These easy, sweet, and sticky venison ribs are one of the most satisfying wild game recipes that I cook every season. They are so easy to make and there’s no skill involved, all you need is time!
Looking for more wild game dishes for the 2025 hunting season? Check out my complete collection of venison slow cooker recipes.
While deer ribs don’t have a lot going on in the size department, they make up for it in terms of flavor. So don’t leave them in the grind pile like a lot of people that we hear about.
Venison ribs aren’t as fatty as something like beef ribs or pork ribs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve delicious, fall-off-the-bone goodness. When cooking deer ribs, the cooking method just needs to be tweaked a little in order to achieve the best results with this lean protein.
If you were to throw deer ribs directly into your smoker or oven without first using moist heat, they would come out super tough and almost inedible. Therefore, the best way to cook venison ribs is to use a 2-step cooking process (like I use for my smoked venison roast). They are first slow-cooked in a crockpot for a couple of hours (you can also braise in a low-temperature oven) until they are just fork-tender.
For the second and final step, they are lightly charred on your grill or under your oven broiler and then glazed. As a side note, there’s no need to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs since they are first slow cooked in liquid. The membrane will tenderize during the slow cooking process.
But before getting started on your prized rack of venison ribs, we want to achieve maximum flavor. So the ribs are first marinated in a homemade Chinese-style barbecue sauce that doubles as a glaze. But fear not, this sauce is super easy to make, and there is no cooking involved.
What to Serve with the Ribs
Being that this recipe was influenced by Chinese take-out style spare ribs, I like to serve them with some of my favorite “take out” side dishes.
- You can never go wrong with steamed or fried rice. The extra barbecue sauce from the ribs gets soaked up rice by the rice making for a delicious meal.
- Stir fried bok choy with bell peppers.
- Sesame soba noodles. The sticky and sweet bbq sauce pairs perfectly with the nuttiness of these noodles.
- Garlicky shiitake mushrooms. If there’s one vegetable that is meant to be eaten with red meat, it’s mushrooms. Add in some minced fresh garlic and you’ve got yourself the ultimate venison side dish.
More Venison Recipes
Below are a few of my favorite dishes using deer meat. If you want even more to choose from, check out my venison recipes guide.
- The Best Venison Neck Roast
- Bacon Wrapped Venison Backstrap
- fried Venison Cube Steak
- Venison Shawarma
- Venison Casserole
Lastly, if you make this venison rib recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.
SLOW COOKER VENISON RIBS
Ingredients
For the Ribs
- 3 to 3.5 pounds venison ribs cut in portions to fit into your crockpot
- venison stock veal stock or beef stock as needed
- Olive oil as needed
Marinade & Chinese Barbecue Sauce Glaze
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1.4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup gin or Chinese rice wine optional
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional Garnishes
- Scallions
- Sesame Seeds
- Fried Garlic & Fried Shallots
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients for the marinade & bbq sauce glaze into a medium bowl. Stir thoroughly to combine. Divide the mixture in half. One half will be used for the marinade and the other for glazing the ribs after braising.
- Place the deer ribs into a large baking dish. Coat the rib meat all over with the marinade. Cover and marinate the deer ribs in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
- Place your slow cooker on the low heat setting and add the ribs to the crock pot.
- Pour just enough stock into the slow cooker until the ribs are about halfway covered. Cover the crockpot with a lid and cook over the low setting until they are tender. This will take anywhere from 7 to 10 hours. Flipping the ribs halfway through the cooking process will help them cook a little more evenly. They should be tender but not falling apart.
- Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and let them cool to the touch.
- Pre-heat your oven to broil or your grill over medium-high heat.
- Place the ribs on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Brush the ribs with around a tablespoon of the olive oil or other cooking oil. Cook the ribs until they start forming a brown crust on both sides. Brush the ribs with the glaze on both sides and continue to cook until they are nicely charred. Using a sharp knife slice the ribs into individual pieces and serve.
NOTES
- Make the sauce first. Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, honey, gin or rice wine, five-spice, ginger, white pepper, and salt in a bowl. Divide it in half and save one half for glazing the ribs after they braise.
- Marinate the ribs 4 to 12 hours. Coat the ribs well, cover them, and refrigerate long enough for the sauce to penetrate the meat before they go into the slow cooker.
- Add stock only halfway up. Put the ribs in the slow cooker and pour in just enough stock to come about halfway up the meat, not over the top. That keeps the ribs braising instead of boiling.
- Cook until tender, not falling apart. On low, the ribs usually take about 7 to 10 hours. Flip them halfway through if you can so they cook more evenly.
- Cool them before charring. Take the ribs out once tender and let them cool enough to handle before they go under the broiler or onto the grill. That helps them stay together better.
- Char before final glaze. Brush the ribs lightly with oil first, brown them on both sides, then brush on the reserved glaze and keep cooking until they are nicely charred and sticky.
- Use the oven if needed. The post offers an oven-braise option at 325 F for about 3 to 5 hours, with the ribs covered halfway with stock and flipped once during cooking.
- Double the sauce if wanted. You can make extra barbecue sauce and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
1 thought on “SLOW COOKER CANTONESE STYLE VENISON RIBS”
Great marinade & best rib recipe I have tried, yet!