Pork Shoulder Strip Recipes: Grilled Country-Style Ribs

Most pork shoulder strip recipes are really recipes for country-style ribs, the thick, meaty strips cut from the shoulder end of the pig. They are not ribs in the usual sense. They are closer to a pork steak cut into long fingers, marbled like a Boston butt, and they cook like one: low and slow first, until the connective tissue softens, then fast and hot, until the outside picks up color and a little crunch.

This recipe bakes them covered at 300 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, then finishes them on a hot grill with a thin, tangy vinegar barbecue sauce. The oven does the tenderizing and the grill does the flavor, and you can do the two on different days.

At a glance: serves 6. Prep 15 minutes, bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, grill about 10 minutes, rest 5 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, puts it plainly when he talks about pigs and hillsides:

“pigs are hard on slopes, uh, because they root, because they dig, they need to be on flat ground because they'll cause erosion.”

Gray Shipley

That is a point about land, not cooking. But it is a reminder that a pig is a strong, busy animal, and its shoulder does a great deal of the work. That is why country-style ribs, cut from the shoulder end, are full of connective tissue and fat, and why they need time in the oven before they ever see the grill.

Ingredients

• 2 packs country-style pork ribs, about 3 to 4 pounds in all
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for the rub
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, for the rub
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, for the sauce
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, for the sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Stir together 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the paprika, black pepper and garlic powder, and rub it over every side of the ribs.
2. Lay the ribs in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or a small roasting pan. Pour the water around them, cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
3. Check a thick piece. A fork should slide in easily and the meat should be starting to pull apart at the edges. If it still feels firm, cover it again and bake for 15 to 30 minutes more.
4. While the ribs bake, make the sauce. Simmer the vinegar, ketchup, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and hot sauce in a small saucepan, stirring now and then, for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Pour half into a bowl for the table and keep the rest for brushing.
5. Heat a grill to medium-high, about 400 to 450 degrees with the lid closed, and clean and oil the grates.
6. Lift the ribs out of the baking dish and grill them over direct heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until they start to brown at the edges.
7. Brush them with the sauce and keep turning and brushing every minute or so for 4 to 5 minutes more, until they are sticky and caramelized with a few dark, crisp spots. If a flare-up starts, move the ribs to a cooler part of the grate for a moment.
8. Rest the ribs for 5 minutes and serve them with the reserved sauce.

Add 2 packs of country-style ribs to cart

What are country-style ribs?

Country-style ribs are cut from the shoulder end of the pig, either from the Boston butt itself or from where the loin meets the shoulder. Depending on how they are cut, some pieces carry a section of bone and some are boneless. Either way, they are thick, well marbled and full of the same connective tissue that makes pulled pork so tender after a long cook. That is why good recipes for them nearly always start with slow, moist heat.

Why bake them before grilling?

You can grill raw country-style ribs straight to 145 degrees F, the USDA FSIS safe minimum for pork, and they will be safe to eat. They will also be chewy, because the connective tissue in the shoulder needs time and heat to soften. Baking them covered at 300 degrees for an hour and a half or so takes them far past 145 and gives that tissue time to break down. The grill then only has to do what it does best: brown, char and set the sauce.

Keep the dish tightly covered. The foil holds in the steam, so the ribs cook in a little moisture instead of drying out, and the water in the pan stops the drippings from burning.

Make them a day ahead

The two stages split neatly. Bake the ribs, let them cool for a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate them, for up to 2 days. When you are ready, grill them over medium heat rather than medium-high, so they warm through before the outside burns, for 10 to 12 minutes, until they reach 165 degrees F in the center, the FSIS figure for reheating leftovers. Then brush on the sauce and move them over the hotter part of the fire to caramelize.

No grill? Use the broiler

Set an oven rack about 5 inches below the broiler and heat it. Lay the baked ribs on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, brush them with sauce, and broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, brushing again after you turn them, until the sauce bubbles and darkens at the edges. Watch closely; the sugar in the sauce goes from caramelized to burnt fast.

More pork shoulder strip recipes

Once the ribs are baked tender, they take to almost any finish. Brown them in a skillet and toss them with garlic, chile and a squeeze of lime. Shred them into tacos with salsa verde. Or skip the grill, pour barbecue sauce over them in the baking dish, and bake them uncovered for 20 minutes more. For grill setup and heat control in more detail, see How to Grill Steak in the reading list below; the same zones and the same habits apply to pork.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for whole cuts of pork. Baked until tender, country-style ribs go well past that; check a thick piece with an instant-read thermometer if you are unsure. Keep raw pork away from food that will not be cooked, keep the brushing sauce separate from the sauce you serve, and reheat leftovers to 165 degrees F. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.