Jump to:
- About This Country Style Pork Ribs Recipe
- What Are Country Style Pork Ribs? Understand the Cut of Meat
- How to Cook Country Style Pork Ribs?
- Ingredients
- What is the Best Beer for Cooking Ribs?
- How to Braise Country Style Pork Ribs
- How to Make a Gravy (Finishing Sauce) from the Braising Liquid
- Serving
- Leftovers
- Other Recipes You Might Like
- Recipe
About This Country Style Pork Ribs Recipe
Our recipe for braising pork country-style ribs doesn't require much skill or effort, but always delivers very tender, flavorful meat and enough delicious braising liquid to turn into a gravy or a finishing sauce.
We love to use a dark, malt forward beer because it adds depth of flavor and sweetness and in this particular recipe we further flavor the braising juices with ingredients that result in a dramatic color for the dish. You can serve the finished product comfort food style, over mashed or braised potatoes, or brush the tender meat with the sauce made from the liquids and enjoy it with lighter sides like salads, grilled veggies etc.
What Are Country Style Pork Ribs? Understand the Cut of Meat
Pork country style ribs are not actual ribs like baby back ribs or spare ribs.
They are a flavorful cut of meat that comes from the blade end of the pork loin, very close to the pork shoulder area of the pig.
They can be cut boneless or bone-in (pictured below) but they do not contain a rib bone.
Their bone is part of the scapula, or the shoulder blade of the animal. Due to their shape they are referred to as ribs, but are much meatier.
How to Cook Country Style Pork Ribs?
They lend themselves superbly to slow cooking methods such as smoking and braising. You can also bake them in the oven in a manner similar to these spare ribs with barebecue sauce.
You cannot rush them and prepare them fast if you want fork-tender meat. To make them tender you must accept that the cooking time required will be plentiful.
Ingredients
In addition to the country style ribs (about 3 pounds) you will need:
Flour, kosher salt and black pepper. To coat the pork with before you brown it.
Vegetable oil. To brown the ribs.
Onion and garlic. The aromatics for the flavorful braising liquid.
Stout and beef stock. The principal liquids for the tasty braise.
Brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic. To round off the flavors. You can add smoked paprika, garlic powder or onion powder -they add a different taste than the saute aromatics.
What is the Best Beer for Cooking Ribs?
We strongly favor stouts (especially chocolate stouts), porters, brown ales, dark lagers - anything that is malty, with roasty notes.
How to Braise Country Style Pork Ribs
You can braise pork country-style ribs on the stove-top, in the oven (our preferred method, we recommend it) or in a slow cooker/instant pot.
You can use a braiser, a Dutch oven or another suitable braising pot with a lid, or you can use a sauté pan for the initial stage and then transfer everything to a roasting pan/baking dish and tightly cover it with foil before you slow cook in the oven. The prep work is minimal.
- Brown. Mix the flour with salt and pepper and coat all the ribs, shaking off excess. Brown them in the cooking oil, working in batches and set them aside.
- Make the braising liquid. Sauté the onion and garlic, deglaze with beer, scraping off the brown bits from the bottom of the pot/pan and add the beef stock. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and arrange the ribs into the braising dish.
- Braise. Cover tightly - with lid or foil if braising in a baking dish, moisture should not escape. Transfer to a pre-heated oven and slow cook until the meat is tender to your liking.
How to Make a Gravy (Finishing Sauce) from the Braising Liquid
Do not throw away the braising liquid. You can either save it to add to a future pork braise to enhance the flavor base or convert it into a gravy like sauce to serve instead of bbq sauce.
- Remove the ribs from the braiser and skim the fat using a spoon (leave some for flavor, but remove most of it)
- Strain the skimmed liquid and discard the solids. Return the strained juices to the braising pot or a sauce pan.
- Bring to gentle boil and simmer until the liquid is reduced to your desired thickness. Alternatively, mix a slurry (1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water) and add it to the simmering liquid as you stir. The sauce will thicken instantly. You can then either brush it over the meat or serve it on the side, or both.
TIP: Country style ribs render a lot of fat while braising, so be sure to degrease well. One way to make the process easier is to use a larger serving spoon (the more fat floating on top, the larger the spoon). If you have the luxury of time, you can first strain the braising liquid, then allow it to cool down and refrigerate it. The fat will solidify on top and will be much easier to remove.
Serving
These country style ribs are especially nice if you dish them up with mashed potatoes and drizzle the gravy on top. They also go well with coleslaw and potato salad, smothered with barbecue sauce instead of the one you make in this recipe.
Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. To reheat either place in a sauce pan along with some of the sauce or reserved braising liquid or jsut go with the microwave, making sure they are covered.
Recipe
Braised Country Style Ribs with Stout (Oven, Stove-top or Slow cooker)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs country-style pork ribs
- ¼ cup flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil + 1 more for onion
- 1 onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped
- 12 oz dark beer stout, porter, brown ale of a dark lager
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce increase to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch optional, if making gravy
Instructions
STOVE TOP ONLY
- Mix the flour with salt and pepper and coat the ribs nicely, shake off excess.
- Heat a Dutch oven, braiser or a a heavy pot with a lid over medium-high, add the vegetable oil and brown the ribs, working in batches. Set them aside and add the rest of the oil and the chopped onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium.
- Once the onion and garlic soften a bit, deglaze with the beer, scraping off the brown bits from the bottom of pan. Use the entire beer, then add the beef stock, the brown sugar, the soy, Worcestershire and the balsamic. Stir well. Place the browned ribs in the braising liquid.
- Cover the pot with lid and lower the heat to low. Cook until the meat is tender to your liking, about 2 hours, possibly up to 3.
STOVE TOP & OVEN*
- Pre-heat the oven to 300 F. Perform steps 1 thru 3 above. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 hours and check for tenderness. If required continue braising a bit longer until satisfied with the tenderness of the meat.
STOVE TOP & SLOW COOKER
- Using a heavy pan or pot to perform steps 1 thru 3, but transfer the braising liquid to a slow cooker first and then place the country style pork ribs inside.
- Braise until the meat reaches your desired tenderness. On slow about 4 hours, on high about 2 ½ hours - it depends on your slow cooker. These times are guidelines, so simply test the ribs occasionally and stop cooking once you are satisfied with their tenderness. Also, monitor the level of the braising liquid and if it really reduces a lot, add a bit of water.
TO MAKE GRAVY/FINISHING SAUCE
- With a spoon skim the fat from the braising liquid after you remove the ribs. You can leave a bit for flavor, but remove most of it.
- Strain the skimmed liquid and discard the solids. Return the strained juices to the braising pot or transfer them to a sauce pan.
- Bring to gentle boil until the liquid is reduced to your desired thickness. Alternatively, mix a slurry (1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water) and add it to the simmering liquid while you stir. The sauce will thicken fast.
patti
is there any chance this recipe would work with beef country style ribs?
Milena Perrine
Absolutely, same exact approach and just keep checking for tenderness towards the end of the braise to make sure you are satisfied.
Jennifer
Absolutely delicious!