With summer around the corner, BBQ plans with friends and family will surely arise. Few things are as satisfying as BBQ with good company. Unfortunately, not all of us have access to a grill or the time to grill up our favorite dishes.
Fortunately, you can still make mouthwatering BBQ without having access to a grill. Slow cookers save the day by making indoor BBQ possible. Plus, it takes away the hassle of having hawk over the grill and check your meal from overcooking. From pulled pork to baby back ribs, here are 12 slow cooker recipes for classic BBQ favorites.
1. Slow Cooker BBQ Boneless Pork Shoulder
We’re kicking this list off with a slow-cooked pork recipe that’s perfect for serving on sandwiches or on BBQ plates with a nice helping of tasty sides. This recipe uses a boneless pork shoulder, also known as a Boston Butt roast. Beyond that, all you need is cider vinegar, spices, and BBQ sauce.
The cooking process is as simple as it gets: put the pork shoulder, vinegar, and spices in the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Use a BBQ sauce of any choosing at the end to give the pork the perfect kick and serve!
2. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
If you need a shorter cooking time but still want juicy pulled pork, this recipe takes only 4 hours but still delivers the same delicious results. Much like the previous recipe, you just need boneless pork shoulder, cider vinegar, and spices. In a slight twist, this recipe adds chicken broth to the list as well.
This recipe doesn’t necessarily require a boneless cut of pork, although that does make the process of shredding the meat easier. Feel free to use any cut you desire, as well as a BBQ sauce of your choosing.
3. Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
This is one of the shorter recipes on this list. With less than 3 hours of prep and cooking time, this recipe is great for making BBQ the day of a family gathering or cookout. Plus, this meat can be served easily on sandwiches, nachos, or even pizza. Feel free to put your own twist on it!
The most complicated part of this recipe is actually rubbing the chicken down with seasoning before cooking and shredding the chicken after cooking. Beyond that, all you need to do is let your slow cooker work its magic.
4. Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce
For more advanced cooks and BBQ enthusiasts, this beef brisket recipe is a great way to exercise your cooking and develop your own BBQ sauce. This recipe is all about cooking it low and slow, allowing the brisket to caramelize in tangy BBQ sauce.
Speaking of BBQ sauce, this recipe also includes a method for making your own homemade sauce. You can experiment with different spices to make your sauce as sweet, spicy, or tangy as you’d like.
5. New York Times’ BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This is one of the more complex recipes on this list, adapted and compiled from a multitude of recipes from the NYT Cooking Community Facebook page. Despite being more involved than other recipes on this list, it still takes the hassle out of the grilling process while also teaching some helpful tips and tricks for getting your BBQ just right.
The trick of this recipe is actually soda. It sounds unusual but it’s just another one of the many unique tricks that NYT learned from its online community. Don’t worry; your pulled pork won’t come out tasting like Dr. Pepper.
6. Slow Cooker BBQ Country Style Ribs
Not only are ribs a BBQ favorite for many but they’re great for serving large groups of people. These ribs cook slowly over the course of 10 hours, making them perfectly tender without a grill or a smoker.
The recipe calls for the ribs to be served with noodles and fresh thyme but you can easily serve these ribs with any side of your choosing. You can even shred the ribs and put them on sandwich buns!
7. Spicy-Sweet Ribs with Beans
Here’s another great rib recipe with a homemade sauce that is equal parts spicy and sweet. It also includes a recipe for a side of beans, which make a great addition to any cookout or BBQ gathering.
The trick to this recipe is broiling the ribs first to brown them to perfection before adding them and the beans to the slow cooker. It’s a little more involved than other slow cooker recipes but the results are worth it.
8. Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
If you need a faster recipe, here’s another great chicken BBQ recipe that takes less than 4 hours to make. All you need to do is mix the sauces and spices in the crockpot before adding the chicken and letting it cook.
At the end, the chicken needs to broil for a few minutes with a fresh coating of BBQ sauce. The recipe includes links to great recipes for sides to serve the chicken with, including mashed potatoes, veggie rice, and roasted carrots.
9. Slow Cooker BBQ Baby Back Ribs
For cooks who want to learn to make ribs but don’t know where to start, this recipe is a great learning opportunity. This recipe has a detailed step by step, including tips and tricks for how to get the ribs to fit into smaller crockpots and how to adjust cooking time based on the size of the ribs.
In addition to the detailed process included in this recipe, it also includes a recipe for a homemade BBQ spice rub. You can easily add your favorite spices to this rub to make it as spicy as you’d like.
10. Tangy BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
These BBQ wings are delectably tangy and easy to make! 3 hours is all you need to make over 2 dozen BBQ wings that are sure to be a hit with friends and family. All you need to do is prep the wings, prep the sauce, and put them in the slow cooker together.
The trickiest part here is prepping the chicken wings. You’ll need to cut the wings’ joints and discard the tips but beyond that, the meat needs very little preparation.
11. Bon Appetit’s Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Here’s another great pulled pork recipe, this time from Bon Appetit Magazine. The best part about this recipe is how flexible its ingredient list is. You can easily swap out or add any spices of your choosing. No need to go shopping for specific spices or ingredients here!
This recipe, like others on this list, uses the dark soda trick to give the meat its sweet flavor. Beyond that, the recipe will guide you through each step in detail. Once the pork is cooked, you can serve it any way you like: in sandwiches, with rice, or even on nachos.
12. Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Legs
We’re ending this list with mouthwatering chicken legs that require minimal effort. Like the other chicken recipes on this list, this recipe takes only 3 hours to make, making it one of the shorter slow cooker BBQ meals.
All you need to do is add the chicken, honey, and spice rub to a slow cooker and let it all sit for 3 hours. Let the chicken broil in the oven for a few minutes before serving. Feel free to use your favorite BBQ sauce or add red pepper flakes for more kick.
