Tender and full of flavor, this Braised Country Style Ribs Recipe is the perfect Sunday supper. They make the perfect comforting dinner for any cold night.
Looking for more comfort food recipes perfect for a Sunday supper? Check out this Slow-Simmered Short Rib Sauce with Pasta, this New Mexican Red Pork Chili, or this Slow Cooker Beef Noodle Soup.
For some reason, I had always been intimidated by cooking country style pork ribs at home. But once you do it, you’ll realize just how easy it is! It does take some time, but most of that time is hands off and just braising the meat. And the end result? I would seriously be happy making this Braised Country Style Ribs recipe every weekend!! The meat gets super tender, and has so much flavor.
This recipe is one that makes a regular appearance on our menu!
Ingredients
- Country Style Pork Ribs: For more information about country style pork ribs, read the section below.
- Old Bay Seasoning: This is not just for seafood! It adds lots of great flavor here.
- Salt and Pepper: Always important!
- Oil: I list vegetable oil in the recipe card, but you could use a different oil of your choice. Olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil – they will all work.
- Vegetables: This recipe uses your typical veggie mixture of carrot, celery, onion, and garlic.
- Tomato Paste: A lot of the flavor comes from the tomato paste. Tomato paste will give the sauce a deeper flavor than tomato sauce.
- Vinegar: You need this for some acidity. I like apple cider vinegar the best.
- Bay Leaves: These add a lot of flavor – just make sure to remove them before serving the final dish.
- Red Pepper Flakes: The red pepper flakes are optional. They add a little bit of spice – you can add more or less, depending on preference.
- Chicken Stock: The chicken stock not only makes the base of the sauce, but it is needed to actually braise the pork ribs.
- Cornstarch: When the ribs are done, a cornstarch slurry is added to thicken the sauce before serving.
What are country style pork ribs?
There are different cuts of pork ribs – differentiated by where they are cut on the ribs. Country style ribs are actually not even ribs- as they are cut from the blade end of the loin, close to the pork shoulder. Sometimes, they can even be pieces of pork shoulder that have been cut. They tend to be meatier, and will often have some good marbling.
The difference between country style ribs and spare ribs
Sometimes, people confuse country style ribs and spare ribs. Spare ribs are actually part of the ribs, coming from the belly side of the rib cage. These will have bones, tend to be fattier than other cuts of ribs, which means they are super tender.
Most cuts are labeled clearly at the grocery store, but if you are ever in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask while you are there!
How to Make Braised Country Style Ribs
There are actually quite a few ways you can cook country style ribs – in the oven, grill them, in the slow cooker, in the instant pot, and even on the stove top.
But this is a cut of meat that needs to be cooked for a long time to make it tender. Except in the pressure cooker, which speeds up the process, but they still will take a longer cook time than other cuts of meat.
Here is how you make this recipe:
- Start by browning the ribs in a heavy pot, I like to use my Dutch oven. This helps to caramelize the meat and bring in a layer of flavor that you don’t want to miss.
- After browning the meat, remove them from the pot and cook your vegetables until softened. After the vegetables are soft, start making the sauce with tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Don’t forget to season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Return the ribs to the pot and cover them with chicken stock. Place the lid on your pot.
- Transfer the pot to the oven to cook low and slow for about 2 hours, until the country style ribs are tender. Remove the lid when there is about 1/2 hour of cooking time left.
- When the ribs are done cooking, remove them from the pot and make a creamy, amazingly-delicious sauce by adding a cornstarch slurry to the liquid and vegetables in the pot.
- Serve the ribs and the sauce over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.
What to serve with country style ribs
Looking for more ideas of what to serve on the side?
Sautéed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes
Glazed Carrots
Scalloped Corn and Broccoli
Tomato and Herb Salad
Lemon Butter Broccoli
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Braised Country Style Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone-in country style pork ribs
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- mashed potatoes or creamy polenta, for serving
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
- Pat the ribs dry, then season with the Old Bay Seasoning, and then salt and pepper to taste. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the ribs, cooking in batches, until all sides are browned. Remove all of the ribs to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the carrot, celery and onions and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring to cook out the raw flavor, a few more minutes. Stir in the apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, then add the bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Place the ribs back into the pan. Add the chicken stock (it should reach about halfway up the sides of the ribs.) Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ribs are tender, about 2 hours. When about 1/2 hour remains, uncover the pan to allow the liquid to reduce a bit and for the pork to brown.
- When the ribs are done, remove the pan from the oven to the stove. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Cover lightly with foil to keep warm. Whisk together the water and cornstarch, then stir into the liquid in the pan, cooking over medium heat. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened. If desired, add the ribs back into the pan to be coated by the liquid.
- Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Penny says
Have made this several times now. I too skip the apple cider vinegar and replace it with wine. Though I use a dry white wine. Great recipe!
Reenie says
Really happy I stumbled across this. The pork turned out so good! I cooked two hours covered in the oven and added some Carolina BBQ sauce and simmered another half hour on the stovetop. So tender. Thanks for the recipe.
Deborah says
Thanks for the review, Reenie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Pam Meunier says
This was a very good recipe! The simmered ribs just fell off the bone – and the sauce was tangy and rich. loved it on a bed of mashed potatoes. I didn’t have any Old Bay spice mix…and I found an easy recipe on Pinterest. Overall – a wonderful meal!
Deborah says
Thanks, Pam – I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Susan McFadden says
Modified it slightly. No chicken broth so I used beef broth. No celery or parsley. No Old Bay used blackening seasoning for fish instead. I didn’t thicken the sauce and it was delightful. Very very good! I served it with mashed potatoes. It didn’t need another thing.
Dione says
This was really good. I only gave it 4 stars because I think it need more veggies in it. I used homemade roasted tomato puree instead of tomato paste and I used homemade beef broth instead of chicken broth. I was looking for a new country ribs recipe that wasn’t with BBQ sauce. I will definitely be making this again.
Sandy says
Tried this recipe for dinner tonight and enjoyed the flavor though we thought there was way too much apple cider vinegar for our liking. Next time I would only add a splash or leave it out but it does add zing to the dish. I added more carrots and celery and a large onion because I like the vegetables. I did have to double the cornstarch mixture to get it to a thicker consistency but overall I liked the dish. Thank you!
Marsha ellis says
They don’t sell polenta around here so I tried it with creamy grits. It was really good.
MaryB says
So good! I never would have thought to use Old Bay seasoning. So nice to have a change from my usual way of cooking country ribs. Thanks for a very good recipe. Easy, too!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you liked it – thanks, Mary!
Colleen Oliver says
I wanted something other than bbq country ribs. I found this recipe and it certainly didn’t disappoint! I didn’t have Old Bay. looked up it’s ingredients and made my own. I also gave just a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning. served with mashed potatoes and green beans! Perfect meal for a damp chilly winter night! This recipe is a keeper! Thanks so much!
Lindsey says
This recipe is divine! The only change I made was doubling the veggies (2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, whole med onion). I might try red wine instead of acv next time, but it’s delicious as is. The old bay flavor is unexpectedly fantastic.
Amanda Jo Bartholmey says
I was in search of a beef country style rib recipe and also in a hurry. I didn’t realize this was for pork until it was too late to back out! I followed through step by step and it was positively worth the effort with the beef in place of the pork. No regrets.
Cris says
I halved the recipe. No celery as I was out. I added in a well-drained can of whole (roughly chopped) tomatoes. Perfect perfect recipe. I checked at 1 1/2 hours and it was perfect. My oven runs a little hot.
Alan Edward says
Great recipe. Although, I made a small change and added a 1/2 cup of white wine. Came out AMAZING.
Mick says
Really really good. I used boneless pieces of pork shoulder. Cooked it for 2 hours with the lid on and half an hour with the lid off. Fall apart fork tender with great flavor.
Johanna says
This was so good! We had it with mashed potatoes as suggested and I want to make it again tomorrow! I left out the celery because I didn’t have any and it was still delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Farrah says
I didn’t have any old bay seasoning, so I made a dry rub of paprika, garlic powder, ground mustard, tiny bit of cumin, salt, and white pepper. I used beef stock instead of chicken stock.
I seared in the Dutch oven with olive oil, and followed the rest of the recipe as described.
This was my first time making country-style ribs, but this was really amazing. So flavorful and beefy. It was a hit with my sister who came over to try it too.
I would make this again.