Beef and pork ribs are delicious when cooked in a crock pot. It is very easy to prepare crock pot ribs, and the slow cooking makes the meat literally fall off the bone.

The preparation method is basically the same for all varieties:

Choose the type of ribs you want.
Rub with your favorite spice mix.
Cut into managable lengths and remove as much fat as you can.
Grill or broil for several minutes on each side to brown the meat.
Place ribs in the crock pot at your bbq sauce and cook on low for about 6 hours or high for 2 to 4 hours.

So, what makes the difference? Your barbecue sauce!

It’s easy to just grab a bottle of barbecue sauce from the grocery store shelf, and this works perfectly fine.

But why not add something special and prepare your own sauce. It is easy, fast and the fun part is you can experiment with different ingredients and come up with your own unique flavor.

Here are a few basic barbecue sauce recipes to get you started:

Basic BBQ Sauce

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup wine vinegar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Honey Mustard

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grainy mustard
2 tbsp liquid honey
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Zesty Lemon and Brown Sugar Sauce

1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp prepared horseradish

Note: This is more of a dipping sauce. For a thicker sauce, transfer from the crock pot to a saucepan and simmer on the stove, stirring often. Continue to simmer gently until desired consistency is reached. Serve over the ribs.

Enjoy, and don’t forget to be ceative and experiment.

If you have your own favorite homemade barbecue sauce, why not share it with our reader in the comment below.

Or, go over to The Crock Pot Blog Facebook Fan Page and share it there. I have set up a “Homemade Barbecue Sauce” topic on the Discussions tab.