Pork

Sweet & Smoky Country Ribs

Fall-apart country ribs in a smoky rub. No grill needed. You bring the sauce.

Prep 5 min LOW 7–8 hours HIGH 4 hours Serves 6

Sweet & Smoky Country Ribs, finished and plated — Serving suggestion

Country-style ribs aren't really ribs. They're cut from the shoulder, which means they have all the fat and collagen that make pulled pork work — but they come in portion-size pieces you can put on a plate.

That makes them the best of both worlds. You get the fall-apart tenderness of a shoulder with the presentation of a rib dinner, and you don't need a smoker, a grill, or six hours of tending a fire.

The finish matters here. Lift them out, brush with your sauce, and put them under the broiler for five minutes. That's where the sticky, caramelized edge comes from.

Why you'll love it

Barbecue without a grill.

No smoker, no fire, no standing outside in the weather.

Plated portions, not shredded.

It looks like a rib dinner because it is one.

Same forgiving cut as pulled pork.

Country ribs come from the shoulder. Nearly impossible to overcook.

Your sauce, at the end.

We do the rub. You do the bottle.

What's already in the packet

Brown sugar powderSmoked paprikaGarlicOnionPork bouillonBlack pepperChili powderMustard powderCayenne

A peppery, smoky rub built to read differently from the two pulled porks. Sauce is yours.

Choose your setting

Recommended

LOW · 7–8 hours

Low and slow gives collagen time to melt and flavors time to build. It is the setting this recipe was written for.

HIGH · 4 hours

For when you started late. It gets dinner done, but the texture is better on LOW.

Done at 195–205°F

Country ribs come from the shoulder, so they need the high number too.

You'll Need

3 lbs Ribs (pick one below)
1 cup Water or chicken broth
1 packet Cook SLO Sweet & Smoky Country Ribs
1 cup Your favorite BBQ sauce

Pick your pork

3 lbs

Boneless country-style ribs

3 lbs

Bone-in country-style ribs

3 lbs

Pork spare ribs, in sections

Roasts and chops 145°F, ground pork and ham 160°F

Add vegetables

Sliced onion (fresh or frozen)Bell pepper strips (fresh or frozen)Baby potatoes

Sliced onion (fresh or frozen) and baby potatoes at the start, on the bottom; bell pepper strips (fresh or frozen) at the start.

When to add what

When	Add	Why
At the start, on the bottom	Sliced onion (fresh or frozen)Baby potatoes	Root vegetables cook slower than meat. They belong closest to the heat, and they hold the meat up out of the liquid. Cut everything an inch and a half or larger — smaller pieces disintegrate.
At the start, to soften into the sauce	Bell pepper strips (fresh or frozen)	These break down and give their flavour to the pot. Right for a gravy or a fajita, wrong if you want them to hold their shape.

Two ways to do this

If you're home

Follow the timing table above and add things when they're due.

About an hour is all you need

If you're out all day

Put in at the start as normal: sliced onion (fresh or frozen), baby potatoes and bell pepper strips (fresh or frozen). These need the full cook anyway.

Nothing needs adding later. Set it in the morning and leave.

Frozen is the better choice for a long day. Already cut, holds its shape better than fresh over eight or nine hours, and goes in straight from the bag with no thawing. Frozen diced onion and pepper strips remove the only real prep this recipe has.

Before anything goes in the pot

1
Coat the meat in a bag, not in the pot
Put the meat and the whole packet into a gallon zip bag, seal it, and shake until every surface is covered. It coats far more evenly than sprinkling from above, it takes ten seconds, and there is nothing to wash afterwards.

These happen outside the crock pot, before it's switched on.

Tonight's Plan

1
Put the ribs in the crock pot, in a single layer if you can.
Stacking is fine if you have to, but a single layer cooks evenly.
2
Pour in 1 cup of water or broth.
One cup. This isn't a braise.
3
Sprinkle the whole packet over the ribs and turn them once to coat.
Every surface.
4
Put the lid on.
Seven to eight hours on LOW.

After you shred — not before

Pick your sauce

Lift the ribs out onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

Carefully — they'll be falling apart.

Brush with your BBQ sauce and broil 4–5 minutes until the edges caramelize.

This is the step that makes them look and taste grilled. Watch them closely.

Stirring

Stir once at the halfway point and turn the pieces over

There is very little liquid here and a lot of sugar, so the bottom catches. Turning the meat also brings glaze back up onto the top, where it belongs.

Swaps and add-ins

Sauce twice.

Brush, broil three minutes, brush again, broil two more. Builds a proper lacquer.

Add onion underneath.

Keeps the ribs off the bottom and makes the drippings better.

Skip the sauce entirely.

The rub alone is good. Broil them dry for a Memphis-style result.

Use the drippings.

Skim the fat, reduce the liquid in a pan, mix into your sauce.

Tips for success

Country ribs are shoulder, not rib. That's why they shred and stay juicy. If you buy baby backs instead, reduce the time by two hours.
Sauce under the broiler, not in the pot. Sauce in the pot dilutes and scorches. Sauce under the broiler caramelizes.
Line the sheet pan with foil. Barbecue sauce under a broiler welds itself to bare metal.
Drop in a liner before anything else. Smooth it against the sides and fold the edges over the rim. When you're done, lift it out and throw it away — the crock never needs scrubbing.

Finish it right

A splash of cider vinegar in the sauce.

Cuts the sweetness and makes a bottled sauce taste homemade.

Sliced green onion over the top.

Fresh and sharp against sticky and smoky.

Pickles on the plate.

Southern barbecue tradition, and the acid resets your palate between bites.

Serve it over

Cornbread and coleslawBaked beansMac and cheesePotato saladOn a bun

Tomorrow night

Pulled rib sandwiches.

Shred whatever's left, pile on a bun with slaw.

Barbecue pork nachos.

Chopped over chips with cheese, broiled.

Rib meat mac and cheese.

Stirred into macaroni and cheese and baked.

Barbecue hash.

Fried with potatoes and onion, egg on top.

Keeping it

Fridge

Airtight, up to 4 days

Freezer

3 months. Freeze before saucing if you can.

Reheating

Oven at 325°F with a splash of liquid, covered in foil. Microwaving makes them rubbery.

Questions people ask

Recipe card