These country style ribs are meaty and tender. The fat melts into them as they cook, then beautifully crisps up under the broiler.
The other day I was looking for pork belly at Costco, but alas, they were out. So I looked around the pork refrigerator, and settled on “boneless pork shoulder country style ribs.” They looked like gorgeous slabs of meat, with beautiful fat marbling throughout.
At home, I did some research. As it turns out, country style ribs are cut from the blade end of the loin, close to the pork shoulder. They are meatier than other rib cuts, and they contain no rib bones.
So I researched how to cook them. I came up with the following method, a combination of several of the recipes I found. We really enjoyed these country style ribs, and I have made them several times since. They’re meaty and tender, and the fat melts into them as they slowly cook, then crisps up beautifully under the broiler.
How long do you cook country style ribs in the oven?
I cook them low and slow, covered, for 2 hours in a 325°F oven. I then broil them briefly, to crisp up the fat.
With all this fat, how can they possibly be healthy?
As you can see in the nutrition info below, they contain 15 g saturated fat, but also 18 g of monounsaturated fat. Recent research tells us that even saturated fats are not necessarily harmful. Whether to eat fatty meat or not is for sure a personal decision and will depend on your own definition of healthy, and on your unique health needs.
According to fitday.com, in addition to the basic nutrition info provided below, a 6 oz serving of cooked country style ribs has 584 mg of potassium. It also has 100% of your daily thiamin requirements, 90% of selenium, and 30% – 40% of niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus and riboflavin.
How to serve country style ribs?
Since this is such a fatty cut of meat, a little goes a long way. 6 oz of cooked ribs per person is plenty. As for sides, simply serve these ribs with a tossed salad or some plain steamed veggies (steamed cabbage is really good). They are so rich and fatty and satisfying, there’s really no need for anything else.
What about leftovers?
You can keep leftover country style ribs in the fridge, in a sealed container, for 3 days. Reheat them very gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power.
Other pork recipes that you might like
As mentioned above, pork belly slices from Costco are amazing. I think you will also like these oven baked spare ribs. They are wonderful!
Country Style Ribs
INGREDIENTS
- 3 lb. boneless pork shoulder ribs
Dry rub:
- 2 teaspoons smoked salt (available on Amazon)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cut the ribs in half crosswise, and arrange them in a single layer in an ungreased 9 X 13-inch baking dish.
- Mix together the dry rub ingredients, and sprinkle the rub on top of the ribs.
- Cover tightly with heavy duty foil (or a double layer of regular foil), and bake until very tender, about 2 hours.
- With a slotted spatula, remove the cooked ribs to a broiler-safe pan. Switch the oven to broil.
- You can throw out the cooking liquids, but I like to strain them into a glass jar and refrigerate until the fat separates. I then remove the layer of fat, and I have a rich, tasty, mineral-rich broth that I can either warm up and drink, or use as a basis for sauces and gravies.
- Broil the ribs in the middle of the oven until the fat is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
