James Villas

Barbecued Country-Style Pork Ribs

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Makes

    6 to 8

    servings

Appears in

The Glory of Southern Cooking

The Glory of Southern Cooking

By James Villas

Published 2007

  • About

If the high ratio of fat to lean meat is what makes baby back pork ribs so ideal for the barbecue grill, lean, meaty country-style ribs, cut from the shoulder end of the pork loin, are the perfect candidate for slow parboiling, before being finished in the oven with a robust barbecue sauce to give them plenty of character. Beautiful as these ribs might look in the market, be warned that if you simply plop them on a hot grill and baste them with sauce, not only will the meat most likely be tough, but by the time they’re halfway edible the sauce might have burned. I have successfully barbecued these ribs slowly over very low heat on a covered grill, but the long procedure is just not worth the time and effort—not when this alternate method produces such succulent results.

Ingredients

  • 8 meaty country-style pork ribs
  • ¼ cup peanut oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Arrange the ribs in a large pot, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil, skimming any scum off the top. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the ribs till tender, about 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large, heavy, stainless-steel or enameled saucepan over moderate heat, heat the oil, add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir till well blended. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking, about 20 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the ribs to a large, shallow baking dish, pour the sauce over the top, and bake till slightly browned, about 20 minutes. Turn the ribs over and bake, basting several times with the sauce, till the other sides are slightly browned and the meat is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve the ribs and sauce on a large, deep platter.

© 2007 All rights reserved. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.