Country Style Ribs
Deliciously seasoned pork chops, simmered low and slow in a flavorful sauce until they fall off the bone, turn into country-style ribs. That mouthwatering combination of spices, acidity from Dijon mustard, and natural sweetness from the onion delivers an economical comfort food dinner.
This is a big revelation, but I am more on team beef because I love steaks and stir-fry! But when pork is done right, it almost sways me to the other team.
I still remember the first time we had country-style ribs in a Southern comfort food restaurant. Juicy, fork-tender pork chops with plenty of slow-cooked flavors are definitely my jam. By the way, bone-in and boneless are both worth making.
What Makes Country-Style Ribs
It may come as a surprise, but these guys aren’t ribs at all. They’re pork chops from the shoulder end of the loin, and you use the same cut when making carnitas or pulled pork. That’s even more reason to love this recipe: they’re more economical and far meatier than true pork ribs. They also have that beautiful marbling of fat that keeps them moist during slow cooking, rendering them fall-apart tender and juicy!
How to Make Country-Style Ribs
- Season the pork with salt, pepper, Creole seasoning, minced garlic, and half of the rosemary and thyme. Layer the onions with the other half of the rosemary and thyme in a baking pan, add the pork, cover, and bake.
- Remove the cover and cook until the pork browns and the liquid reduces. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Twists
- For BBQ country-style ribs, pour homemade BBQ sauce over them for the last 30 minutes after removing the foil. You can also use store-bought barbecue sauce.
- Add a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar for extra flavor and tenderness.
- This recipe also works great for chicken if you don’t eat pork.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Season and layer the ingredients in the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for later. You can do it in the morning or the night before for stress-free meal prep.
Leftover pork stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days or the freezer for 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, cover, and bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated 250℉ (120℃) oven. Baste the ribs with barbecue sauce to prevent drying out.
What Pairs With Oven-Braised Country-Style Ribs
Southern comfort food main dishes go tastefully well with mashed potatoes, potato salad, or white rice. To lighten things up, coleslaw, green beans, and shaved Brussels sprouts work well. Mac and cheese and cornbread turn it into soul food.
More Drool-Worthy Pork Recipes to Try
- Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Air-Fryer Pork Chops
- Smoked Pulled Pork
- Easy Smothered Pork Chops
- Smoked Sausage
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”IPTpZbXQ” upload-date=”2019-04-01T03:51:13.000Z” name=”Country Style Ribs” description=”Country Style Ribs – fall-apart tender country style ribs slowly cooked in the oven oozing with flavors and aroma using only 6 simple ingredients. Rich, tender, economical and so easy to make!”]
This blog post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Country Style Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (1.5kg) boneless country-style ribs (pork shoulder or loin)
- salt and pepper to taste (¾-1 teaspoon each per pound of pork is average)
- 1 tablespoon (15g) Creole seasoning
- 2 teaspoons (8g) minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon (15g) Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons or more (8g) minced thyme (divided)
- 2 tablespoons or more (6g) minced rosemary (divided)
- 1 large onion, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ (180℃).
- Season the pork with the salt, pepper, Creole seasoning, minced garlic, and Dijon mustard, half of the thyme and rosemary, and rub well until thoroughly coated.
- Layer the sliced onions in a shallow baking pan or roaster and sprinkle the other half of the thyme and rosemary over them.
- Arrange the pork in a single layer on top of the onions, add more seasonings if desired, cover the pan with foil, and bake for about an hour.
- After an hour, uncover the pan and continue cooking for about 30 minutes until the liquid reduces and the pork browns nicely.
- Serve your country-style ribs with mashed potatoes and pan drippings.
Tips & Notes:
- When looking for packaged country-style ribs, go for the ones with similar sizes for even cooking.
- You don’t need to grease the roasting pan because the pork will release enough fat as it cooks.
- For easy clean-up, use a disposable foil pan.
- Letting your meat rest for 10 minutes after taking it off the heat allows the juices to reabsorb for juicier meat.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This was very very good. I too was looking for something other than BBQ for this cut I forgot the mustard and faked up the spices with old bay and extra smoked paprika I didn’t keep the juices too fatty for me. the meat was perfect at 325 90 min then open for 30. Thanks
Yayy, Thank you, Carroll. I am happy you like it and customize as you like:) Stay tuned and spare a few moments to add a rating to this recipe. That will helps a lot for the readers.
Gonna make this at home using a slow cooker, all the ingredients, and placing in 1cup chicken broth with serrano peppers and more creole seasoning in the liquid to simmer in for some added heat. Ill finish it off in the oven afterwards. Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds good that you try it and customize it according to your taste. Thank you
I loved this recipe so much I made it two nights in a row! What’s your suggestion for reheating?
Thanks for trying out. Kelley. Now to reheat this, preheat your oven to 250 F. You can place them in a roasting or baking pan. Then add back the sauce, if there is still, or you can splash a bit of broth into the pan. Cover it lightly with foil and reheat for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the portion size of the rib. Remove the foil, and reheat for additional 10-15 minutes, if desired, to caramelize the exterior. Hope this helps.
Another hit recipe. Thank you for helping us be well feed and happy around the dinner table. Take care and all the best.
Can you use boneless ribs for this recipe?
Hi Joanna! Yes you can 🙂 Share with me how it turns out!
We loved this recipe! I smothered the ribs with garlic powder and Mrs. Dash table blend and rubbed it into the meat on both sides. I left it sit for 30 minutes. I didnt have any Dijon mustard so I used stoneground. I smothered it on the meat both sides. I checked the meat at 1 hour. It was ready. I actually don’t like country ribs or pork in general. I get my meat from a butcher so I don’t get choice in cuts. I have a bunch of these packs in my freezer. I am looking forward to making more pork cuts with this recipe. Thank you!!
That sounds so good, Chef Amyg! Glad you also love this 🙂
Can I use boneless??
Yes you can.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve looked around a lot for a rib recipe that didn’t have a sweet sauce, and this really hit the spot. I love the creole seasoning too.
Thanks so much.
This was great and very easy to put together. Delicious.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed this recipe. I was looking for a savory recipe vs the usual bbq style and this nailed it!
I’m glad you liked it! Thank you, Angie.
Love, Imma
Same here. Wanted something other than bbq.
Trying this recipe tonight!
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. Thanks for the feedback
I just made these and they are luscious!! Thanks for sharing!
Oh lordy. That was divine! Thanks for the recipe. Easy and delish!
Sounds so good will definitely try this soon!
Great! Do let me know how it turns out for you, Pixie :).
We’re always on the lookout for country rib recipes that aren’t BBQ (not that we don’t love that!) and this is delicious…thanks! I added half a cup of white wine, and it cooked down with the pork jus really nicely. Didn’t have creole spice, so the spice mixture was a blend of paprikas and za’atar. Also cut up a sweet potato and a couple of small red potatoes, mixed them with the herbs and just a little olive oil, and added them to the ribs. Carrots would be good too, and we’ll add more onion next time . My herbs for both pork & potatoes were rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano…good with pork and I’ve got them all in my kitchen garden now. We use pork often, and this is a great addition to the recipe book!
Sounds Delicious Wiley. Thanks for sharing !!!
My favorite recipe for country style ribs! I’ve made this for over a year now and I actually have it in the oven now 🙂
Beautiful and delicious dish! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
The pleasure is mine, Mary. I am so glad you loved it!
Mine came out dry, too. I think it might be how thoroughly the butcher trims the fat from the ribs. The flavor was great.
I’m not sure why but mine came out dry. ♀️
Hi Sesuda,
Sorry to hear about that. Can’t say what went wrong without actually being present. This recipe always yields a tender juicy pork. Maybe next time lower the temperature and cook until tender.
This was so awesome!! Very tender and super flavorful I didn’t realize that the recipe called for fresh thyme, so I used dried and used the measurement listed. I thought it would be way too much, but I was wrong. Still turned out so delicious! I’ll make it exactly the same way next time.
I’m glad you enjoyed! Thanks for taking the time to share that with me 🙂