Moist and tasty country-style BBQ boneless ribs in only 30 minutes. A little pan searing, coat with BBQ sauce and finish in the oven.
Another weeknight recipe for one of my favorite “Cooking For Two” types of meat, boneless country style pork ribs.
I start by preparing the boneless ribs. I usually remove any “fat pad.” Then deepen the “rib cuts” that the butcher put in. This provides more surface area for seasoning and sauce. A nice sprinkle of salt and pepper or my 7:2:2 Seasoning.
Next, they go into a hot oven-safe skillet (usually cast iron is great here) and a nice searing on both sides. You are going for a Maillard reaction which will add flavor. With the cuts facing up, a brush of a BBQ sauce of your choice. Lastly, finish off in the oven to get to about 150 degrees. Be sure to let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
My Rating
A solid 4. Now I can have fresh hot BBQ on a weeknight without much fuss.
What are Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs?
For those of you unfamiliar with the cut, it is the tail end of a whole pork loin cut in half and scored to make “ribs.” There is a “fat cap” that I usually trim off. Many times the scoring is not very deep, so I usually deepen the cut to a little over half the thickness of the meat. I consider this to be more surface area for seasoning.
Unfortunately, there is also “bone-in country style pork ribs.” They are NOT the same. Or even close to the same thing. The boneless variety are the tail end of a pork loin and are lean. Due to that, they are usually cooked rapidly.
The bone-in variety is a cut from the pork shoulder; it needs to be cooked more like a pork shoulder (AKA pork butt), meaning low and slow. They cannot be cooked in similar manors, or the results will be very bad indeed.
And if you haven’t figured it out, neither is related to ribs. Although a pork loin is right next to baby back ribs.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. YOU MUST HAVE CAST IRON. Here I have my 10 inches cast iron skillet.
Preheat over to 375 convection and heat a cast iron skillet or another oven-safe pan with a teaspoon or two of oil over medium-high heat. Trim one slab (about 1 1/2 lb) country style boneless pork ribs of fat cap and any silverskin. Deepen the cuts to a little over half the thickness of the slab.
Give a good sprinkle of salt and pepper or 7:2:2 seasoning. This is seven parts kosher salt, two parts each pepper and granulated garlic.
Place in the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove from heat and brush the top generously with BBQ sauce of your choice. Be sure to get the slices.
Place in the oven and bake until internal temp of about 150. About 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 small servings or 2 large | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
|
|
| Moist and tasty. Another weeknight recipe for one of my favorite “Cooking For Two” types of meat, country style boneless pork ribs. A little pan searing, coat with BBQ sauce and finish in the oven. Very good.
|
- 1 slab country style boneless pork ribs
- 7:2:1 or 7:2:2 seasoning or kosher salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
- Preheat over to 375 convection and heat a cast iron skillet or another oven safe pan with a teaspoon or two of oil over medium-high heat.
- Trim one slab (about 1 1/2 lb) country style boneless pork ribs of fat cap and any silverskin. Deepen the cuts to a little over half the thickness of the slab.
- Give at a good sprinkle salt and pepper or 7:2:2 seasoning. This is seven parts kosher salt, two parts each pepper and granulated garlic.
- Place in the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove from heat and brush the top generously with BBQ sauce of your choice. Be sure to get the slices.
- Place in the oven and bake until internal temp of about 150. About 15 minutes for me. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
________________________________
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
November, 9 2017
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Elly
a five star recipe for sure.
this is such a quick save dinner when it’s already late after work…when i have less than an hour to spare. Follow it to the letter and you’ll never prepare these boneless “country ribs” any other way. The country ribs i can get are individual separate thick chunks about 6 in. long. So i sear them on all sides. The cast iron skillet is essential, it’s hard to get other types hot enough for the important searing.
Thanks for this recipe!
time is
Michellehilgers99@gmail.com
Hi! I definitely want to try this recipe. I had wanted to get some chuck roast to make a stew and somehow ended up with rib end haha. Anywho, I don’t have any pan to oven safe pans so would it be fine to place a oven safe pan in the oven while its preheating and after it gets hot put the brazed meat in there from the stove?
DrDan
Your technique should be good if we are talking the same cut of meat. I have never heard the term “rib end” associated with this cut. To me a “rib end” pork loin cut is towards the shoulder end of the loin and usually has bone in it. It should not be cooked this way. It is more of a low and slow roast cut. If cooked with this recipe, it might be almost uneatable.
Dan
Le Gourmand
“They cannot be cooked in similar manors, or the results will be very bad indeed.”
I’ll mind my manners and not laugh too hard. Thanks for the recipe.
DrDan
I tried to put an English accent in there from an old professor from years ago really. I had to do the “indeed” once I thought of it.
Thanks for the note, I had forgotten I had done that.
Dan
Melba H
I used my Copper Chef square pan, the 7-2-2 seasoning and instead of BBQ sauce( since I didn’t have any) I used A-1 sauce. Turned out great!!!
Matthew Mok
Made this and it turned out amazing!!! Sick and simple, thank you!
Carolyn
Last night I made these. They were delicious, tender, and flavorful. Finally found a keeper of a recipe to repeat! Thanks
DrDan
Hi Carolyn,
Sorry for the delayed response.
I do love these “ribs”. And it is nice to have a quick recipe.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
john
Excellent!! Very tender and juicy.
Two minor things. I used a chipotle seasoning in the pan, then transferred the ribs to a cookie sheet and baked.
Kathy
We have always grilled this cut of meat (which I love and buy at Sam’s) on the BBQ grill. Sometimes marinated, sometimes not.) I want to try your recipe today. I don’t have a convection oven. Is there any change to the recipe’s oven temp/time using a regular oven? Thanks
DrDan
Increase the oven temp by 25 degrees or cook a few minutes longer should do it. Just remember the final internal temperature you are aiming for which for me is about 150 degrees.
Leah Davis
Hello all.. I know this was posted awhile ago but hopefully someone still answers me pls as I really need help! Lol! I’ve tried this w/country style pork ribs but they are already cut in slices & not boneless. They came out very tough & had to cook couple hours before got tender enough to eat. :( what am I doing wrong? Is there a diff recipe for the ribs i have? Thanks so much!
DrDan
Hi Leah,
There are two totally different cuts of pork both called “country style ribs”. The boneless is the tail end of a pork loin. It is very lean and cooks quickly. But you have a cut from the pork shoulder (butt) and has cuts of bone from the scapula. This meat is not lean but is variable because different muscles are included, but much of it is like the Boston butt. It requires low and slow, not high and hot.
So I only have one recipe for the bone-in type ( https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/slow-grilled-bone-in-country-style-pork/) and it requires 3 hours approximately to get done. Done for the bone in would be in the 190 range. There are many other recipes out there but if I want pork butt (shoulder) I usually do a whole one and cook it low and slow for pulled pork.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Sam
I was wonder if you think it would be a good idea to put some veggies in with the pork when you roast it? Would that work?
DrDan
Hi Sam,
Good idea, yes. Practical, maybe not so much. The oven time is less than 20 minutes. Not long enough for things like potatoes or carrots. So broccoli or cauliflower perhaps but I haven’t checked the cooking time on those but I suspect some difference in time and technique are needed.
Dan
Lei
I have been using this recipes for years and it’s still my boyfriends favorite thing to eat. I use a stovetop grill fit lack of a cast iron skillet but I give this FIVE stars
Towa McNair
Are ribs supposed to be covered or uncovered in the oven?
DrDan
Uncovered unless stated otherwise. So uncovered in this recipe.
Dan
DrDan
Glad it worked out good for you. I have never seen one of these over 2 pounds. They are almost always between 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound. It must have been huge.
Dan
Marie-Ève
So, 25 extra minutes later I realize that my cut is twice as big as called for…..:) Soooooooooo good though
Aaron
You’re right. 15 minutes will get you worms… I only used a 1 3/4 lb slab, and 25 minutes still had a pink center… I can’t play games with pork either
DrDan
Thanks for the note. The 155 in my preferred temp but may be a bit higher than some like it. Go with your taste.
Dan
Marie-Ève
In the oven now… still not up to temp after 15 mins but they look so good….. Paired with a pineapple BBQ sauce from Epicurious (“Basic Barbecue Sauce” by Stephen Raichlan). Thanks !!!
Laura Scott
Bought country style ribs on impulse . . . then needed a quick recipe to make them for some hungry kiddos who were outside playing. There was not a bite left and it really took less than 30 minutes to make! Thank you! This recipe will definitely be used often in our home!
DrDan
Thanks Laura,
It is amazing how easy this is really is. I almost always have a slab in the freezer since it is so cooking for two friendly.
Thanks for the comment.
DrDan
Joyce H
Add my comment to your list of enthusiastic readers. This recipe is a 10!!!!
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
Ilonka
Just made this for the fourth time and still as delicious as the first time!!!
Ilonka
Making this AGAIN as I type here… forgot to give you a rating last time! Apologies… but its 5 STAR!!!
Brad
Made this tonight..sort of. I followed your cooking guidelines and used some of my favorite Cajun seasonings. In my mind the texture/flavor is similar to a pork chop, just a little bit more tender. Thanks for the how to!
Iron chef in the making
BY far the best ribs I have ever made!!! I love this, definitely making again!!
Pat
I have a limited number of things I can cook and I am always looking for new recipes. I bought some boneless pork ribs on sale, not having the slightest idea how to prepare them… then I found your recipe. This is the only way I will ever cook boneless pork ribs. They always come out tender, juicy and delicious. And it’s so quick!
Thanks for this recipe.
John
I am a very inexperienced cook. I thawed out ribs and then started looking for a recipe. The first ones I found all said hours to prepare, marinate and cook. At 7:00 PM at night that would just not work. Also, my 18 year old sons were already asking what’s for dinner dad? I then found this recipe. Simple, easy and quick! Didn’t have a cast iron skillet but the skillet I have did the job well. My skillet was only rated for 350 degrees for oven use. So, I increased cook time by 15 minutes. I used olive oil for the pan searing. Put on the BBQ sauce and into the oven! I was amazed at the outcome! Tender, juicy, tasty and the house still has that BBQ smell even an hour later. Dr Dan this is great! Next time I’ll make sure to use the tip to check internal temperature instead of cook time.
Rib king pro 2000
Best ribs I’ve ever had. A + recipe
Heather
So glad I found this recipe! I followed it exactly and it was delicious – very impressed! Thank you for posting it!
barbara
Do not have much use for beef after finding this easy go to receipe !!!
Thank you.
Lori
Fantastic! I used my cast iron skillet and they turned out perfect.
DrDan
Thanks for the note, glad it worked for you.
DrDan
Heidi
I don’t think I’d cook this cut of pork any other way now!
Bev
I was also looking for a shorter cook time for country style boneless ribs and came across this recipe. It was awesome! I had the iron skillet, browned ribs 2 minutes each side but my ribs were 3 large thick pieces so I modified the cooking time by 5 minutes in the oven uncovered. I did sprinkle the ribs with salt & pepper and I allowed the BBQ (sweet & spicy) sauce to coat the top of the ribs and added some to the bottom of the pan with fresh pressed garlic & OMG delicious! I took the ribs out of the oven at 35 mins & let stand 5 and then covered with aluminum until ready to serve, then I cut the ribs in serving portions (mine were 2″ thick & 5″ long) and I served from the skillet right at the table, with a gravy ladle for the sauce! This served 3 adults with a leftovers :-).
Thanks DrDan my husband and company loved it!!!
sarah
Wonderful recipe! thanks for posting something nice and quick for those of us that can’t afford to spend hrs in the kitchen.
I’m new to the world of cast iron but would a large oval le creuset dutch oven work for this recipe?
DrDan
Hi Sarah, any oven safe pan should be fine as long as it can tolerate the stove top. So yep the dutch oven would be fine.
DrDan
Kelly
Do I put the whole cast iron skillet in the oven after brushing with BB, or do I transfer ribs to a different pan?
DrDan
Yes just pop the whole cast iron pan in the oven no need to transfer. Any stovetop to oven safe pan should work for this recipe but I just love cast iron.
DrDan
Kelly
My goodness so do I! Thank you for recipe! I have them all ready to go for dinner!
John Skrynski
tis recipe is the best i have ever found i sold my rib restaurant 5 years ago, but these ribs are the best bar none. I am opening a small rib joint, takeout only exclusively with these ribs!!!! It will be an instant success!!!!!
John
Juli Southard
Used bone-in country style pork ribs and Wow, I mean really WOW! about 3 min. in the skillet each side, slathered on good gluten free bbq sauce and baked for 25 minutes. So tender and juicy.
Jill
These boneless ribs were excellent! This is my new go to recipe.
DrDan
Thanks so much for the note and rating.
DrDan
Tabatha
For some reason my rating didn’t post. Five stars!
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating. I do love these ribs.
DrDan
Tabatha
Found some on sale, prepared as DrDan suggested, made pan gravy with the drippings and some loaded mashed potatoes. YUMMY!
Maeby
I had a bad experience with this cut before so I’ve shied away from them, but on special, they were too good a deal not to give them another go. I thought this recipe was too god to be true, but tried it anyway, and Oh My! They came out amazing!! Fast, cheap, and my family loved them, these are definitely finding a spot in my permanent rotation!
Thank you so much!
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating. They are frequently on sell since most people don’t have a clue about what to do with them or did them wrong before.
DrDan
Jerrika
I am a beginning cooker. I never cooked before and now I have a hungry husband and son. So im learning new and this recipe has saved my life! I didn’t mess it up at all and my husband loved it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Lei
I always stayed away from cooking ribs because I was scared i’d mess them up but I couldn’t pass up on a $4 pack. This recipe was so amazing I changed up the spices but the meat was so tender and juicy. I highly recommend it I’m going to make this again tonight for Sunday dinner
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating. Glad it worked so well for you.
DrDan
Angelofraa
Hi Dan, I just found your recipe when looking for a way to quickly cook my boneless pork ribs. One question I have is in step 1 you say “Preheat over to 375 convection”. Are you actually using a convection oven (oven equipped with fans to move hot air evenly around the oven chamber) or a normal conventional oven at 375 degrees? I don’t have a convection oven (or special convection setting on my oven) so I wanted to be sure they will still cook as fast in a normal conventional oven set at 375 degrees. Thank you in advance for any help!
DrDan
375 convection (with the fan). You can kick it up to 400 or so with a conventional oven or increase the time a little. Remember to cook to an end point temperature and not by time. Ovens and the thickness of the meat varies.
DrDan
JIM M
SSOUNDS GOOD TO ME. WILL COOK IN MY FLAVOR WAVE
Cari
WOW! I just so happened to come across this recipe while searching for a quick and easy way to make boneless country style pork ribs somehow other than “low and slow”…and the result was awesome! I have stovetop to oven cookware, so after searing, I just threw a lid on the pan and into the oven it went. One pan, and cleanup was a breeze. Thank you!!!!
DrDan
Great, glad it worked for you. These “ribs” are really the tail end of a pork loin cut in half and scored. So cooking them is more like a pork loin than ribs. IE faster… I usually do the oven without a lid but sure it would work fine with.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
Fredamarie
These were incredible. I’d bought sliced, bone in country style ribs the day before and my plan for what to do with them didn’t work out. The first set of recipes I found on line led me to believe that I’d have to postpone cooking them until the weekend because of the time required. When I first saw this method I didn’t believe they’d cook that quickly, but they did. So tender and juicy! I deboned the ribs, sprinkled with a mixture of salt, pepper and granulated garlic and browned in a cast iron skillet in olive oil. Once browned, I brushed with a mixture of worcestershire sauce and (very little!) liquid smoke. This is my summer pork marinade but I thought it would splatter too much on the stove top. I then brushed with bbq sauce and cooked in the oven as directed. My family loved them, and insisted that I print the recipe. I will definitely make these again! Thanks so much!
DrDan
The boneless rib are a totally different cut from the bone in country ribs. I usually do the bone in “low and slow” on a grill. The boneless are much leaner and a more rapid cooking works well. But it worked out great it sounds like…
The Worcestershire sauce sounds like a great taste addition and I always love a splash of a good liquid smoke.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
karen
Fn A! I did the same thing!!!!! We must be Family!!!! Love ya! and Bless your Fam!! I thought I was the only one! Yippy I Yo KIE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Big Ribs for those who like to experiment with delicious food from the Gods!!!
karen
Was I to crazy for this reply?? If so , forgive me,,,Just lookin for the best west east nrth south way to cook a dam good meal! Thank you sir, : Karen Hellmuth
Nicolle Sutherland
Do I wrap it in foil when I cook them in the oven ? And bake not broil, right? And if I’m cooking three of them…just increase the bake Time?
Dan Mikesell
This recipe has no foil and no broiler. But it might be a bit hard to triple in a pan. You would need to brown them and put them in together perhaps on a preheated baking sheet with a rim. I just had another recipe ( https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/barbecued-boneless-country-style-pork/ ) tonight for dinner that might be easier to triple.
But back to your questions. Baking time would go up a little but more because the cast iron already has a lot of heat in it to continue cooking. Cook to a final temp as always.
Samantha Seufert
I don’t have a cast iron skillet and really want to make these. Any suggestions?
Should I keep an oven-safe pan heating up in the oven so when I transfer the ribs from the stove to the oven the pan is still hot?
Dan Mikesell
That sounds like a good plan and as always cook to the temperature not time. I think everyone should have cast iron. A 12 inch pre-seasoned Lodge will cost about $20 on Amazon.
Dan Mikesell
I do this cut of pork “low and slow” sometime but in foil usually since it is prone to dry some what since it is usually ( not always) lean. I think the onion in the foil with for meat at 300 for a couple of hours then open up the foil and broil for a few minutes for some color. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.
Faith Johnson
Dan this recipe is omg omg AWSOME ty sooo much you too our dry pork meat days away for good I always made them in the slow cooker with fennel seed and sour kraut
Dan Mikesell
So glad it worked well for you…
andrew kameya
This is a wonderfully simple recipe. Love it.
But next time I would lower the temperature to 300 degrees
and cook it for 2 hours. This would make it tender.
I would also add some other stuff
like onions – I love onions.
Will also try Dr. Dan’s.
Dr Dan
There is another oven baked method that I published in the summer of 2010 using foil to wrap them. It worked quite well also. Remember this is loin not tenderloin. It will not be that soft cut with a fork texture but it can be tender and tasty.
Petersen's
I have been trying to “perfect” oven cooking of these ribs for awhile now…to no avail. I will try THIS METHOD next as I have realized this meat is basically like a tenderloin meat I have probably been over cooking it….duh. Thanks for the tip !
Faith Johnson
OMG I will never make them any other way again they were OMG OMG and I did not have to use a cast iron skillet my girlfriend and I looooved them this will be my new all time fave recipe for these kinda ribs now
Jennifer
What do you mean over cooking? I have NEVER cooked spare ribs and when it comes to steak a medium rare comes out well done! They are defrosted for 2 days now so I have to cook them- like 3 1/4 lbs of boneless ‘lean country style or southern style ribs.’ I have had them ‘marinating’ Lol for like 24 hours. PLEASE HELP!!!! THANK YOU!!!! 🤗
DrDan
Hi Jennifer,
First let’s be sure we are talking the same cut of meat. Look at the third picture in the post where the meat is partly cut into “ribs”. Does it look like that? Usually these weigh 1 1/2 to 2 pounds per slab.
Dan
Chris
ha ha, I was about to freak out because I thought these were going to be country style ribs (from the shoulder) done in 30 minutes and I was thinking how tough they would be.
I have to remember to try this cut out the next time I am trimming a whole pork tenderloin. You don’t see it in the markets here.
Barbara
Totally comes out perfect, every time! Doing again tonight!