The best part of these slow cooker poor man’s ribs is the spoonful of saucy onions that goes over each serving. The yellow onion softens under the pork all afternoon, and the sauce collects in the little creases where the meat starts to pull apart.
You’ll need bone-in country-style pork ribs, a yellow onion, a bottle of barbecue sauce, and half a cup of regular cola. It takes about 10 minutes to slice the onion and get everything into the cooker. Plan on 7 to 8 hours on low, then give the thickest piece a gentle twist with a fork. Dinner’s ready when that piece starts to give as easily as the smaller ones.
What Are Poor Man’s Ribs?
Poor man’s ribs call for a meaty cut from where the pork loin meets the shoulder. The bones can look a little different from one piece to the next. At the meat counter, look for a package that says bone-in country-style ribs. The individual pieces look more like thick strips of pork than a full rack.
Prices vary by store. If you’re deciding between two packages, compare the price per pound and look at how much of each piece is usable meat. Choose pieces with some fine streaks of fat running through the meat. A thick outer flap can be trimmed away at home. Try to pick pieces close in thickness, too. A package with a mix of narrow strips and very thick pieces can give you some that shred before the rest are ready.
Baby back ribs and spare ribs come in racks with a different proportion of bone to meat. Use country-style ribs here so the thick pieces stand up to the long cook. For six servings, about 3½ pounds gives you enough pork for each plate alongside a couple of sides.
The Four Ingredients
- 3½ pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs. Anywhere from 3 to 4 pounds works if the pieces fit with very little overlap. Thaw frozen ribs in the refrigerator before cooking. If there’s a broad flap of fat hanging off a piece, trim it with a sharp knife. Leave the thin streaks between the muscles in place.
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced. Cut it in half through the root, peel it, and slice each half into half-moons about ¼ inch thick. Separate the layers with your fingers so they’ll spread across the bottom of the crock. Yellow onion gives the sauce a mellow, savory flavor, even if your bottled sauce is fairly sweet.
- 1 bottle barbecue sauce, 18 ounces. A thick tomato-based sauce with a little vinegar tang works especially well. The pork and onion will give off liquid as they cook, so a sauce that comes out of the bottle in a thick ribbon gives you a good starting point. For a smokier batch, use hickory-style sauce. If you like some heat, pick a sauce made with chipotle or cayenne. If you’re pouring from a family-size bottle, set the mixing bowl on a kitchen scale, zero it out, and pour in 18 ounces.
- ½ cup regular cola. Measure it in a liquid measuring cup and stir it into the sauce. That small amount loosens it enough to pour between the pieces and rounds out the vinegar tang. Use a tangier barbecue sauce if you prefer less sweetness.
How to Make Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Ribs
1. Spread the onions across the bottom
Use a 6-quart oval slow cooker, or a similar model with enough room for the pork to lie in a shallow layer. Scatter the onion slices from end to end. Break up any clumps so the onions form a thin layer across the insert. A few slices sticking out between pieces of pork are fine. They’ll soften as the sauce settles around them.
2. Fit the ribs over the onions
Blot the thawed ribs with paper towels so there’s less liquid from the package going into the cooker. Lay the pieces over the onions, turning the broad ones on their sides if that helps them fit. A little overlap at the ends is fine. If the meat is piled high enough that the lid won’t sit flat, move to a larger cooker that fits the batch within the manufacturer’s fill guidelines.
3. Mix and pour the sauce
Pour the cola and barbecue sauce into a bowl or a large measuring jug. Stir slowly at first, then scrape the bottom with a spoon to pick up any thick sauce that’s settled there. Pour the mixture over the pork, aiming some into the gaps so it reaches the onions. If one piece has a broad patch of bare meat, sweep a spoonful of the sauce over it. The liquid can sit below the top of the ribs.
4. Cover and cook until the pork is tender
Put the lid on and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3½ to 4 hours. Leave the lid closed until the early end of the range. The slow cooker will fill with steam, and the onions will turn translucent and slip into the cooking liquid. For a batch with especially thick pieces, allow extra time if the center still feels tight when you check it.
5. Check a thick piece with a thermometer and fork
Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the pork, clear of bone and large pockets of fat. Whole cuts of pork need to reach at least 145°F and rest for at least 3 minutes before eating. For this recipe, keep cooking until a fork slides in easily and a small twist starts to separate the meat. If the pork still grips the fork, replace the lid and check again in 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Lift out the ribs and spoon over the onions
Use a wide slotted spoon to support each piece from underneath. The meat can split at the bone if you grab it by one end with tongs. Move the ribs to a warm platter and let them rest for 5 minutes. While they sit, skim any visible fat off the surface of the sauce, stir the onions through it, and spoon some over the pork. Bring the rest of the sauce to the table in a small bowl.
Low or High for Country-Style Pork Ribs?
Low gives you a little more room to catch the pork when it’s tender enough to pull away from the bone and still holds together on the platter. If you’re starting dinner in the morning, use that setting. High works for an afternoon start. The first time you use it, check a smaller piece and the thickest piece at the early end of the cooking range. That tells you how evenly your cooker is handling the batch.
Pay attention to what the fork feels like as it goes in. When a thick piece stays rigid as you twist, it needs longer with the lid closed. Check through a meaty section a little away from the bone, where you can tell whether the fibers actually separate. If the small pieces are ready, transfer them to a covered dish while the larger ones finish. A spoonful of warm cooking sauce over the top keeps their surfaces from drying out during a short wait.
If you’d like to serve whole pieces, stop when the meat first parts under a fork. For sandwiches, leave the sturdier pieces in until the meat separates into larger strands with very little pressure. If a lean piece has already gone a bit dry, pull it into coarse chunks and fold them through some of the warm sauce. Give the chunks a few minutes to sit in the sauce before spooning them onto a bun.
How to Thicken the Barbecue Sauce
Lift the ribs out first and look at the sauce after the bubbles settle. If a slick of fat has risen to the top, skim it with a wide spoon. Then stir up the onions from the bottom. Sometimes that’s enough to give each serving a good spoonful of soft onion and sauce. If you want a thicker coating on the pork, the stovetop is the quickest way to get there.
Ladle the skimmed sauce and onions into a wide saucepan. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring along the bottom and around the edges as it thickens. Start checking after 5 minutes. It’s ready when it leaves a thin coating on the back of a spoon. Taste it before reducing it any further. As the water cooks off, the barbecue sauce will taste sweeter and saltier.
For dinner over rice or potatoes, you can thicken just half and leave the rest loose enough to spoon over the sides. Brush the thicker portion across the tops of the ribs, then let a few of the soft onions fall over each piece. The sauce will continue to thicken a little as it cools on the plate.
What to Serve with Barbecue Country-Style Ribs
Mashed potatoes are handy if you want to use all that sauce. Make a shallow well in each scoop and spoon the onions into it before setting the pork on top. Buttered egg noodles or plain rice work the same way. If the sauce is on the sweeter side, serve green beans or broccoli with a squeeze of lemon to give the plate some acidity.
For a cookout-style dinner, put the ribs on a platter with vinegar slaw and warm cornbread. A crunchy cabbage slaw holds up well beside the soft pork, and the vinegar cuts through a rich sauce. If you’re serving a creamy potato salad, sliced dill pickles can do the same job. Keep the extra sauce in a bowl so guests can add a little more to their plates.
You can also pull the pork right before serving. Slide out the bones, feel through the meat for any small pieces of bone or firm cartilage, and separate the pork into big chunks with two forks. Toss the chunks with just enough sauce to coat them and pile them onto toasted buns. Spoon some onion over the meat before adding the top bun. Toasting the cut sides buys you a little time before the sauce soaks through.
Make Ahead, Store, and Reheat
Slice the onion the night before if you’re setting up the cooker before work. Refrigerate it in a covered container and keep the pork separately refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. Measure the sauce into a jar if you like. The cola takes a moment to add in the morning, and you can start cooking as soon as the crock is loaded.
Refrigerate leftovers in shallow, covered containers at 40°F or below within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F. Use the pork within 3 to 4 days. Tuck the onions and some sauce around the meat before chilling it. The sauce may set up in the refrigerator, but it loosens again as it warms.
For the freezer, remove the bones and pack the meat in portions with enough sauce to cover it lightly. Press the air out of freezer bags and lay them flat, or use small freezer-safe containers. Use within 3 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator so the portions warm evenly when you reheat them.
Reheat the pork and sauce together in a covered skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce sticks before the meat is warm. Bring the center of the pork to 165°F. For one portion in the microwave, cover the dish loosely and turn the pieces partway through. Check the temperature in more than one spot, especially if some pieces are still thick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use boneless country-style pork ribs?
Yes. Look for boneless pieces with visible marbling, often cut from pork shoulder. Use about 3 pounds in the same sauce and start checking for tenderness earlier, especially if the pieces are small. Very lean boneless strips can become dry sooner. When you shop, choose thicker pieces with fine streaks of fat if you plan to cook them all afternoon.
Do I need to brown the ribs first?
You can layer the thawed pork straight into the slow cooker. For this version, most of the deep color comes from the sauce. If you want browned edges, brush the fully cooked ribs with some thickened sauce and set them under the broiler on a broiler-safe rimmed pan for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch continuously. Sweet barbecue sauce can darken quickly.
What can I use instead of cola?
Use ½ cup of regular root beer for a one-for-one swap. It’s a good fit with a smoky sauce because its vanilla-like flavor comes through softly once everything cooks. Cola gives the sauce a more familiar sweet-tangy barbecue flavor. Whichever you choose, taste your bottled sauce before you pour it into the cooker so you know how sweet the batch is likely to be.
Can I make a half batch in a smaller slow cooker?
Yes. Use 1¾ pounds bone-in country-style ribs, half a large yellow onion, 9 ounces of barbecue sauce, and ¼ cup of cola. A 3- to 4-quart cooker can work if the ribs fit within its fill guidelines. Keep the pieces in a shallow layer. Start checking early, since piece thickness and how snugly the cooker is filled affect the timing more than the weight alone.
If you’ve got one rib left after dinner, pull it while it’s still warm and save it with a spoonful of onions and sauce. It’s just enough to split between two baked potato halves the next day, with a fork to scrape up the sauce that settles into the skins.
Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Poor Man’s Ribs
Ingredients
- 3½ pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 18-ounce bottle barbecue sauce
- ½ cup regular cola
Instructions
- Scatter onion in a 6-quart slow cooker. Arrange thawed ribs over it.
- Stir barbecue sauce and cola together. Pour over the ribs.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 3½ to 4 hours, until fork-tender. Check that the pork reaches at least 145°F.
- Lift the ribs onto a platter and rest for 5 minutes. Skim the sauce, stir in the onions, and spoon over the pork.
