These fall-apart tender country style ribs are simmered first, then finished in the oven with barbecue sauce for a total of about 2 hours. It’s an easy way to make tender BBQ ribs without a grill or smoker.
I do what I can to feed my family of five on a budget. Sometimes we eat all fancy, and sometimes it’s cheap eats. And trying to find a meal that everyone will love on budget, is even more challenging.
One of my favorite “cheap eats” I like to make for my family are fall apart tender pork country style ribs in the oven. For my big family of 5 picky eaters, that’s some lip-smacking good cheap eats. Everyone loves ribs. And you don’t need a grill to enjoy some barbecue!
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Laura says :
Why this recipe works
- Economical: When on sale, these ribs can be as cheap as $1.99/pound. It’s a great way to feed a big group on the cheap!
- Easy: You don’t need a smoker to make fall-apart-amazing ribs. It’s a super easy recipe that anyone can prepare!
- Extra tender: Country style are boneless strips cut from the pork shoulder. They need to be cooked low and slow to tenderize, which is why we simmer them first. After baking in the oven, these babies are fall apart tender.
- Flavor: Break out your best barbecue sauce and you have some incredible ribs. Miss the smoke? I share a hack so you can get the same smokey goodness from roadhouse ribs but made at home.
Ingredients you need
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- Country-style pork ribs: These are inexpensive cuts of pork that are boneless and easy to find. Make a little or a lot.
- Onion: A regular ‘ole brown onion works just fine.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best.
- Peppercorns: You can use plain black or assorted peppercorns.
- Bay leaves: Fresh or dried bay leaves can be used.
- Barbecue sauce: You can use homemade barbecue sauce (like my whiskey barbecue sauce) or store bought.
- Smoke flavor: This is optional, but if you want your ribs to have that smokey flavor you get from meats cooked in a smoker, add some liquid smoke or culinary mesquite powder to your barbecue sauce before you coat your ribs.
Step-by-step directions
- Simmer ribs. Put ribs in large stock pot and add enough water to cover. Add onion, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves then cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
- Coat with sauce. Remove the ribs and spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Coat ribs all over with barbecue sauce. At this point, the ribs can be refrigerated until you are ready to finish cooking them.
- Bake the ribs. Cover ribs on a baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 1 hour. For last 10 minutes of cooking, remove foil. If you want crunchy ends, sit under the broiler for 3-minutes.
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Recipe tips and FAQs
Since we’re talking barbecue, let’s talk about all the delicious side dishes you can enjoy with your ribs. Here are some of my favorite eats to enjoy with these ribs:
- Mango Coleslaw
- Cider Vinegar Potato Salad
- Olive Oil Twice Baked Potatoes
- Curly Fries with Beer Cheese
This isn’t my first barbecue recipe that I created that can be baked in the oven and without a smoker or grill. Be sure to check out my smokey oven baked brisket and my crispy pulled pork in the oven.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover ribs in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. We like using our vacuum sealer and place the cooked ribs in freezer safe bags. You can freeze the ribs for 4 months. To reheat, you can use the microwave or bake the thawed ribs at 350° oven for 30-40 minutes.
If you are cooking for a party and need to prepare these ribs in advance, you can refrigerate the ribs after boiling them. Just transfer them to a resealable container, cool them to room temperature and refrigerate up to 3 days before baking.
Country style ribs do not come from the ribs. They are boneless strips of pork cut from the pork shoulder. They can also be cut from the blade end of the pork shoulder. When cut from here, there is some bone in, but you can get it boneless, as well. Both offer some nice fat marbling and when cooked properly, are moist and tender.
Country style ribs are cut from the pork shoulder, so they benefit from a longer cooking time to become tender. Simmering the ribs first gets them tender more quickly, then finishing them in the oven lets you coat them with barbecue sauce and caramelize the edges.
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How to Bake Country Style Ribs in the Oven
Ingredients
- 4 lb country-style pork ribs
- 1 onion cut into slices
- 5 garlic cloves halved
- 1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 ½ cup barbecue sauce homemade or store bought
Instructions
- Put ribs in an 8-quart stock pot and add enough water to cover. Add onion, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves to the ribs.
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. - Remove the ribs and spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Coat ribs all over with barbecue sauce. At this point, the ribs can be refrigerated until you are ready to finish cooking them.
- To cook in the oven, preheat oven to 350ºF. Cover ribs on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. For last 10 minutes of cooking, remove foil. If you want crunchy ends, sit under the broiler for 3-minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura BasharÂ
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
This was exactly what I was looking for when I was younger I worked at a great rib place and we cooked them just like this. Making ribs tonight. My only advice would be that you can simmer the ribs covered. It is hot and my air conditioning is on, no way I am simmering these uncovered, we never did at the restaurant I worked at either. Thanks for the recipe
Hi Ronnie-
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the ribs!
Laura