Season ribs with salt and pepper as desired, place ribs on the rack in your broiler pan and broil the ribs, 6 inches from heat, for 10 minutes, turning once, or until well browned.
Place ribs in your slow cooker.
In a bowl, add picante sauce, beer, hot sauce, and chili powder, mix together.
Pour mixture over the ribs. Cover and set the slow cooker to Low setting for 6 hours or High setting for 3 hours, or until are tender.
Take ribs out of the slow cooker and place on a platter, cover with foil to keep warm.
To the slow cooker, turn the setting to High and leave cover off. Add 1 cup of French fried onions, stir into the liquid and cook for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Spoon the sauce over the ribs and top with the remaining 1 cup of French fried onions.
Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.