)
- Russet potatoes, optional
- Cornstarch + water
Instructions
- Whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper together in your slow cooker.
- Nestle the ribs into the sauce.
- If you want baked potatoes then wrap your scrubbed russet potatoes in foil and place on the top of the ribs.
- Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-10 hours (depending on your slow cooker and how hot it cooks).
- Remove the lid and remove the potatoes. Scoop the ribs on to a platter. Turn the slow cooker to high. Mix 2 Tbsp of cornstarch with 3 Tbsp of water in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker. The sauce will thicken up in a about 10 minutes.
- Spoon the sauce over the meat and enjoy!
Notes
I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.*
- Category: Pork
- Method: Slow Cooker
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The only way I ever cook this cut of pork!. I switch up the flavors, sometimes I use a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbaque sauce. I bake my potatoes with it too. I cut them hassleback style, fan them a little, & put butter & chives on top before wrapping them snuggly in foil. My slow cooker tends to run hot so I put the potatoes in the center so they cook evenly. When they’re done I serve them with a “topping bar” of chives, green onions, bacon bits, cheese, sour cream ahhh the possibilities are endless!
★★★★★
Wow Judy that sounds soooo good! I will have to try that with the potatoes!
I tend to make ribs for Sunday dinner a lot and this is the recipe I use everytime. We all really love it, even my 5 and 2 year olds.
I made these today with some buffalo ribs I had in the freezer. I have never made ribs before because I didn’t know what to do with them. They turned out so good. We all loved them. So thank you for the recipe!