Country Pork Ribs are a great economical alternative to traditional ribs. They are easy to make in the oven and are the most fall off the bone tender ribs. They just melt in your mouth!
Season the ribs well with salt and pepper and place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and fitted with a baking rack. For Bone-in, dry-roast for 90 minutes, uncovered. [See Note 3] For Boneless, cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes. [See Notes 1 & 2]
Meanwhile, combine all of the BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until dark, thick, and richly flavored 10 to 15 minutes.
Pour off any abundance of grease that has collected in the pan.
After 90 minutes, remove the baking tray from the oven and carefully pour off any abundance of liquid and oil that has collected in the pan. [See Note 4]
Next, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Baste the ribs with BBQ sauce and return, uncovered, to the oven.
Continue basting in 30-minute intervals, turning the ribs each time you baste with sauce. After 90 minutes, the meat will begin to fall apart it's so tender – you’ll notice this when you turn the ribs during basting.
Once the ribs are tender, increase the oven to broil. While the oven heats, baste the ribs one last time before returning to the oven.
Broil the ribs for a minute or two just to caramelize the sauce. The sugars in the sauce can char fast so be sure to stay close to the oven during the broiling process.
Bone-in ribs work well with this recipe and usually stay moist and tender throughout the process.
Look for packages with smaller-sized rib sections. Smaller ribs will cook faster and similarly sized ribs will result in more even cooking.
If you prefer to use boneless ribs, consider covering them with foil to keep moisture in and keep the ribs from becoming dry.
When dry roasting you may also use a dry rub, like my Sweet BBQ Rub.
Thank you Pattie R. for reminding me that we needed to carefully drain the excess liquid and oil before the basting process begins.
EXPERT TIPS:
Country-style ribs are big and meaty, for calculating how many you will need for a group, I recommend a serving size 1-2 ribs per person.
Fresh pork is typically more plentiful from October to February, meaning pork prices are usually lower over the winter months. Typically, I find these country-style pork ribs somewhere around $1.29/pound or less between October and February.
Prepared Mustard may be substituted for Dry Ground Mustard. The conversion rate is usually 1 tablespoon of prepared mustard in place of 1 teaspoon dried mustard.
In this recipe, I would start with 2-3 tablespoons of prepared mustard and increase to taste - stirring and cooking the sauce between additions.
Nutrition is calculated based on the recipe as written. Additions, omissions, or substitutions will change the calculated values shown. The addition, omission, or substitution of ingredients will alter the nutritional information shown. Nutrition percentages are based on a 2000-calorie diet. The FDA recommends 80 micrograms of vitamin K.