Let’s say you find the most beautiful marbled boneless country style ribs in the grocery store and they are priced right!! But you are thinking how do I cook them?? This recipe for Tender Baked Country Style Ribs will show you exactly how and will become your go-to from now on. Braising these boneless ribs in a flavorful BBQ liquid and then glazing them with BBQ sauce ensures that they come out tender and juicy.
You may also find bone-in country style ribs at the grocery store, this recipe will work great for those too!
You are about to have an amazing BBQ dinner that didn’t break the bank and is pretty easy to put together!
Couldn't believe how tender the ribs turned out!! We will make these again! – John
Jump to:
- Why Youโll Love This Country Style Pork Ribs Recipe
- How to Buy Country Style Pork Ribs
- Instant Pot Lovers!
- Ingredients Needed for Country Style Ribs in the Oven
- How to Cook Country Style Ribs
- Serving
- Storing
- Reheating
- Country Style Pork Ribs Recipe FAQs
- Six Side Dishes for Ribs
- 30+ BBQ Side Dishes
- Did you make this recipe?
- Country Style Ribs in the Oven
- Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Country Style Pork Ribs Recipe
- No Grill Required – If the thought of smoking/grilling a rack of ribs sounds overwhelming… TRY THIS RECIPE!! It is so easy and doesn’t require a grill or smoker, yet you still get to enjoy “ribs”.
- Ridiculously Tender Every Time – Country style ribs are naturally marbled, and slow oven heat turns them into melt-in-your-mouth goodness without babysitting.
- Budget-Friendly Crowd Pleaser - These "ribs" are meatier and cheaper than traditional ribs, so they feed the whole family without draining the grocery budget.
- Super Versatile - Sauce them sweet, spicy, smoky, or tangy, they play nice with whatever flavor profile you prefer.
How to Buy Country Style Pork Ribs
It is crucial that you have the “right” ribs for this recipe. If what you see in the grocery store are super light pink – almost white- without any marbling, SKIP THEM! They will turn out dry and tough. Buy some ground pork and make pork burgers instead!
What you want to find are dark pink – almost reddish – boneless country style ribs with some marbling and maybe even fat pieces. This will yield super tender and juicy Oven Baked Country Style Ribs!
There is also a country style rib that is bone-in. This recipe will definitely work with those as well!
Instant Pot Lovers!
You can also make super tender Country Style Ribs in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients Needed for Country Style Ribs in the Oven
Boneless Ribs – sometimes called Country Style Ribs. See above for more details.
Chicken Broth, Worcestershire & Ketchup – just like the base of a BBQ sauce, you are making a flavorful braising liquid that starts with these three ingredients.
Garlic & Onion – these two are the flavor boosters. They are going to flavor the braising liquid and ribs while they cook for 1.5 hours.
Brown Sugar – again just like a BBQ sauce, balances the acidity in the braising liquid.
Spices – open up that spice cabinet! You are going to add some more flavor to these ribs; onion powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper. Add some cayenne if you like a little heat on your ribs.
BBQ Sauce – use your family’s favorite BBQ sauce, or make the Mom’s Dinner Homemade BBQ sauce to slather on the ribs at the very end.
How to Cook Country Style Ribs
Prep Ribs
If your ribs came in a slab or are only perforated. Cut them into 1 inch by 5-6 inch strips.
Make Braising Liquid
Mix the braising liquid; chicken broth, ketchup, Worcestershire, brown sugar and spices. Nestle in the ribs, garlic and onion.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Cover with Parchment & Bake
Remove from the heat and tuck parchment over top of the ribs. Pop the lid on the pot and bake at 350ยฐF for 1.5 hours.
Glaze with BBQ Sauce
Remove the braised ribs and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Increase the oven temp to 450ยฐF. Brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ Sauce.
Pop back in the oven for 10 minutes, flipping half way through.
Serving
Serve the glazed ribs immediately. Estimate about 2-3 ribs per person. Have extra BBQ sauce and plenty of napkins available on the table.
Storing
Let the oven baked ribs cool, then pop them in an airtight container with any extra sauce or juices (that liquid is gold for reheating). They'll keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze them, again with the sauce, for up to 3 months.
Reheating
From the Fridge:
Place the ribs in a baking dish, spoon any leftover sauce or juices over the top, and cover tightly with foil. Warm in a 300ยฐF oven for 15 to 20 minutes, just until heated through. The gentle heat keeps them tender instead of tough.
Of course you can always cover with a damp paper towel and pop in the microwave.. this option is great for one portion.
From Frozen:
Let the ribs thaw overnight in the fridge (best method), then reheat using the instructions above.
If you're reheating straight from frozen, place them in a covered baking dish with a splash of water or chicken broth, cover with foil, and bake at 300ยฐF for about 40 to 50 minutes, checking that they're hot in the center before serving.
Country Style Pork Ribs Recipe FAQs
Pork chops are cut from the loin. They are lean, quick-cooking, and best when you don't overdo the heat. Country style ribs are cut from the blade end of the loin up near the shoulder, so they've got way more fat. That extra marbling means they turn meltingly tender with longer, slower cooking and have a richer, "ribby" flavor even though they're not true ribs.
Country-style ribs and spare ribs might share a name, but they're friends from totally different neighborhoods.
– Country-style ribs aren't actually ribs at all! They're cut from the blade end of the pork loin near the shoulder. That means they're meatier, more marbled, and cook up fork-tender with low, slow heat. They're boneless (but sometimes have a small bone) and they cook up more like a juicy pork roast than a rack of ribs.
– Spare ribs come from the belly side of the rib cage and are true ribs! They have long bones with thinner layers of meat in between. They're chewier, fattier, and made for grilling or smoking.
Content: This is an "in depends" answer, or a yes and no answer.
In short.. yes, when cooked low and slow, the connective tissue in country-style ribs breaks down perfectly and turns the meat incredibly tender.
However it's a no if the heat is too high or they're cooked past the point where the collagen has melted, they can start to dry out and get tough.
There is a sweet spot (see the recipe below!)
Six Side Dishes for Ribs
…even more
30+ BBQ Side Dishes
If you want some more side dish options, this is going to be the best resource for you! Everything from mac and cheese and steakhouse mushrooms to cheesy potatoes and deviled eggs!
๐๐๐๐๐
Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me
Country Style Ribs in the Oven
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless country style ribs - dark red marbled ribs are a must (see notes)
- ยฝ cup chicken broth
- โ cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 yellow onion - cut into 8 pieces
- 4 garlic cloves - chopped
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ยฝ teaspoon cumin
- ยผ tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup favorite BBQ Sauce - or Mom's Dinner BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350โ.
Prep Boneless Country Style Ribs
- It is imperative that you have the dark pink/reddish country ribs for this recipe. If your ribs are very light pink to almost whiteish in color they will not be as tender and juicy as the darker color.
- If your ribs are already cut into approx. 1 inch wide by 5-6 inches long you are good to go.
- But, sometimes the country ribs come in one slab or in larger pieces. If this is the case with your ribs, cut them into the smaller 1"x6" pieces.
Braising Liquid
- In a large Dutch Oven or oven safe pot with a lid, whisk together the chicken broth, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and spices.ยฝ cup chicken broth, โ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 ยฝ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, ยฝ teaspoon cumin, ยผ tsp. black pepper, 4 garlic cloves
- Toss the ribs in the braising liquid and then nestle them into the liquid. Add the cut onion pieces around the ribs.3-4 pounds boneless country style ribs, 1 yellow onion
- Bring this to a boil over medium – medium/high heat on the stove top.
- Remove from the heat and carefully tuck a piece of parchment on top of the ribs and braising liquid. Then pop the lid on the pot.
Baking the Country Style Ribs
- Transfer the pot to the oven and bake for 1.5 hours at 350โ.
- Then remove the pot from the oven and check the ribs. When you insert a fork you shouldn't meet hard resistance. If you do tuck the ribs back in and pop them back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
- At the end of the cooking time remove the ribs from the Dutch Oven to a rimmed baking sheet. Increase the oven temp to 450โ.
- Coat the ribs on all sides with your favorite BBQ Sauce.
- Pop them in the oven for another 10 minutes, flipping the ribs half way through.
- Time to eat!
Serving
- Serve the ribs with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
- These are great served with potato salad, corn on the cob and cucumbers with onions.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
INSTANT POT – for a quicker version you can also make Country Style Ribs in the Instant Pot!
Karen Weeks says
I made these tonight! Easy to make and delicious!! Very tender and just perfect!! I will make again!
Susie Weinrich says
Wonderful! So glad you love them.
John says
Couldn’t believe how tender the ribs turned out!! We will make these again!
Susie Weinrich says
So incredibly tender! Found amazing country ribs at Costco and they were amazing for this recipe.