There is nothing better than a meaty, falling-off-the-bone, sweet and sticky rib. Or maybe not nothing better… but we can at least agree that there is not much better. The slow cooker does excellent work of producing the perfect rib since they want to be cooked low and slow and that’s just what the slow cooker does. But we’ve got another trick up our sleeves here — these aren’t just any ribs that are prepared in the crockpot with some barbecue sauce; there’s also one special secret ingredient involved. A classic can of Coca Cola.

See, Coke isn’t just a tasty carbonated beverage. The high acidity and caramel flavor makes for a great meat tenderizer, and since this cooks in the slow cooker for a good long while, you don’t have to marinate the meat for the soda to work its magic. (Even if you did, Coca-Cola works quickly. You only need half an hour for it to start tenderizing beef or pork.)

The soda lends a little extra sweetness and caramel flavor, but it mingles with the barbecue sauce and doesn’t stand out all that much. Its presence is much more about the tenderizing effect here than any distinct flavor it brings to the party.

Aside from the fact that this recipe produces irresistibly great ribs, it also couldn’t be easier to make. You just strip your ribs of any silver skin, and nestle them in the slow cooker with some barbecue sauce and a can of cola. Cover it, set it to cook for eight hours on low or four on high, and walk away.

When you return you’ll have meat that’s falling off the bone and saturated with sweet, tangy flavor. I like to caramelize them under the oven broiler for a few minutes with some more barbecue sauce to make things extra sticky but they’ll still be delicious if you don’t take that extra step.