Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Ribs

Recipe:

• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Dr Pepper Crockpot Ribs

• 3 to 3 ½ pounds pork baby back ribs
• 8 ounces Dr. Pepper
• 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce we like Sweet Baby Ray's

Step 1
Spray the sides of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2
Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
To remove, use your fingers or a butter knife to get underneath the membrane, then use a dry paper towel to grip it and pull it off. Note that the membrane has already been removed from some racks of ribs.

Step 3
Cut the ribs into the appropriate size to fit your slow cooker. You can either lay them rib-side down or stand them up, meat side toward the crock.
I cut the rack into two pieces, which fits my oval 6-quart crock pot perfectly.

Step 4
Combine the dry rub ingredients. Generously rub the mixture into the back side, then the front side of each rack of ribs.

Step 5
Place one rack in the Crock Pot and brush ½ cup of barbecue sauce on top. Lay the second rack on top of the first one and brush with ½ cup of barbecue sauce.

Step 6
Pour the Dr. Pepper around the ribs into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step 7
Place the lid on and set the temperature to low. Cook for 5-6 hours or until the meat is soft and fork-tender and the internal temperature reaches 190-200 degrees. If you prefer fall-off-the-bone ribs, check the texture at 205 to make sure they don't get dry or mushy.

Step 8
Remove the ribs from the crock pot and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Step 9
Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan or deep skillet and whisk in ½ cup of barbecue sauce. Boil the mixture over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes or until it reduces down to the consistency of barbecue sauce.

Step 10
Preheat the broiler. Brush the sauce over the top of the ribs and broil for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and caramelized. Serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.