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!
Julie S says
Absolutely delicious and came out so tender and juicy.
In addition to the salt and pepper, I did a combination of your carnitas recipe seasonings, sprinkling on a bit of garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and oregano for the first 2 hours of cooking. Then brushed with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce the last hour. They were wonderful! Will definitely be keeping them in rotation. Thanks for taking the time to figure out a tasty way to cook Country Style Pork Ribs. =0)
Tammy C Hunt says
What brand of bbq sauce did you use?
Tracy says
I’m a fan of regular old KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce.
Tammy says
OMG, this is the best and easiest recipe. I made these ribs for dinner today and served them with home made baked beans, potato salad, fresh green beans and corn on the cobb . It’s my family’s new favorite meal, so I’ll be making these ribs again in the near future. Thank you !!!
Patricia says
Utterly delicious. Definitely my favorite way to cook pork. There is one thing though, two per person? Hungry men can definitely eat three!
Ann says
I used a Costco country style “ribs”. They were quite large, I cut them in half. Was amazed at the amount of liquid they exuded. And it didn’t seem fatty once cooled. Would definitely save that for another dish. If I were to do it again, I would have left the ribs in the oven for three hours at 300. I used a Korean dry rub and Korean BBQ sauce. I like the idea of layering the flavor with the rub first. Served with mashed potatoes and a cabbage slaw with a Korean sesame/soy/chili dressing. Really enjoyed the meal but would adjust the cooking time as they were not yet fork tender.
Stephanie Keys says
Omg so good! So tender and flavorful. This is the easiest and best tasting oven ribs recipe I’ve ever seen. Thank you!
Tracy says
Thanks, Stephanie!! So glad you enjoyed them!
Janine Swift says
Amazing! Easy! And paired with baked potato and green beans! Simply delicious!
Vronk says
Omggggg. Went over SO well with my two male roomies. Did basically exactly as recipe said (sweet baby rays) only I made some oven bake cornbread that required 375 for 15 mins so I took out the ribs for like 5-10 mins while that heated up then tossed em back in to keep em hot but not crisp them while the cornbread cooked. Also paired w a box pasta salad – A++++++ and cooked while wine drunk so extra plusses
Tracy says
Lol! So glad everyone enjoyed them!!
Cindy says
Thank you so much for this amazing creation!! It was incredibly easy and delicious! I used the drippings for some amazing gravy to go with homemade biscuits . So good , it could make me forget wanting to be thin !
Ps.. and the pork was inexpensive at Walmart !!
Tracy says
So happy to hear it, Cindy!!
Sue says
I make these ribs for my husband and myself quit often. We love how they come out. This weekend we decided to have a pool party and make ribs for 12 people. So I’m making a larger quantity. Do I cook them 30 minutes longer or does it depend on how many ribs I’m cooking at one time? I’m making approximately 24 pounds. Thank you…
Jackie says
O. M. G!!!!!! i made these for dinner tonight for me and my boyfriend and they were amaaaaazing! i did the first cook to like to the letter, but i shortened the second cook time to 20 minutes and then 5 minutes under the broiler. they were falling apart, moist, and so juicy! thank you for this.
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Jackie!!
Liz says
I’ve read a few of the comments and I think those that had issues may have been using boneless country ribs which is usually the kind we have here in my area (New Jersey). Without the bone in meat this recipe will not work as well. I know this post is a few years old but you may want to consider updating or making a note.
But otherwise I love this technique and used it for baby back ribs in the oven, with my own spice mix applied at the start. Delish!
Holly Hartman says
This is absolutely a fool-proof recipe! We love it and I’ve made these about 6 times now, maybe more!
Judy says
This is excellent. Not much hands-on time. Falls off the ribs. Highly recommend.
Tracy says
Thanks, Judy! Glad you enjoyed the ribs!!
Terry says
Good Evening. I havent used this recipe yet, BUT it is on the menu rotation to try soon. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing AND offering your site up without an overwhelming amount of ads. Thank you again and I look foward to giving this recipe a test drive
Tracy says
Thanks, Terry! I hope you enjoy the recipe!!
JoJo says
Tonight is the 4th time, i’ve made this recipe, so far every time, it’s come out great. Everyone here absolutely loves it. Thanks for the recipe.
Tracy says
Thanks, JoJo!! I’m so glad to hear it!