Slow Cooker BBQ Sticky Rice
BBQ sticky rice is a fusion of flavors from Asian and the deep south. Sticky rice is typically found in Asian dishes, but this version has been kicked up southern style with a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce. Taken a step further, it’s a snap to make in a slow cooker. Come on in to my virtual kitchen and I’ll show you how to whip up some of this BBQ sticky rice!
It’s still hotter than Hades in northeastern Wisconsin, so I’ve been getting great use out of my slow cooker this week.
I love the slow cooker recipes I’ve created! CLICK HERE to see all of my slow cooker recipes.
I typically use my slow cooker in the fall and winter because it’s so great for making soup, chili, and hearty dishes like my Italian meatloaf. I didn’t realize until recently, though, that slow cookers are also amazing for use in the warm weather months. Seriously, how could I overlook the fact that I don’t need to have my oven turned on to create a spectacular meal?
This BBQ sticky rice is a perfect example. It’s a yummi side dish on its own, but you could add some chicken from the grill to it, or serve it up with ribs or a steak and you’ll have a full blown meal that didn’t over heat your house.Fabulous, right?
There’s a secret to the awesomeness of this BBQ sticky rice, though.
It’s in the barbecue sauce! I purchased it from my sweet blogging friend, Mary. She’s the awesome woman and foodie behind “All Things Cooking with Mary & Friends“. Her recipes are down home comfort food. They’re easy to make and delicious to eat! Mary’s husband Curt is the genius craftsman behind the BBQ sauce recipe. According to Mary, her husband worked for 20 years to perfect it, and I can taste every bit of that hard work in his creation.
It’s sweet, but not too sweet, with just a touch of smoky flavor, and a gentle kick of heat right at the end. It’s not overpowering or too vinegary like so many barbecue sauces are. It’s got a smooth finish and a spunky flavor that I really wanted to just eat by the spoonful. It’s absolutely delicious!
I hope you love this BBQ sticky rice!
Slow Cooker BBQ Sticky Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked short or medium grain rice. Instant and long grain rice are not recommended as they don’t contain enough starch to become sticky during cooking.
- 1 medium onion finely minced (optional)
- 20 ounces (2 liquid cups) BBQ sauce
- 4 ounces (1/2 liquid cup) water plus more if necessary
Instructions
- Spray a slow cooker with non-stick spray or line with a slow cooker liner. Place rice, onion, and BBQ sauce, and water into slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Set slow cooker to high and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring half way through cooking time. If rice appears dry and hasn’t yet started puffing up, add 1/4 cup more water.
Awesome!!! I just love this and you did a great job incorporating the BBQ Sauce!!!
It’s only a fabulous recipe because of Curt’s sauce, Mary. I LOVE it! Thanks so much for introducing me to it š
Wow, Becca, I’m impressed. I literally was thinking that I needed side dishes that were easy to make and don’t take a lot of prep time and here you are with one. I absolutely would make a lot of this and serve leftovers with leftover chicken, making 2 meals out of one. Love the ease in the summer months.
Karen, I wish words were enough to express how amazing Curt’s sauce tastes in this recipe. I have BBQ sauce recipes of my own and they’re nothing compared to his. I can’t wait to buy more, because I’ve got all sorts of ideas for using it this fall!
Damn, woman! Why are you always posting the most delicious creations in the world āĀ that my doctor won’t allow me to even sniff, much less eat!?! š Looks wonderful!
Oh crap, Adam…I’m sorry! Want me to blog some sugar-free Jello for you? š
For what it’s worth, I made this and could only have 1/4 cup of it, when what I really wanted to do was to throw my face into the slow cooker.
This sounds wonderful! What size slow cooker did you use?
Thank you, Katrina! I used a small, 2-quart cooker.
Exactly the kind of dish I LOVE!!! Looks so yummy š
Thanks so much, Patricia!
yum this looks delicious! love anything slow cooked (means i can be extra lazy when preparing dinner).. definitely inspired to give this recipe a go. thanks for sharing.
This looks delicious, Chef Bec! Our slow cooker died last winter, and I’ve been debating getting a new one or not. Looks like you just convinced me! š
Thanks, my friend! I don’t use my slow cooker much, but when I do, it never steers me wrong. My biggest challenge is finding a place to store it when I don’t use it š
This is new and interesting! I will have to look up that BBQ sauce because I don’t like any bottled kinds – too sweet or too vinegary. I’m going to try this sometime this week because we love sticky rice at this house!
I can’t even explain how good this BBQ sauce is, Kelli. I’m really picky about my sauce, which is why I normally make my own, but when I heard how long Curt’s been perfecting his sauce, I had a feeling it would be amazing, and I was right!
You had me at ‘sticky rice’. Wow. This look amazing!
Thanks, Camilla. It was one of those recipes that I didn’t give a second thought to trying. It turned out SO good!
Thanks, Camilla! It’s become a favorite of ours.
I have never made rice in the slow cooker! I think I have made almost everything else but never rice. I like this recipe it seems pretty easy and looks tasty as a nice side dish thats a bit different.
I hope you have a chance to try it sometime, Ellen!
Another great slow cooker recipe going to my bookmarks. I just made some copies for my neighbors that just come to my door as soon as I cook your delicious recipes. Thanks for sharing with us; your fans! I might be your #1 fan .
It sounds like your neighbors are very lucky to have you close by, Maria! Thank you for being such a great friend to them š
I will at times add BBQ sauce to my rice instead of butter. Have never thought of cooking with it. Will be trying this. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m very excited to try this recipe. I don’t know if it’s the altitude (I live a little above 7000 feet) or the fact that I’ve only been cooking for about 9 years but I can not make rice. I tend to buy a frozen microwaveable sticky rice (hangs head in shame) from the grocery store. Considering I’m on crutches and bed rest due hip issues due to cerebral palsy, the fact that this is a crock pot meal just makes it even better. Hopefully this will be be the first real rice dish I can create!
Brittanyann, I am so happy to hear that this BBQ sticky rice may be a recipe that you can work with. I hope you’ll come back and leave me another comment after you’ve tried it. I also hope that you love it as much as I do!
I’ve made it 3 times since my original comment and tonight will be number 4. My husband and I love it so much and my doggies love the leftovers. So a great recipe for our whole family! Thank you!!
Brittanyann, your sweet comment has completely made my day! I’m so glad to hear that your family loves the sticky rice as much as my family does. š
Can you cook this as a stove top dish instead of a slow cooker dish?
Hi Delores,
I’ve never tried making the sticky rice on the stove top, but I can say that part of the reason the rice is sticky is due to being cooked slowly in the slow cooker. If you want to try to make it on the stove top, I think the smartest thing to do would be to use Asian sticky rice rather than traditional long grain rice. Prepare it according to the package directions and then stir in the BBQ sauce in the final 2-3 minutes of cooking time, when there’s still a very small amount of liquid left in the pan. Allow it to sit, covered for a few minutes before fluffing/stirring again before serving. Please let me know how it turns out for you. Good luck!
Yes Delores. I’ve made this as risotto on the stove top with bacon. Believe it, you can achieve it! š
Ive made this in my oven slow cooking it. I also added some shredded pork to it to make it a one pan meal. It was a huge hit
I’m so happy to hear that you liked the recipe, Jackie. Adding protein with the rice is a great idea!
I doubled the recipe as I made it at the firehouse. It took 2 hours to start setting up, but it was worth it. I added diced jalapeƱo too! Fantastic! All good compliments from the crew.
First of all, Patrick, thank you for your service to your community!! Secondly, thank you so much for your comment and for rating the recipe. I’m so happy to hear that the crew enjoyed it!
My slow cooker has been working for four hours on high and the rice is still raw.
Cook time does vary with each slow cooker so it might just need more time. The other biggest issue that I find when rice won’t cook in the slow cooker is when you lift the lid off the cooker and release all the steam that help cooks it so the less you ‘fuss’ with it and allow the heat and steam to stay in the better.
Wow. This recipe made my gathering of 10 small BBQ a hit. Everyone enjoyed it.