Sweet & Tangy Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs
Why This Recipe Works: Country-style ribs are actually more like pork chops—a point that can make them confusing and, thus, a little intimidating for home cooks. But with so much going for them—they’re relatively quick-cooking and have great pork flavor—we decided it was time to put them front and center in a grilling recipe. Because they feature a combination of light, lean loin meat and richly flavored, fattier shoulder, the trick is figuring out the best way to cook them so that the white meat is juicy and the dark meat is tender. We found that a doneness temperature of 150 degrees—a compromise between the usual 135 to 140 degrees required for light meat and 175 degrees for dark meat—delivered the best results. Starting the ribs over high heat and then moving them to the cooler side of the grill to finish ensured good browning and an evenly cooked interior. We apply a salty dry rub to the ribs prior to cooking to season them and help them stay moist once cooked. While the ribs were on the cooler side of the grill, we basted them with a simple sauce that balanced sweet and tangy flavors. Serving more sauce alongside the ribs at the table guaranteed a great finish.
{(rater>id=100|name=Sweet And Tangy Grilled Country-style Pork Ribs|type=rate|headline=off)}
| Preheat: ° | Yield: 4 servings | |
| Prep: 0:00 | Wait: 24:00 | Cook: 0:00 |
Ingredients
For the ribs:
- 4 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
- 1 cup ketchup
- 5 tablespoons molasses
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup grated onion (1 small onion)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
Prep the ribs:
- Trim away any excess fat from the ribs. In a small bowl, combine 4 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Rub the spice mixture all over the ribs, and tightly wrap is plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight (or for as little as 1 hour, if necessary)
- In a medium bowl, add together ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and pepper; whisk to combine. Set aside until Step 5 (only about 5 minutes).
- Use the small holes of a box grater to grate the onion, and mince your garlic clove. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add grated onion and minced garlic; cooking for between 2 to 4 minutes until the onion is softened.
- Add chili powder and cayenne and cook for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
- Whisk ketchup mixture into pan and bring up to boil. Turn down burner to medium-low; allow to gently simmer for 5 minutes.table for serving. The remaining cup of bbq sauce can be refrigerated for a week.
- Add 1/2 cup of bbq sauce to a small bowl, which you will use to baste the ribs. Bring an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup to the table for serving.
Grill the ribs:
- Arrange ribs on the hot-side of grill. Cover and cook ribs cook the first side for 3 to 5 minutes until they become well browned. Flip the ribs and cook (covering again) for 3 to 5 minutes until they become brown. (My ribs took longer to become nicely browned, but wait because you can always reduce the cooking time on the cooler side of the grill, as necessary).
- Once browned, move ribs to cooler side of grill without flipping. Brush the tops with 1/4 cup of bbq sauce. Again, cover and cook for 6 minutes. Flip ribs and brush another 1/4 cup bbq sauce. Cover and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes until internal temperature of the pork reaches 150-degrees,
- Remove the ribs to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve, passing 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra sauce separately.
