The “Country Rib” was the term given to a portion of meat at the end of the loin. In this area there are still a few rib bones after the traditional Spare and loin ribs are removed. This end of the loin is removed whole, bones intact, and then split into the country rib. What’s left is an almost rectangular piece of meat that can be cooked on all four sides. This makes it idea for the BBQ grill. The other cut of country style ribs isn’t a rib at all. In fact it comes from the butt portion of the shoulder. Meat cutters brought about this cut to make a little more money off the Boston Butt after it’s been trimmed. The first few inches of the butt are cut about 1” thick and this portion is split in half creating the shoulder cut country style rib. You may also see it called “Western Ribs” depending on where you live. If the slices are left whole you’ll have pork steak. Both cuts make excellent BBQ as long as you know how to cook them. This is my favorite way to smoke Country Style Ribs: For this recipe I bought both Loin cut and shoulder cut Country Ribs about 3-4lbs of each. The first step is the seasoning. Layer on a combination of Salt, Black Pepper, and Garlic powder on all sides and follow that up with a good dusting of The BBQ Rub. (or your favorite rub). Let the seasoning work on the meat for a few minutes while you start the smoker. I fired up my UDS for this cook, running it with two open vents. The temp is in the 275 range if you’re using another type cooker. For smoke I threw on 3 chunks of Fruita Peach wood. It’s a sweet, mild flavor that’s great on ribs.
After 30 minutes, the UDS is ready to cook. This is just enough time for the rub to draw out a little moisture from the ribs; and to allow some of the seasoning to penetrate into the meat. The cooking process is pretty simple. First they get smoked for 1 ½ hours. Half way through this process give each piece a flip to ensure even cooking. You can check the internal temperature at the 1:15 minute mark. When it hits 150 degrees, that’s about all the smoke these ribs need. The second part of the cooking process is the “braise”. In a small aluminum pan pour ½ cup of pineapple juice and mix in The BBQ Sauce. The amount is just eyeballed but it’s probably close to 1 cup. The pineapple juice thins the sauce a little and helps tenderize the meat. Cover the pan with foil and place it back on the smoker. Let the ribs cook for another hour and check the tenderness. It’s more about feel hear than final temp. Your thermometer should easily slide into the meat with little or no resistance. The temperature should be around 195 degrees. At this point the Country Ribs are cooked but there’s one final step. Remove each section from the pan and place back on the grate of the cooker. Brush or mop each side with The BBQ Sauce and let it caramelize for 3-4 minutes on each side. Once you see the sauce bubbling and slightly turning colors, they’re done. Try country style ribs for yourself and tell me they’re not great! Malcom Reed Connect on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to my YouTube Channel Find me on Google+ Follow me on Instagram
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I don’t have UDS, are the country style ribs cooked over direct heat?
No, they are not cooked on an open flame like it’s a grill. It’s just cooked directly over the smoke.
The UDS is basically a homemade smoker. So no matter what smoker you are cooking on, you just need to hold the temp steady at 275.
If doing these on a pellet grill, assume it is ok to smoke them at 180, until IT of 150, then turn smoker up to 275 for Braise steps?
I am really enjoying your recipes that you cook on your uds. In fact I am following your recipes and getting Big Time GREAT results and compliments. How do you manage the spike in the temp on your drum when you put the country style ribs in the covered pan? I am still tying to dial in my cooking style on my drum.
If the temp spikes, I just it all closed down pretty quickly. If you limit the air flow, it will bring itself down.
If they are actually pork loin country style ribs, do you still take them to an internal temp of 195? Seems they would be dry if pork loin. I can understand the shoulder/butt cuts. The ones we get at our store are say pork loin country style ribs on the package. I took some to 195 and they seemed real dry. I take it they are much leaner and 145-150 would be the range?
Thanks for all your recipes! I’m labeled as the grill/smoke master on my BGE because of your recipes (my secret)!!
Same question. I did loin ribs like a butt-cut rib and it was overcooked. I didn’t realize the difference until I ruined the loin-cut. It was not tender, it was like hard jerky.
In this video it looks like loin and butt cuts were cooked the same. Some Malcom magic?
How long do you cook the loin country ribs? Do you still cook to 150 in the first phase and then braise for another hour? These look so good, really want to try them. Thank you.
Hi Malcolm, you’re my constant go to guy for Smoking meats and BBQ. My question is “should I rely on my Thermoworks Smoke ambient temperature probe or my Pitboss pellet smokers digital temp reading for inside of smoker/grill?”
I would go by the grate temp.
I make this recipe on a regular basis. Last time I made 2 packs of these and my baked bean recipe with my kick but baked mac and cheese. My family managed to eat it all.
Thank you Malcom, this is my favorite country style rib recipe!
Hi Malcom, big fan of your recipes, and this one is one of my favorites. Having had success cooking country style ribs like this many times in the past, I plan to try out double cut pork chops with this method. Do you think I need to make any adjustments?
Hi Malcolm,
Hoping you can help me out. I ordered some heritage pork ribs online. Turns out they’re country ribs. The package says 5 rib rack. Each one weighing between 4.5 – 5lbs. Should I cut into individual pieces or cook the whole piece? Any and all suggestions welcome! Thank you