"Country style" spare ribs

GG, what persuasion are you?

The Grey persuasion I'm guessing.

This Jew loves pork.

"GG, what persuasion are you?"

I am of the tongue in cheek persuasion and am the Chief of the Tongeincheek Tribe. A rapidly disappearing tribe of the Northeast woods noted for their ancient craft of rib tickling.

quote:

Originally posted by Greyghost

"GG, what persuasion are you?"

I am of the tongue in cheek persuasion and am the Chief of the Tongeincheek Tribe. A rapidly disappearing tribe of the Northeast woods noted for their ancient craft of rib tickling.

I think the Tongueincheek part was lost in translation; it came across very differently from what you must have meant.

The reason I asked about what cut had that flat bone, the country styles I had looked an awful lot like small loin chops. the responses here, including yours, Gg, lead me to believe that "country style ribs" is a generic term that markets apply to any odd cuts of pork that defy other description.

Need a Crock Pot recipe for Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs for Sunday 5/3.
Please come forth Roadfood Brothers & Sisters!  HELP a poor soul in search of something tasty, preferably along the BBQ Style! Oriental or European will not work for this occasion! THANX!!!

Well, I'll take a shot at this.  It is not crockpot, but could be adapted, I suppose.  It is about 3-4 hours total in the oven.  Also, it is meant for including a ton of onions, although I guess they could be left out.  And barbeque purists may sneer at the mild, sweetish, midwestern sauce recipe, but I don't care.  It came from a Betty Crocker cookbook in the 1950's, we grew up with it, and we still like it today; just had it again last week.  If you gotta kill your taste buds, add more hot sauce.  

The recipe is very forgiving; each of the two stages can go an extra half hour or so if need be.  The first stage can be done the day ahead.  And the second stage is nothing but let them cook and let the smells drive the guests crazy.

Can use either bone-in or boneless country ribs.  Both make a very nice presentation on the plate, with the whole onion slice on top of the rib and a little extra sauce over that.  Bone-in ribs look a little more dramatic, but you can get more in the roaster if using boneless.  We like to fill the roaster, as this freezes great, and just microwaves later.

The sauce is easy, just made with things that are always in the house.  And there is seldom any leftover, but if there it is, it goes good on a baked potato. 

Here it is:

One large roaster with cover
3-4 pounds meaty country style ribs (about 8-10), bone-in or boneless
salt & pepper

3-4 large onions, sliced 1/4 inch think, slices kept together, not broken up.  Any loose pieces absolutely included too.

(Any cheap onion is great for this, and Vidalias too, but Vidalias will shrink a little more because they have more water.  They are fine this way, or can be cut a little thicker.)
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Sauce:

One 36 ounce bottle ketchup (we only use Heinz)
Equal amount water

Dry:
5 Tbsp brown sugar
2-1/2 tsp dry mustard

Wet:
5 Tbsp white vinegar
2-1/2 tsp pepper sauce (we like Frank's)
5 tsp worcestershire

Empty the ketchup into a large bowl.  Fill the ketchup bottle with water and shake to get the extra ketchup out, add that to the bowl, then stir in the other ingredients.
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Put the ribs in the roaster, season with salt & pepper, cover and bake at 350 for 1-1/2 to two hours until brown.  Yes, they are mostly done and the ends are good to nibble right there. 

Remove the ribs, clean out the grease and put the ribs back in.  Can do this a day ahead.  You want to end up with an even layer of ribs.

Slice the onions and lay in whole slices on top of the ribs.  You won't see the ribs any more.  The raw slices will almost fill the roaster to the top, but they will cook way down.  They will mostly stay together as they cook and the layers and rings will look great when you take them out with a spatlua or large spoon.

Pour the sauce over all.  Cover again, oven 350 again, bake 1-1/2 hours, or more likely two hours until onions are soft and sauce has thickened.

Forgiving -- if still not ready to eat, turn oven off and leave it there.  Then can just microwave each plateful for a few seconds.

We do like to cook a lot of this, as like I say, it freezes great.

Easy, that sounds delicious. I use country style ribs all the time, whether grilling them or in the crockpot. I love cooking them in my crockpot with sauerkraut.
Foodbme, If you don't use Easydoesit's recipe, try using a teriyaki sauce, either homemade or bottled. Serve with rice and stirfried vegetables.

I do CSRs all the time,Brown them in a skillett drain the grease off ,pour a litte BBQ Sauce and finish them off in a slow oven.It don't take six hours to cook.

Great recipe, easydoesit. To be honest, foodbe me, I kinda cheat when it comes to my crockpot ribs.I brown them in a skillet with some salt and pepper, then drain.I place the ribs in the crockpot, pour my favorite bottled sauce over them, chop up a little onion and green pepper,throw that in-cook on high for about 5 hours than turn to low for a couple.They always come out very tender...

Last week I wanted to make my favorite, veal (osso bucco) shanks. However, my GF doesn't eat veal. So, I added about 4 large pork "country style" ribs to the braise. After the requisite 3-1/2 hour slow braise, the veal shank came out terrific. But, the real star of the meal were the ribs!
I had trimmed them of most of the exterior fat before I browned and braised them so, they were lean and falling apart tender and delicious!

mar52


The Grey persuasion I'm guessing.

This Jew loves pork.

Hand raised here as well. Oy vay. Oink, oink. 

annpeeples


Great recipe, easydoesit. To be honest, foodbe me, I kinda cheat when it comes to my crockpot ribs.I brown them in a skillet with some salt and pepper, then drain.I place the ribs in the crockpot, pour my favorite bottled sauce over them, chop up a little onion and green pepper,throw that in-cook on high for about 5 hours than turn to low for a couple.They always come out very tender...

Ann, I've done the same thing. They always come out great.

Twinwillow -- osso buco is wonderful, and your recipe sounds like a real winner!  More details, please, like cooking liquid used, kinds of vegetables, any other tips.

THANX ONE AND ALL! Took a little from each of you. Put a crockpot liner in the pot.(Those things are great for easy cleanup). cut 2 onions in half and put in bottom. Trimmed excess fat and placed ribs in the pot in a chris-cross pattern. Covered them with my wife's secret BBQ Sauce, put the lid on and will report on the results. Normally I would brown them before putting in the pot but didn't have time .
 

I made a weeky run to fetch supplies today. Bought some country style ribs. Theyre chillin in the freezer until I decide on a prep. plan. I went to the closest groceries, 45 mile trip. It's privately owned pridefully operated. Had on display 3 different disctinct cuts of these CS ribs.  Bone in , boneless and one looking more like sirloin cut pork steak.

Just love `country style' ribs....not too long ago made 14 pounds for  about 20 people ...  we put them in the oven at very low, maybe 250 heat, and put our favorite ( smart and final brand , nice and smoky) over the last hour...Could not have been better...by the way they go for 245 a pound at a butcher near here 

To answer, "easydoesit". I brown all the meat (any stewing cut of beef or pork you like will do) in olive oil very well. Could take 15 minutes. Make sure all the meat is patted dry with paper towels before you start browning. I usually salt the meat with kosher salt a little before it's finished browning but, not at the start. Remove the meat to a platter while you do the next steps.
I then remove most of the remaining fat and replace with fresh olive oil. To that I add a very large or, 2 medium chopped onions, kosher salt and 2 bay leaves and either fresh rosemary sprigs or thyme sprigs. After the onions have softened, I add about 8 large freshly chopped garlic cloves. Then, to deglaze the pot I add my secret ingredient. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone. Instead of red wine, I add about 10 ounces of Chimay (blue label) Grande' Reserve Belgian dark ale. 
After the ale reduces and the alcohol is cooked off I add a 14 oz. can of strained chopped tomatoes and the reserved meat and any meat juices on the platter.
Then I add enough good beef stock or broth to almost the top. Sometime I will use a good chicken stock fortified with a tablespoon or two of a product called, "Beefer Upper".
Then I cover, bring to a boil and put in a pre heated 275 degree oven for 3-1/2 hours. When finished cooking, remove the meat to a platter and cover with foil while you reduce the stock on the stovetop to thicken it. I don't use cornstarch.
But do that if you like. I personally like the gravy a bit thinner than thick.
Oh yes, I forgot. After about two hours of cooking, I like to add some potatoes.
I like Yukon Gold cut in large chunks if big or halved if small. Skin and all.

I've used Lidia Bastianich's recipe for Coutry Cut Ribs for years.

You need a couple of pounds of ribs, about 8 or 9.....

Brown the ribs, and remove them to a platter. Throw a finely chopped onion, one rib of celery, and a shredded carrot into the pot. Cook the veggies until they are soft, add several cloves of sliced garlic, cook until you get a good whiff of garlic. add a few tablespoons of Tomato paste and let that brown a bit.

Put the ribs back into the pot and add a half a bottle of dry red wine, cook a bit to let the alcohol dissipate. Add enough chicken stock to bring the liquid about half way up the ribs. Let this braise at a very low temp on top the stove, or in a 300 degree oven for a couple hours or until the ribs are fall off the bone tender.

You can eat them like they are or pull the meat off the bone and make a pasta sauce with a bit of the braising liquid. Lidia's recipe calls for Rigatoni, and that's what I like also.

I do them on the BBQ also, someone above mentioned that you don't have to really cook Country Cut ribs low and slow for them to be excellent....I agree 100% percent, for a quick week night BBQ rib fix nothing beats them. 

Twinwillow, thanks for the info.  I've got to think about the beer versus the wine, though....sounds like a whole different flavor.

rebeltruce


I've used Lidia Bastianich's recipe for Coutry Cut Ribs for years.

You need a couple of pounds of ribs, about 8 or 9.....

Brown the ribs, and remove them to a platter. Throw a finely chopped onion, one rib of celery, and a shredded carrot into the pot. Cook the veggies until they are soft, add several cloves of sliced garlic, cook until you get a good whiff of garlic. add a few tablespoons of Tomato paste and let that brown a bit.

Put the ribs back into the pot and add a half a bottle of dry red wine, cook a bit to let the alcohol dissipate. Add enough chicken stock to bring the liquid about half way up the ribs. Let this braise at a very low temp on top the stove, or in a 300 degree oven for a couple hours or until the ribs are fall off the bone tender.

You can eat them like they are or pull the meat off the bone and make a pasta sauce with a bit of the braising liquid. Lidia's recipe calls for Rigatoni, and that's what I like also.

I do them on the BBQ also, someone above mentioned that you don't have to really cook Country Cut ribs low and slow for them to be excellent....I agree 100% percent, for a quick week night BBQ rib fix nothing beats them. 

I love Lidia Bastianich. Anything she does is always terrific. Thanks for this recipe.

easydoesit


Twinwillow, thanks for the info.  I've got to think about the beer versus the wine, though....sounds like a whole different flavor.

Trust me on this one. Believe me, I was taking a great leap of faith when I got the "brainstorm" while make this dish one day. Ever creative in my cooking, I thought, why not try...............

Further to my above post. Don't use "beer". Use the Belgian dark ale, Chimay (Grande' Reserve). It's the one with the blue label. Buy a bottle and drink it. You'll see why I thought of using it.

Twinwillow-sounds excellent! Something different and fit for a crowd-or lots of leftovers for me! i think I will suggest this for our Mothers day brunch.

Foodbme


THANX ONE AND ALL! Took a little from each of you. Put a crockpot liner in the pot.(Those things are great for easy cleanup). cut 2 onions in half and put in bottom. Trimmed excess fat and placed ribs in the pot in a chris-cross pattern. Covered them with my wife's secret BBQ Sauce, put the lid on and will report on the results. Normally I would brown them before putting in the pot but didn't have time .
 

The results are in and it's been voted a "Keeper"! The meat came out tender, juicy and flavorful! I shredded the meat along with the onions from the bottom of the pot and made BBQ Sandwiches. Delicious! (The only thing missing was a smokey flavor. Next time I'll add a little Liquid Smoke.)

Will do!!!

annpeeples


Twinwillow-sounds excellent! Something different and fit for a crowd-or lots of leftovers for me! i think I will suggest this for our Mothers day brunch.

Thanks, Ann. I'm flattered. Please let us all know how it was.