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As many of you know, ribs are my favorite BBQ food to grill.  I’ve made spare ribs, baby backs, beef ribs and today we’re making Grilled Country Style Ribs.  This cut is a perfect mix of lean light meat from the loin and rich dark meat from the shoulder. With only a few ingredients, country style ribs are simple, delicious and the perfect comfort food.

For a savory alternative, check out Grilled Mustard Pork Loin . Perfect for those busy weeknights. Or if you’re looking for a more traditional rib recipe, take a look at my Smoked Maple Bourbon Ribs.

grilled country style ribs on a plate.

What are country style ribs?

Country style ribs are a cut of pork from the shoulder of a pig that are often boneless and sold as slabs or individual servings. They are a budget-friendly option that are meatier than other cuts of ribs. The are called “ribs” because they look like a cut slab of ribs, but they are most definitely NOT ribs.

In short, it’s a cut up pork shoulder made to look like ribs. They are meatier, fattier and delicious when smoked or grilled. It’s almost like a single serving of a pork shoulder.

Step 1. Prep and Sear.

You can cook country style ribs the same way you would cook any other pork rib or a pork shoulder. They are usually cooked low and slow to get them super tender. I will be following a different method, however. I will sear the country style ribs first, to give that charcoal grilled flavor AND then I will braise them to get them super tender.

The country style ribs at my local store were bone-in. Sometimes they come boneless. It really doesn’t matter, the recipe and cooking method would be the same for both. I kept the seasoning simple.  Start by drizzling some Worcestershire sauce over the ribs. This will work as a binder for the seasoning. Next, coat the ribs on all sides with my All Purpose and Sweet BBQ seasoning.

country style ribs on a tray and bbq seasoning.

Preheat the grill to a high heat and set it for dual zone cooking. Place the seasoned country style ribs directly on the grates and sear 2 minutes per side. The grill temperature should be between 400-450 degrees. Don’t walk away from the grill. If they say on the heat for too long, they will burn! And don’t worry, we’re not cooking them all the way through, we’re just searing that outside.

country ribs searing.
country ribs seared.

How to create dual zone heat on grills

Dual zone heats are created differently depending on the type of grill you have.

  • Gas grill: Turn the burners on one half of the grill. For indirect heat, place food on the opposite end.
  • Charcoal grill: position the heated charcoal to one half of the round bowl. For indirect heat, place the food on the opposite end.
  • Komodo style grill: use a plate setter that will deflect direct heat from the food on the grates.

Dad’s Seasonings

Must have grillin seasonings!

Step 2. Slow Cook the ribs for tenderness.

After about 8-10 minutes remove the country style ribs from the grill and place them in a foil pan. This step will get them super tender. Now I will treat them like a pork shoulder or a standard rack of pork ribs. To the foil pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey and your BBQ sauce of choice. I went with my go to Sweet Baby Rays for that sweet and tangy taste. 

Cover the aluminum pan with foil and put it back on the grill on the indirect heat side. The grill temperature should be 275 degrees and no higher than 300. Anything more than that and the sugar might burn. 

Cooking them in the foil pan with the butter, honey and sauce will get the ribs very tender. The same way we wrap a pork shoulder or a regular rack of ribs.

ribs wrapped in pan on the grill.

Continue cooking the until they reach an internal temperature of 200-204 degrees and are probe tender. Meaning a fork or meat thermometer will go in without any resistance, like a hot knife in butter. This will take anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending on your grill and the size of the ribs. Before pulling them off the grill, I like to remove the foil from the pan and cook for 10 minutes to thicken up that sauce. It will get nice and sticky and absolutely delicious on our grilled country style ribs.

Remove the pan from the grill and let them cool down and rest for 10-15 minutes. Don’t skip this step, it’s important! After they have rested, plate them up and finish them with the sauce from the foil pan. Serve and enjoy!

grilled country style ribs in sauce in a foil pan.
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Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I need to remove the membrane?

The great part about these is that there is no membrane! These are cut from the shoulder and are only called “ribs” because they look like them.

Can I make this in the oven or stove top?

Absolutely! Follow the same time and temps as in the recipe. Instead of searing on the grill, you can sear them in a hot cast iron skillet and finish in a foil pan in the oven.

Similar BBQ Rib Ideas:

If you tried these Grilled Country Style Ribs or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!

4.54 from 41 votes

Grilled Country Style Ribs

This fatty cut is a perfect mix of lean light meat from the loin and rich dark meat from the shoulder. With only a few ingredients, country style ribs are simple, delicious and the perfect comfort food for fall.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4 People

Ingredients 

  • 4 lbs Country style ribs
  • 1/2 stick Unsalted butter
  • 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp Dad's All Purpose seasoning
  • 2 tbsp Dad's Sweet BBQ rub
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 2 tbsp Brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp Honey

Instructions 

  • Remove the ribs from the packaging, pat them dry and coat with Worcestershire sauce. Season all sides the All Purpose and Sweet BBQ seasoning.
  • Preheat grill to 450 degrees and set up for dual zone grilling.
  • Place the ribs on the hot side of the grill and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side. The ribs should have some char and be golden brown in color.
  • Remove the ribs from the grill and place them in a foil pan. Add the remaining ingredients: brown sugar, honey and butter and wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
  • Place the covered foil pan back on the grill on the indirect side at 300 degrees and cook until the ribs reach an internal temperature of 200-204 degrees and are fork tender. This will take approximately 1-3 hours, depending on your grill and the size of the ribs.
  • When the ribs are probe tender, remove the aluminum foil from the pan and cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken up the sauce.
  • Remove the the pan from the grill and allow them to rest for 10-15 minutes. Plate the ribs and finish them off with the sauce from the foil pan. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Sometimes country style ribs are boneless and sometimes they are bone-in, like the ones i cooked. You can use my recipe for both. 

Nutrition

Calories: 870kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 249mg | Sodium: 929mg | Potassium: 1196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 829IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 7mg
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Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!

About Maciek

I make easy meals that anyone can replicate at home. I’m not a professionally trained chef, just your average guy that likes to fire up the grill. So follow along and see what’s cooking today!

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4.54 from 41 votes (34 ratings without comment)

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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    we’re doing our ribs in the oven at 260 degrees for 2 hrs, butter, wrap in foil, meat side down for 1 hour, then open for 10 min. with a sauce to glaze then eat, along with a baked potato.
    Enjoy your receipes.
    Another 2 hours before done, can hardly wait.

  2. 5 stars
    Change up your ribs with these country style ribs! I just updated the recipe to make it even simpler. I hope you like it as much as we do!

  3. 5 stars
    A little tricky keeping the temps consistent using wood but ribs came out delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    Excellent Recipe, thanks so much!
    One question: do you cover the aluminum pan at first or any time? I grilled on the outside grill to sear, then brought the ribs inside to the oven; since it’s still cool up here where I live. I un-covered the pan at 30 minutes; so there was still BBQ sauce at the bottom. I will write back after dinner and take a picture! My husband and I are So looking forward to these ribs