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Slow Cooker Sticky Asian Ribs with Sticky Sauce are the very best fall of the bone tender ribs you will ever make! Slow cooked to perfection in a sweet and tangy asian sauce. They get slathered right before serving in a finger licking good sticky sauce!
I can hardly contain my excitement over here you guys. My cute friend Carrian, at Oh Sweet Basil just released her new cookbook, Our Sweet Basil Kitchen, and it blowing my mind. It took me so long just to choose a recipe out of it because they are all so delicious! Every single recipe is one that my family would love. We have already made her famous Teriyaki Chicken Casserole and I am pretty sure that I have every page dog eared for our family to try. This is a cookbook you will use for your family again and again!
It was so hard deciding what to make. I
was able to narrow it down to to these Asian Sticky Slow Cooker ribs. Simply because I prefer my ribs cooked in a slow cooker AND our family loves asian flavors. If you haven’t made ribs in your slow cooker yet, you need to drop what you are doing and make this recipe for dinner tonight!! The meat literally falls off the bone because it is so tender.
{Our Sweet Basil Kitchen Cookbook available here}
You start out by creating the most amazing spice rub for these ribs. A little bit of sweet and heat goes into this spice rub and coats the ribs perfectly. You put them in the slow cooker and let it do its magical work on these ribs.
Once these ribs slow cook all day long in a sweet and tangy asian sauce, you remove them broil in the oven for a few minutes. This is totally an optional step but in my opinion a MUST. This gives the ribs a nice crisp edge and makes the sauce nice and crispy on the top.
But the sticky sauce. Holy cow. Carrian sure knew what she was doing when she made this recipe because it was the most amazing finishing touch. It is all about the sticky asian sauce at the end. It is a mix of sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, honey… all of my favorite ingredients. You thicken it up and slather it on the ribs right before serving.
My youngest son is a rib LOVER. He is the pickiest eater but when it comes to ribs and wings he can’t get enough. I knew he would be so excited for these ribs. He said these were the best ribs that he has ever had in his entire life…. (of 9 years ?) and ate half of them!
I would have to agree with him. These are the best ribs that I have ever had in my entire life. I can’t emphasize how badly they need to be made at your house. And don’t forget to get a copy of the Our Sweet Basil Kitchen Cookbook. You will love all of the recipes inside just like we did!
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Slow Cooker Sticky Asian Ribs with Sticky Sauce
Equipment
- 1 7-quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs, about 3 pounds
Dry Rub
- ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salt
Sticky Sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 6 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- ⅔ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅔ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- To make the dry rub, add the ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons salt to a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Remove the membrane from 2 racks baby back pork ribs, and massage the dry rub into the ribs on both sides.
- Place them into a 7-quart slow cooker. You can either curl the ribs along the sides of the slow cooker or cut them into sections and place them on top of each other in the slow cooker.
- To make the sticky sauce, whisk together 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 6 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce, ⅔ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar, ⅔ cup lightly packed light brown sugar, and ⅔ cup honey in a medium bowl.
- Pour half of the sticky sauce over the ribs in the slow cooker and reserve the rest later. Cover and store it in the refrigerator while the ribs cook.
- Cook the ribs on LOW for 6-8 hours until the meat is tender and falls off the bone. You can cook them on HIGH for 4-hours, but ribs are usually better suited for low and slow cooking.
- Once the ribs are cooked and tender, remove them from the slow cooker and place them meaty side up on 1-2 baking sheets that are lined with lightly greased aluminum foil. Brush some sauce from the slow cooker on top of the ribs and broil on high for a few minutes until the edges begin to look crisp. Remove the ribs from the oven and lightly tent with foil to prepare the rest of the sauce.
- Add the reserved sticky sauce to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl, then add it to the saucepan and whisk it into the stick sauce.
- Whisk the sauce for 3-4 minutes or until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat and brush it over the top of the ribs. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I put the rub on the ribs the night before?
Yes! Cover and refrigerate them with the rub on overnight. Let me know how they turn out!
Excellent recipe! Easy and delicious. Finally found an alternative to barbecue sauce for baby back ribs that the whole family enjoyed.
We Loved these!! The sauce was great, the dry rub was amazing. I now use the dry rub on other meats! Perfect crock pot meal. Will make again. I love ordering Asian style ribs but when I get them when I’m out, I find the sauce/marinade to be too salty for my liking. These were a family favorite. I made them with fries rice and lumpia, topped the ribs with some sesame seeds.
Can I make these in the instant pot? If so, how long do I cook?
Hi Candice, you will want to pressure cook for 35 minutes. Natural slow release. But please make sure your instant pot is big enough for the ribs, if it’s not do not overfill it! Reduce the recipe and only do 1 rack of ribs. Let me know how it turns out!
OMG!!. I’ve been looking for another way to do ribs, other than BBQ), and have finally found it. These were amazing, I didn’t change a thing, made exactly as is. My husband and adult granddaughter couldn’t say enough good things about it. I made it with rice, potstickers and egg rolls.
This is a definite keeper!
A family hit with members all ages!
I was looking for a rib recipe that doesn’t use barbecue sauce, and this was perfect. The meat was incredibly tender, and the sauce was scrumptious. Thank you.
Just coming here to say, I love this recipe. I have used it a good 20+ times now and never disappoints. I work later nights sometimes and this is my go-to quick and satisfying pressure cooker adapted weeknight meal, but fancy enough for a weekend dinner at home too! This has replaced regular bbq ribs in my home, and it’s awesome with boneless spareribs, pork chops, anything! This sauce is awesome!
U had me @ Huli Huli Chkn❤️ & Now this, my 3rd amazing recipe from u & loved again by the whole fam…I didn’t have any ground Ginger so I used fresh which I shoulda used less of & think next time I’m gunna marinate the dry rub longer & add a little liquid smoke…again, another great recipe…Mmmmmmmm
Love This recipe, due to a time constraint, can I prep this the night before and get everything in the crock pot so all I have to do is wake up and put it on?
I have made this recipe many many times now and it never disappoints! The balsamic vinegar adds a unique flavor that makes this dish so delicious. I typically serve with home made fried rice and crab rangoon. I will be making this recipe for many years to come! Thank you!
Oooh, those sides sound so delicious with this! Thanks for sharing!!
I’d like to make this low fodmap with gluten free soya sauce and maple syrup instead of honey. Do you think this will substantially alter the flavour of the recipe?
It will have a distinct maple flavor, but I think it would still be delicious!