Country-style Pork Ribs ribs are a great rich and fall-apart tender alternative to traditional ribs. Cheap, easy to make, and SO good, this might just be your new favorite way to eat pork.
One of the first really popular recipes on this site was my No-Fuss Easy Oven-Baked Ribs. The recipe’s designed to use beef back ribs, but since the post went live people have been asking about using it to make country-style pork ribs.
And asking.
And asking.
And asking.
And every single time, I would have to admit that I had no idea because I’d never eaten, let alone cooked, country-style ribs.
Whelp, I finally got sick of saying “I don’t know,” and feeling like I was missing out on something (because clearly, people love these things), so I tried them for myself, and now I am so angry.
Guys, I am so angry I haven’t been making these for years because country-style ribs ARE AMAZING. And this is coming from someone who is usually firmly Team Beef Ribs over pork.
These ribs are so tender and rich and easy to make. Two ingredients, ten minutes of hands-on prep time, and you end up with these absolutely beautiful ribs with meat you can shred with a fork.
And if you’re sitting there going sure, that sounds great, but WTF are country-style pork ribs? Read on, friend.
What Are Country-style Pork Ribs?
Country-style pork ribs aren’t ribs at all. They’re cuts of pork shoulder, which is the same meat you use to make pulled pork and carnitas. If you get bone-in “ribs,” you’ll recognize the distinctive y-shaped bone you get when you buy a bone-in pork shoulder roast.
This means that one, just like pork shoulder roasts, country-style ribs are super cheap, usually about $2/pound.
Two, they’re way meatier than regular pork or beef ribs (and don’t have all that gross cartilage), so you’re getting more meat for your buck.
And three, they have that wonderful marbling of fat which helps keep them moist during the long, slow cooking process on the way to tender, fall-apart ribs.
And speaking of long, slow cooking…
How to Cook Country Style Pork Ribs in the Oven
For fall-apart meat, country-style ribs really need to cook long and slow. Otherwise you’re going to get chewy pork.
The good news is that the cooking time is almost entirely hands-off. After a minimal amount of prep to get the ribs ready to cook, your oven’s doing most of the work here.
You start by salting and peppering your ribs and placing in a single layer in a roasting pan or baking dish. If you use a baking tray, make sure it has a fairly high rim, as the meat will release a lot of liquid as it cooks.
Cover with foil and bake at 300°F for 2 hours. Go read a book and sip some lemonade in front of a fan.
When your timer goes off, carefully uncover the meat–the steam will be hot–and drain the liquid from the tray. The meat looks super gross and sad at this point, but don’t worry. The next time it comes out of the oven, it will be beautiful.
Brush a generous coat of your favorite BBQ sauce over the meat.
Lower the temperature to 275°F and then bake uncovered for another hour. Your ribs are done when the meat has a beautifully baked-on coat of BBQ sauce and when you can pull it apart with a fork.
Brush with a little more sauce, give the ribs a couple minutes to rest, and then serve with some mashed potatoes or macaroni salad, and a simple veggie side like Garlic and Butter Green Beans or Oven-roasted Broccoli, and enjoy!
Country-Style Ribs Recipe Notes
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- If making for guests, I recommend making two ribs per person. That’s going to be a really generous serving, but you won’t have to worry about anyone going hungry. If making a lot of ribs, you can make two trays at a time. Just add 15 minutes to the initial cooking time and swap them halfway through both cooking periods so that they cook evenly.
- You can use bone-in or boneless country-style ribs for this recipe. Since they are covered for most of the cooking time, both come out equally moist and tender. My local stores sell them in mixed packs, so I usually cook with both at the same time.
- Be very careful removing the ribs from the oven the first time. Hot liquid can slosh out of the pan, and the steam will be very hot when you remove the foil.
- For brushing on BBQ sauce, I love these silicone basting brushes that can go through the dishwasher.
- Looking for more simple meaty mains? Try my Tri-tip in the Oven, Broiled Steak with Mustard Sauce, Carne Asada, and Quick Rosemary Pork Chops.
Easy Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Oven
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- Foil
- Roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet
- Silicone basting brush optional
Country-style Ribs
- Country-style pork ribs*
- Salt and pepper
- Your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Salt and pepper both sides of your ribs and place in a single layer in your pan, fattier side up.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours. Carefully (steam and liquid in the tray will be hot!) remove ribs from the oven and check the meat. They should be starting to become tender. If they still feel tough, re-cover them and place them back in the oven for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer ribs to a plate and drain liquid from the pan. Return ribs to tray and brush with a generous coating of BBQ sauce.
- Turn oven down to 275°F and bake ribs, uncovered, for 1 hour more, or until you can pull the meat apart with a fork (if your ribs were small and already pretty tender when you put them back in the oven, start checking after 20 minutes). Brush with another coat of BBQ sauce, rest for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!
AmazingTalker says
WOW!!!! watching this at 2 a.m. is torturing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy this blog so much.
Christopher Johns says
great and easy instructions, been making for years but never did the 2 heat cycles withy different temps. let’s see how much better this process does..
well there out of the oven. fall apart no chewy connective tissue. They look absolutely gorgeous, just like the author of this recipe. : )
thank you for the advice!!
will share this with others…
Chris and Taina
JeriA says
I’ve tried making ribs in the oven many times, and they never come out as I expected. This recipe was excellent, and I will use it again. The ONLY change I made is that I used a small amount of BBQ rub before I put them in the oven for two hours. I wanted to intensify the flavor because the BBQ sauce I had was not the best. It all worked great. I will definitely do it again! Thank you! Delicious.
Jean Horner says
Looking forward to making these. Thank you for the recipe. If I make them today and want to serve them tomorrow at a party, what are the reheating instructions?
Clare says
I followed the directions exactly but mine were not “falling off the bone”, close but not. I think I know what I might have done wrong. Maybe you can let me know. I covered the ribs with HEAVY foil and not regular foil. Was that the problem?
Neal says
Two things you can do. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan before covering tightly and if still tough, recover and cook a while longer. Basically, this first step is actually steaming the ribs so an adequate amount of water is needed. Older ribs can be dry and lack enough water. Another trick is to brine them before cooking.
RossC says
Made these yesterday (4-11-22) and they came out perfect.
I had planned to use my slow cooker but, mine is a small unit and the large, meaty ribs would not fit.
So, I scrambled and found your recipe. Cooked the ribs exactly as recipe is written.
I believe that I will always do the ribs this way, in the future. :O)
SUET says
CAUTION! Some places sell cuts of pork as country style ribs that aren’t really!! Make sure the bone is in the center of the “rib”. I’m guessing that the folks who ended up with dry meat actually got something other than cuts from the pork butt (upper shoulder) This recipe rocks!
Melissa says
Best oven country style rib recipe I’ve ever used! I’ve made this recipe a few other times and I have some in the oven right now looking amazingly delicious!
My only change was adding a little splash of water and apple cider vinegar as well as garlic and pork rub spices. Thank you so much for such a great, yet incredibly simple recipe.
Barbara Tracy says
I absolutely love this. I have ribs in the oven at this moment. Have cooked this recipe many times, and always comes out delicious so tender! Thanks for the recipe, the only one I use!!!
Tracy says
Thanks, Barbara!!
Aniella says
I bought boneless pork ribs for the first time and googled a recipe and I am so happy this recipe came up first. I followed the instructions to the tee and it was absolutely delicious!! This is going in my recipe book for next time.
Tracy says
Yay! So happy to hear it!!
Mike says
Followed recipe with a few personal touches, I used a homemade Memphis Rub rather than salt and pepper I used Boneless country style pork ribs, they were well above temp after 2 hours at 300° so I tossed on some Carolina sauce….yep…mashed Memphis and Carolina style together because why not…..threw them under the broiler until they began to brown a bit. Fork tender deliciousness. Thank you. These were destined to be tossed into the crock pot until I stumbled onto this recipe.
Tracy says
That sounds delish! So glad the recipe worked out for you!!
Nancy says
Can I use “pork loin country style spareribs bone in”
For this recipe
I’m struggling to find any instructions for this cut of meat
Tracy says
No, sorry! Loin is a very lean cut of meat and can’t handle long, slow cooking like this recipe.
Edith says
Tracy? Hi! HUGS! If this happens again… I would ask for a picture. NEVER heard of “pork loin ribs” (& I’m an Army Cook). A picture would have made it so much clearer, and Nancy might have used your recipe, anyway. It might have just SAID loin, to entice buyers. LOL. Or maybe it was just normal ribs with a fancy name. Snicker-snort. So, different recipe needed, and you could just direct her what to look for. MORE HUGS! LOVE your recipe! Actually, WAY better than mine! Less cooking time and it would also be good for “pork butt steaks”! Might need a little water, added but I doubt it. >>>>>>
Caliii143 says
Im out of foil… can I just use a roasting pan with a lid?
Tracy says
That should probably work just fine.
Jason Bullock says
Overcooked it a tad today, great flavor though! Salvaged it by shredding like a Boston butt, then tossed it on low with olive oil and more sauce. Used it for sliders with kings Hawaiin rolls, came out phenomenal!
Simon says
Four stars only because having followed the recipe (using CSPR, I promise) some of the ribs were a bit dry, but the flavor was terrific! I am wondering if the varying amount of fat on each rib is what causes some to be very tender and others to be dry ?
Next time I am going to add some water to the pan and use a meat thermometer to judge when they are cooked rather than rely on cooking time. .
Ashley Rose says
This recipe is AWESOME!!! I made the ribs for dinner tonight and had NO leftovers!!! My family loved them. My husband just ran to the grocery store to buy more so he can have them in his lunch tomorrow!!! Thank you! This recipe is definitely a keeper!!! Ribs came out tender and delicious!!
Tracy says
Lol that makes me so happy to hear, Ashley!!