Country-style Pork Ribs ribs are a great rich and fall-apart tender alternative to traditional ribs. Cheap, easy to make, and SO good, this might just be your new favorite way to eat pork.
One of the first really popular recipes on this site was my No-Fuss Easy Oven-Baked Ribs . The recipe’s designed to use beef back ribs, but since the post went live people have been asking about using it to make country-style pork ribs.
And asking.
And asking.
And asking.
And every single time, I would have to admit that I had no idea because I’d never eaten, let alone cooked, country-style ribs.
Whelp, I finally got sick of saying “I don’t know,” and feeling like I was missing out on something (because clearly, people love these things), so I tried them for myself, and now I am so angry.
Guys, I am so angry I haven’t been making these for years because country-style ribs ARE AMAZING. And this is coming from someone who is usually firmly Team Beef Ribs over pork.
These ribs are so tender and rich and easy to make. Two ingredients, ten minutes of hands-on prep time, and you end up with these absolutely beautiful ribs with meat you can shred with a fork.
And if you’re sitting there going sure, that sounds great, but WTF are country-style pork ribs? Read on, friend.
What Are Country-style Pork Ribs?
Country-style pork ribs aren’t ribs at all. They’re cuts of pork shoulder, which is the same meat you use to make pulled pork and carnitas . If you get bone-in “ribs,” you’ll recognize the distinctive y-shaped bone you get when you buy a bone-in pork shoulder roast.
This means that one, just like pork shoulder roasts, country-style ribs are super cheap, usually about $2/pound.
Two, they’re way meatier than regular pork or beef ribs (and don’t have all that gross cartilage), so you’re getting more meat for your buck.
And three, they have that wonderful marbling of fat which helps keep them moist during the long, slow cooking process on the way to tender, fall-apart ribs.
And speaking of long, slow cooking…
How to Cook Country Style Pork Ribs in the Oven
For fall-apart meat, country-style ribs really need to cook long and slow. Otherwise you’re going to get chewy pork.
The good news is that the cooking time is almost entirely hands-off. After a minimal amount of prep to get the ribs ready to cook, your oven’s doing most of the work here.
You start by salting and peppering your ribs and placing in a single layer in a roasting pan or baking dish. If you use a baking tray, make sure it has a fairly high rim, as the meat will release a lot of liquid as it cooks.
Cover with foil and bake at 300°F for 2 hours. Go read a book and sip some lemonade in front of a fan.
When your timer goes off, carefully uncover the meat–the steam will be hot–and drain the liquid from the tray. The meat looks super gross and sad at this point, but don’t worry. The next time it comes out of the oven, it will be beautiful.
Brush a generous coat of your favorite BBQ sauce over the meat.
Lower the temperature to 275°F and then bake uncovered for another hour. Your ribs are done when the meat has a beautifully baked-on coat of BBQ sauce and when you can pull it apart with a fork.
Brush with a little more sauce, give the ribs a couple minutes to rest, and then serve with some mashed potatoes or macaroni salad , and a simple veggie side like Garlic and Butter Green Beans or Oven-roasted Broccoli , and enjoy!
Country-Style Ribs Recipe Notes
- If making for guests, I recommend making two ribs per person. That’s going to be a really generous serving, but you won’t have to worry about anyone going hungry. If making a lot of ribs, you can make two trays at a time. Just add 15 minutes to the initial cooking time and swap them halfway through both cooking periods so that they cook evenly.
- You can use bone-in or boneless country-style ribs for this recipe. Since they are covered for most of the cooking time, both come out equally moist and tender. My local stores sell them in mixed packs, so I usually cook with both at the same time.
- Be very careful removing the ribs from the oven the first time. Hot liquid can slosh out of the pan, and the steam will be very hot when you remove the foil.
- For brushing on BBQ sauce, I love these silicone basting brushes that can go through the dishwasher.
- Looking for more simple meaty mains? Try my Tri-tip in the Oven , Broiled Steak with Mustard Sauce , Carne Asada , and Quick Rosemary Pork Chops .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Foil
- ▢ Roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet
- ▢ Silicone basting brush optional
Country-style Ribs
- ▢ Country-style pork ribs*
- ▢ Salt and pepper
- ▢ Your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Salt and pepper both sides of your ribs and place in a single layer in your pan, fattier side up.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours. Carefully (steam and liquid in the tray will be hot!) remove ribs from the oven and check the meat. They should be starting to become tender. If they still feel tough, re-cover them and place them back in the oven for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer ribs to a plate and drain liquid from the pan. Return ribs to tray and brush with a generous coating of BBQ sauce.
- Turn oven down to 275°F and bake ribs, uncovered, for 1 hour more, or until you can pull the meat apart with a fork (if your ribs were small and already pretty tender when you put them back in the oven, start checking after 20 minutes). Brush with another coat of BBQ sauce, rest for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!
Notes
What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream: How to freeze whipping cream and whipping cream recipe ideas to use up the leftovers.
Whipping cream is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. It’s delicious, versatile, and makes everything taste better.
But it’s also not something everyone keeps in their fridge, and a little goes a long way in recipes (and calorie-wise), so I always hesitate to create recipes for the site that use it.
I don’t want to make you buy an ingredient you’ll use for one meal and then have the rest of it go bad in your fridge.
So I told myself that before I created another recipe using cream, I’d put together a Waste Not post for whipping cream so you’d have a resource on what to do with the extra.
Wednesday I have a savory recipe hitting the site calling for whipping cream, so today, Waste Not: Whipping Cream Edition.
And before we go on, when I say whipping cream, I’m using this term interchangeably to refer whipping cream and heavy whipping cream/heavy cream. The only difference between the two is a small amount of milk fat.
Whipping Cream = 30–36% fat Heavy (Whipping) Cream = 36%+ fat
They can be used pretty much interchangeably.
Side note: As a rule, Half and Half (10.5–18%) and Light Cream (20%) cannot (always) be substituted. If you’re outside the US, here’s a good breakdown of comparable cream labels because they vary from country to country.
Okay, now that we know what is and isn’t whipping cream, here we go.
What to do With Leftover Whipping Cream
Freeze It
Like buttermilk, heavy cream freezes well. You can freeze it in the container in which it was bought (leave plenty of head space if that’s a glass bottle, and double wrap it if it’s plastic or cardboard to prevent it from picking up that freezer taste). Or you can transfer it to mason jars, again, leave space for expansion, or measure out usable amounts and double bag it in freezer bags.
When it comes time to use the frozen cream, leave it in the refrigerator to defrost for a day or two before you’ll need it and then shake vigorously to mix any fat that has separated.
Use It to Make Half and Half
If you have favorite recipes using half and half or you prefer half and half for your morning coffee, you can also use leftover heavy cream to make your own half and half at home. Simply mix approximately 1 part cream with 2 parts milk.
For example, if you have a recipe that calls for 1 cup half and half, fill your 1 cup measuring cup about 1/3 full with cream, 2/3 full with milk. Depending on whether you’re using non-fat or whole milk, go a little heavier or lighter on the cream. It doesn’t need to be exact and when in doubt, go heavier on the cream because fat is delicious.
Make Good Things With It
Finally, use it in other things. My go-to quick recipes for using up a bit of cream are…
- Using it instead of milk in my scrambled eggs
- As coffee creamer (soooooo much better than half and half)
- And making a small batch of caramel
Or try one of these other recipes:
Drinks Made With Whipping Cream
Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate
(1 tablespoon) White Chocolate Mocha (1 tablespoon) Easy Homemade Mocha (2 tablespoons) Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly (2 tablespoons) Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Two Ways (Light and Decadent) (1/3 cup) Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate for One (1/2 cup) Candy-Sweet Jello Shots with Triple Sec Whipped Cream
Desserts Using Whipping Cream
No-bake Cheesecake Bites With Graham Cracker Crust
(1 tablespoon) 30-Second Easy Chocolate Sauce (3 tablespoons) No-bake Cheesecake Bites With Graham Cracker Crust (3 tablespoons) Chocolate Souffles for Two With Creme Anglaise (1/4 cup) Small-batch No-bake Unicorn Cheesecakes (1/4 cup) Small-batch No-bake Oreo Cheesecake Bites (1/4 cup) Skinny Mini Pumpkin Pie With Graham Cracker Crust (1/4 cup) Better Than Starbucks Caramel Macchiato (1/4 cup) Butterscotch Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies (1/2 cup) Pink Cream Puffs (1/2 cup) Samoa Cupcakes (3/4 cup) Small-batch Cream Scones (3/4 cup) Small-batch Maple Scones (Maple Butter Scones) (1 cup) Whipped Cream 3 Ways (2 cups) No-churn Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream (2 cups) Pound Cake Cupcakes
Savory Recipes Using Whipping Cream
Easy Tomato Soup Recipe for Two
(2 tablespoons) My Favorite Easy Parmesan Orzo Side Dish (2 tablespoons) Shortcut Scalloped Potatoes for One (3 tablespoons) Easy Chicken in Cream Sauce for Two (3 tablespoons) Easy Tomato Soup Recipe for Two (3 tablespoons) Easy Baked Ziti Recipe (Dinner for Two) (1/4 cup) Keto Chicken Soup for Two (1/3 cup) Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Dinner for Two (1/3 cup) Cheesy Potato Gratin for Two (1/3 cup) Quick and Easy Fettuccine Alfredo for One (1/2 cup) Copycat Carmela’s Chicken (1/2 cup) Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (2/3 cup) Easy Fettuccine Alfredo With Broccoli (2/3 cup) Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta With Bell Peppers (1 cup) 15-minute Vodka Sauce (1 cup) Penne alla Vodka With Chicken
This single-serving Easy Peanut Butter Sauce for Ice Cream, Pancakes, or Waffles can be made with just two ingredients and is absolutely decadent and delicious.
Hey, friends. Last summer, I shared a 30 second, 2-ingredient Chocolate Sauce on the blog. I wasn’t really sure how it would do, if there was really much of a demand for quick, single-serving dessert sauces, but the post has actually been pretty popular.
Turns out I’m not the only one who sometimes gets the craving for a last minute solo sundae or chocolate drizzled pancakes .
So this summer, I have a couple more of these quick and easy ice cream/pancake/waffle sauces coming your way, and today we’re starting with Peanut Butter Sauce!!
OMG, guys, this sauce.
THIS SAUCE.
It’s made with two ingredients, syrup (almost any kind—we’ll talk more about that in a second) and peanut butter. And when you heat them together, you end up with a decadent peanut buttery topping that’s SO GOOD over ice cream, pancakes, or waffles .
You can use pretty much any syrup you have in your cupboard, but the type of syrup you use will determine the texture and sweetness of your peanut butter sauce.
- Corn syrup , which is what I used in the photos, will give you something almost like peanut butter caramel. It’s not just melted, liquid peanut butter, but something that pulls and sets a little like warm taffy. It’s such a fun texture over smooth and creamy ice cream, and I absolutely love it.
- Regular pancake syrup will give you a pourable sauce with a smooth and creamy texture. If you want peanut butter sauce for pancakes (it would be amazing over banana pancakes ) or waffles, this is what I would go with.
- Honey makes a sauce with a similar texture to pancake syrup but with a distinct honey flavor. This one’s also very sweet.
- Maple syrup can also be used, but you’ll need to cut the amount from 2 tablespoons to 2 teaspoons. It doesn’t create as pretty and smooth of a sauce as the other options but has a great maple flavor.
How to Make Peanut Butter Sauce
This peanut butter sauce could not be easier to make. You just combine the syrup of your choice and peanut butter and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, until your syrup has just started bubbling.
Carefully remove your bowl from the microwave and stir together until it is completely mixed and that’s it. It’s ready to be poured over ice cream , breakfast, or maybe brownies…
Peanut Butter Sauce Recipe Notes
- Be very careful removing the syrup from the microwave. Hot syrup can cause severe burns.
- I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter in this recipe as you won’t get a completely smooth sauce.
- Looking for more peanut butter desserts? Try my Peanut Butter Cookie for Two , Small-batch Buckeye Brownie Cookies , Small-batch Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies , and Small-batch Peanut Butter Cups .
- For more single-serve dessert sauces, try this easy Fudge Sauce and Nutella Sauce .
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons corn syrup OR pancake syrup OR honey OR maple syrup*
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 16g ) creamy peanut butter not natural peanut butter
Instructions
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine syrup and peanut butter. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, until syrup just begins to bubble. Remove from microwave (be very careful, syrup will be HOT), and stir until smooth.
- Serve over ice cream, pancakes, or waffles and enjoy!
Notes
Country-style Pork Ribs ribs are a great rich and fall-apart tender alternative to traditional ribs. Cheap, easy to make, and SO good, this might just be your new favorite way to eat pork.
One of the first really popular recipes on this site was my No-Fuss Easy Oven-Baked Ribs . The recipe’s designed to use beef back ribs, but since the post went live people have been asking about using it to make country-style pork ribs.
And asking.
And asking.
And asking.
And every single time, I would have to admit that I had no idea because I’d never eaten, let alone cooked, country-style ribs.
Whelp, I finally got sick of saying “I don’t know,” and feeling like I was missing out on something (because clearly, people love these things), so I tried them for myself, and now I am so angry.
Guys, I am so angry I haven’t been making these for years because country-style ribs ARE AMAZING. And this is coming from someone who is usually firmly Team Beef Ribs over pork.
These ribs are so tender and rich and easy to make. Two ingredients, ten minutes of hands-on prep time, and you end up with these absolutely beautiful ribs with meat you can shred with a fork.
And if you’re sitting there going sure, that sounds great, but WTF are country-style pork ribs? Read on, friend.
What Are Country-style Pork Ribs?
Country-style pork ribs aren’t ribs at all. They’re cuts of pork shoulder, which is the same meat you use to make pulled pork and carnitas . If you get bone-in “ribs,” you’ll recognize the distinctive y-shaped bone you get when you buy a bone-in pork shoulder roast.
This means that one, just like pork shoulder roasts, country-style ribs are super cheap, usually about $2/pound.
Two, they’re way meatier than regular pork or beef ribs (and don’t have all that gross cartilage), so you’re getting more meat for your buck.
And three, they have that wonderful marbling of fat which helps keep them moist during the long, slow cooking process on the way to tender, fall-apart ribs.
And speaking of long, slow cooking…
How to Cook Country Style Pork Ribs in the Oven
For fall-apart meat, country-style ribs really need to cook long and slow. Otherwise you’re going to get chewy pork.
The good news is that the cooking time is almost entirely hands-off. After a minimal amount of prep to get the ribs ready to cook, your oven’s doing most of the work here.
You start by salting and peppering your ribs and placing in a single layer in a roasting pan or baking dish. If you use a baking tray, make sure it has a fairly high rim, as the meat will release a lot of liquid as it cooks.
Cover with foil and bake at 300°F for 2 hours. Go read a book and sip some lemonade in front of a fan.
When your timer goes off, carefully uncover the meat–the steam will be hot–and drain the liquid from the tray. The meat looks super gross and sad at this point, but don’t worry. The next time it comes out of the oven, it will be beautiful.
Brush a generous coat of your favorite BBQ sauce over the meat.
Lower the temperature to 275°F and then bake uncovered for another hour. Your ribs are done when the meat has a beautifully baked-on coat of BBQ sauce and when you can pull it apart with a fork.
Brush with a little more sauce, give the ribs a couple minutes to rest, and then serve with some mashed potatoes or macaroni salad , and a simple veggie side like Garlic and Butter Green Beans or Oven-roasted Broccoli , and enjoy!
Country-Style Ribs Recipe Notes
- If making for guests, I recommend making two ribs per person. That’s going to be a really generous serving, but you won’t have to worry about anyone going hungry. If making a lot of ribs, you can make two trays at a time. Just add 15 minutes to the initial cooking time and swap them halfway through both cooking periods so that they cook evenly.
- You can use bone-in or boneless country-style ribs for this recipe. Since they are covered for most of the cooking time, both come out equally moist and tender. My local stores sell them in mixed packs, so I usually cook with both at the same time.
- Be very careful removing the ribs from the oven the first time. Hot liquid can slosh out of the pan, and the steam will be very hot when you remove the foil.
- For brushing on BBQ sauce, I love these silicone basting brushes that can go through the dishwasher.
- Looking for more simple meaty mains? Try my Tri-tip in the Oven , Broiled Steak with Mustard Sauce , Carne Asada , and Quick Rosemary Pork Chops .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Foil
- ▢ Roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet
- ▢ Silicone basting brush optional
Country-style Ribs
- ▢ Country-style pork ribs*
- ▢ Salt and pepper
- ▢ Your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Salt and pepper both sides of your ribs and place in a single layer in your pan, fattier side up.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours. Carefully (steam and liquid in the tray will be hot!) remove ribs from the oven and check the meat. They should be starting to become tender. If they still feel tough, re-cover them and place them back in the oven for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer ribs to a plate and drain liquid from the pan. Return ribs to tray and brush with a generous coating of BBQ sauce.
- Turn oven down to 275°F and bake ribs, uncovered, for 1 hour more, or until you can pull the meat apart with a fork (if your ribs were small and already pretty tender when you put them back in the oven, start checking after 20 minutes). Brush with another coat of BBQ sauce, rest for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Easy Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Oven
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- Foil
- Roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet
- Silicone basting brush optional
Country-style Ribs
- Country-style pork ribs*
- Salt and pepper
- Your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Salt and pepper both sides of your ribs and place in a single layer in your pan, fattier side up.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours. Carefully (steam and liquid in the tray will be hot!) remove ribs from the oven and check the meat. They should be starting to become tender. If they still feel tough, re-cover them and place them back in the oven for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer ribs to a plate and drain liquid from the pan. Return ribs to tray and brush with a generous coating of BBQ sauce.
- Turn oven down to 275°F and bake ribs, uncovered, for 1 hour more, or until you can pull the meat apart with a fork (if your ribs were small and already pretty tender when you put them back in the oven, start checking after 20 minutes). Brush with another coat of BBQ sauce, rest for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!
