Grilled boneless pork ribs—also known as boneless country-style pork ribs—are quick, flavorful, and perfect for gas grilling. They come from the pork loin, not the shoulder, so skip the low-and-slow routine.
With a simple dry rub and a brush of BBQ sauce, you’ll get juicy, tender pork in about 30 minutes. I’ll walk you through how to grill them hot and fast for great results—every time.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 😊 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🐖 Ingredients for Grilled Boneless Pork Ribs
- 👨🍳 Quick Guide: Grilling Boneless Pork Ribs the Right Way
- ⏰ How Long to Grill Boneless Ribs
- 🥣 Seasoning, BBQ Sauce, or Even a Marinade
- 🐖Boneless Pork Rib Recipes
- 🍽️ Serving and Leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Featured Comment from Michelle:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Finally, a recipe for boneless country-style ribs I really love!! Everyone agreed it was the best ever! I did the brining and rub, and those who usually use bbq didn’t because it was so delicious! Thank you!"
😊 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flexible and grill-friendly – Works with gas or charcoal grills, and pairs with BBQ sauce or savory pork chop-style seasoning.
- Quick and easy – From fridge to table in about 30 minutes. Perfect for weeknights or lazy grilling.
- Beginner-friendly – No fancy tools or skills needed—just basic grilling and a good thermometer.
- Juicy, not dry – Learn how to avoid the #1 mistake with boneless country-style pork ribs.
- Lean and affordable – From the pork loin: lower in fat, lower in cost, still full of flavor.
🐖 Ingredients for Grilled Boneless Pork Ribs
- Boneless pork ribs – Also sold as boneless country-style pork ribs. These are cut from the pork loin and usually come scored—but the cuts are often shallow. Deepen them to about ¾ of the way through so they cook evenly and hold seasoning.
- Seasoning or dry rub – Keep it simple with just salt and pepper, use a seasoning salt blend, or go all-in with your favorite BBQ dry rub. BBQ rub and sauce is the classic combo, but savory blends work just as well. Suggested rub in the tips of the recipe card.
- BBQ sauce – Optional but highly recommended for that caramelized grilled finish. Use your favorite brand or homemade.
- Optional brine – 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon table salt, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Brine for 1–4 hours in the fridge, then rinse and pat dry. Skip if you're short on time.
✅ Pro Tip: These ribs are usually pre-scored, but not deeply enough. Deepen the cuts to about ¾ through to help them cook evenly and hold onto seasoning.
👨🍳 Quick Guide: Grilling Boneless Pork Ribs the Right Way
1. Preheat the Grill
Clean and oil your grill grates. Preheat the surface to a temperature of 450°–500°F (medium-high direct heat).
✅ Pro Tip: Not sure how hot your grill really is? Check out my Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
2. Prepare the Boneless Ribs
Trim off excess fat if needed. Deepen the score marks to about ¾ of the way through so they cook evenly.
Optional: Brine for 1–4 hours if you have time—then rinse and pat dry.
Season both sides with your favorite rub or pork chop-style seasoning.
3. Grill the Ribs
Place the ribs over direct heat and close the lid. Flip every 4–5 minutes and cook until the internal temp reaches 145°–150°, about 20 minutes total.
✅ Pro Tip: The USDA minimum safe temperature for pork is 145° with a 3-minute rest, but 145°–150°F gives you the best balance of juicy and tender.
If doing BBQ: Brush with BBQ sauce during the last few minutes and cook until browned.
Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
👇For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
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⏰ How Long to Grill Boneless Ribs
It usually takes about 20 minutes to grill boneless ribs to a juicy and safe 145° internal temperature using direct heat at 450°F. That’s the sweet spot—moist, tender, and with just a little pink left in the center.
Here’s a general guide based on internal temperature and doneness:
- Rare (under 145°) – Pink and undercooked. Not recommended—below the USDA minimum.
- Medium-Rare (145°–150°) – Slightly pink, juicy, and flavorful. ✅ Recommended.
- Medium (150°–155°) – No pink, still moist.
- Medium-Well (155°–160°) – Starting to dry out.
- Well Done (160°+) – Likely dry and tough. Not recommended.
⏱️ Actual time will vary depending on the rib thickness, your grill’s surface temperature, and how often the lid is opened.
Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check doneness—don’t rely on time alone. A grill surface thermometer is helpful if you have one, but not required.
✅ Pro Tip: Residual heat will raise the internal temp another 2–3 degrees after grilling, so pull the ribs a little early and let them rest.
🥣 Seasoning, BBQ Sauce, or Even a Marinade
These boneless ribs are cut from the pork loin, so treat them like a pork chop when it comes to seasoning. That means BBQ rub is great—but not required.
You can keep it simple with just seasoning salt and pepper, or use something like an all-purpose blend such as Montreal seasoning or your favorite store-bought mix. No need to overthink it—just season both sides well.
Want that classic BBQ flavor? Use your favorite or try my pork BBQ dry rub or Memphis dry rub. Brush on BBQ sauce during the last few minutes of grilling. I like Gate’s BBQ Sauce, but Bull's-Eye Original is also a solid choice. Or go homemade with my Memphis BBQ Sauce.
You can also skip dry seasoning entirely and use a marinade instead. My Easy Steak Marinade for Grilling works just as well here—just marinate for a few hours and skip the dry rub and other seasonings.
🐖Boneless Pork Rib Recipes
Looking for more ways to cook boneless country-style pork ribs? Try one of these favorites:
- Grilled Memphis Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs – A dry rub version with classic Memphis BBQ flavor—no sauce needed.
- Crock Pot Chinese Boneless Pork Ribs – A slow cooker version of that sweet-and-savory takeout favorite.
- 30 Minute Boneless Pork Ribs (Oven) – Sear and bake for a quick weeknight BBQ fix—no grill required.
🍽️ Serving and Leftovers
Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and classic rib sides like coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, or French fries. Anything that belongs at a cookout works here.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave or air fryer—just be sure to thaw completely if frozen.
❓FAQs
Because boneless pork ribs are lean, they can dry out if overcooked. Brining helps prevent that and adds flavor, but it does take time. If you’re in a rush, skip it. If you’ve got a few hours, it’s worth doing.
A basic brine: 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons table salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar for 1–4 hours in the fridge. Add spices like garlic, pepper, or allspice if you’d like.
✅ If I have time, I brine. If not, I watch my grill temp and pull them early.
According to the USDA, the safe minimum internal temperature for pork is 145°F with a 3-minute rest. That applies to boneless country-style ribs and any other non-ground pork.
Boneless country-style pork ribs aren't actually ribs. They're cut from the blade end of the pork loin, sliced and scored to look like ribs, but they’re lean like pork chops.
But here’s where it gets confusing: there’s also a bone-in version, cut from the pork shoulder (aka pork butt). That version is fattier and full of connective tissue. It needs low and slow cooking, just like pulled pork.
📌 If you’ve got the bone-in kind, check out my guide: Slow Grilled Bone-In Country Style Pork Ribs.
{Graphic showing location of country-style boneless and bone-in pork ribs—Image licensed May 17, 2017, from Fontolia. Copyright by foxysgraphic - Fotolia.}
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled Boneless Pork Ribs (Fast, Juicy, and Easy)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 1 slab boneless pork ribs
- Seasoning salt and pepper or seasoning of choice
- Dry rub of your choice - suggestion in the tips
- Barbecue sauce of your choice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat Grill
- Clean and oil grill grates, then preheat the grill to a surface temperature of 450°–500°F (medium-high).
Prepare the Boneless Ribs
- Trim excess fat. Deepen the pre-cut grooves to about ¾ of the way through.
- Optional: Brine for 1–4 hours in the refrigerator using 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of table salt, and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Rinse well and pat dry. Use a salt-free rub or seasonings if brined.
- Coat both sides of the ribs with seasoning or the dry rub of your choice, being sure to get in the cuts.
Grill the Ribs
- Place over direct heat and close the lid. Flip every 4- 5 minutes and grill until an internal temperature of about 145°-150°F—about 20 minutes, depending on the grill and the thickness of the meat.
- BBQ option: In the last few minutes, brush with BBQ sauce and grill until browned.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- I remove most or all of the fat pad.
- Deepen the "rib cuts" to about 75% of the thickness.
- Brine if you have time—but skip salt in your rub if you do.
- Grill over a medium heat surface with a temperature of 450°F.
- Do not overcook. 145°-150° is the sweet spot.
- If you don’t have a favorite rub, try this simple mix (aka 8311):
½ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published March 26, 2010. This has been a constant popular post on this blog, even though it hasn't been updated for over eight years. The post has been completely rewritten, all photos re-shot, expanded options, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Marko says
Country ribs are the tail end of the loin!? I thought they were part of the shoulder. Well that explains why my "low and slow" has never worked.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Marko,
Welcome to the blog.
You have it right. Unfortunately, there were two cuts called country-style ribs. One, this one, is the boneless tail-end of the pork loin, so it is like boneless pork chops—quick over medium heat to 145° or a bit more.
There is also a bone-in version cut from the pork shoulder with mixed muscles, and it should be cooked low and slow to melt connective tissue to about 200°. Think of it as a slice of pork butt. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/slow-grilled-bone-in-country-style-pork/
Thanks for the note, and glad it worked for you.
Dan
Ed says
I'm going to make this but in southwestern Ontario Canada I haven't seen boneless pork ribs, I have seen full pork loins, rib section ⅐ pork loin and loin section ⅐ pork loin. From the excellent diagram you provided it looks like this would be the loin portion of a whole pork loin as opposed to the rib portion. Is that correct?
I'm going to give it a five-star rating even though I haven't made it yet, it looks good!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Ed,
You assessment is correct, it is the loin section of a pork loin. Specifically the tail or blade end the is too thin across to cut into a nice pork chop. So, I looked at a few Canadian sites and have no answer. And to add to the confusion, it is somewhat regional in the US.
The rib portion of the loin is near the front and goes into the pork shoulder/butt area and is the location of want we Yanks would call bone-in country-style ribs (there is a third type I never like to discuss which is where somebody takes the bone out of the bone in and they call it something else that I don't remember.
You could discuss it local butcher to see if there is a Canadian equalivent but I don't see them defined in the national standards. Or you could "cheat" and just cut some boneless chops into strips and stick them an a skew. Or just score some 1 inch thick boneless chops and grill them.
And now that anybody who read this is totally confused.. it is time for wine (3PM here in Michigan... that is time, right.)
Dan
Vicki says
I have been cooking this style of "ribs" with my sauerkraut for years. Recently my other half turned vegan so now no more pork in the shared kraut. I love ribs so this looked like something that could work for me. I had already started marinating my ribs when I ask the Genius of the Internet to suggest cooking instructions. And this is where I landed. Because my ribs were marinating I skipped the brine and the rub BUT NOT the homemade BBQ sauce. Break my heart, Baby, it was love at first bite. I was missing the celery salt and liquid smoke but the love was still there. I can't believe I was every happy with bottled sauce. This is so worth the extra effort. Did I mention the love?
Robin says
Wow, these were excellent. Thanks DrDan for all you do. I have tried many of your recipes and haven’t had a bad one yet!
Donald says
After reading the recipe and most all the reviews I'm sure looking forward to trying this. I never knew pork could be brined so definitely anxious to give it a try. I wanted to pass along another no# 1 favorite rub I use from Savory Spice Shops, and it's called Team Sweet Mama's Kansas City Rub, I would love to see your review in comparing it to your homemade and the Gates you have suggested. I live in Western NE and this rub originated in Colorado, so it's easy to acquire for when I'm too lazy to make my own, even though I've done pretty well, I find there's nothing better than the professionally made rubs.
Thanks for this recipe, I will post my review as soon as I get to enjoy it!
Thyra says
This is a great recipe and my one tweak was my brine—I use pickle juice, as we usually have pickles in the fridge. I’ve used pickle juice to brine all types and cuts of meats—the sour pickle variety, but I’m sure it would work with sweet as well—and there is no pickle taste, just juice ness. I don’t add extra salt as pickle juice has plenty.
Michelle says
Finally, a recipe for boneless country style ribs I really love!! Everyone agreed it was the best ever! I did the brining and rub and those who usually use bbq didn’t because it was so delicious! Thank you!
Rick says
My great aunt & uncle owned a small, independent meat packing plant when I was growing up and we prepped both the bone-in and "boneless" pork ribs; however, when you ask the person in the meat department at your local supermarket they often don't know that there's a difference, that's why I buy most of my meats at a butcher shop, especially if I need large amounts of meat. That being said, I've found brining pork, chicken or turkey breasts, & lean cuts of beef never fails. As far as cooking style I lean more towards fast and hot initially, low and slow to finish to temp, with a quick hot grill/mop prior to plating. I go to KC every other year and buy 2 cases of assorted local BBQ sauces, Haywood's is my favorite. Love your recipe and have shared it with many newbies to grilling pork, everyone reports success. Keep on sharing.
Matt says
Very tasty. The brine made a huge difference from when I’ve cooked these in the past. And using a good rub is a good tick as well! I was a sauce and go guy before reading this and have now learned the errors of my ways. Great recipe!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Matt,
Welcome to the blog.
I will be doing some of these next week. They are just so good on the grill. I'm on my last bottle of Gates rub. I need to stock up for the summer. I use it when I'm too lazy to mix my own... which is becoming more common.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Raymond J.Grayson says
I recently purchased the top of the line weber grill. It seems that for what I paid for it it should tell me what the surface temperature is. Just learning to use it.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Raymond,
Welcome to the blog.
I don't know of any grill that includes it. Even the $20,000 Kalamazoo Grills only have useless hood thermometers. Mine is a Weber Summit S-670, so not the top of the line but near there. Just take some time and learn the grill, time well spent.
I assume you saw my discussion on surface temperature at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grill-temperature/
Thanks for the note and rating. If you have questions, please let me know.
Dan
Jackie Martin says
This turned out amazing. My boneless ribs came already cut into separate pieces instead of the whole slab. Followed the same directions and they were the best country ribs I've ever made. The whole family raved about it.
Katherine says
This is a great recipe! I was gonna cook a couple hours after I brined the boneless ribs, but ended up grilling them the next evening. So, they were brined for 24 hours. They were super tender! We cut them with a fork. Don't tell anyone, I used Gates rub, but used Sweet Baby Rays Original for the sauce. Omg, the pair together were yummy! I am definitely grilling these again!
Patti says
I making these in he next few days, and wanted a new recipe. Yours is just what the Doctor 😂 ordered, though I’m curious why you didn’t cook them lower and slower, with an internal thermometer, or checking the temperature if you didn’t have one? I have a new grill that I can control the temp better, and an internal thermometer, so I’m anxious to use them! Thanks for the recipe though, it sounds awesome! It’s in my recipe book already.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Patti,
Welcome to the blog.
Why not low and slow? These boneless "ribs" are really the tail end of the pork loin which is very lean. They need to be cooked more like a pork chop than true ribs. The bone-in country style ribs are really like a pork butt and those should be cooked low and slow. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/slow-grilled-bone-in-country-style-pork/
I don't usually use static internal thermometers on meat that needs to be flipped around like these. I just use a good instant-read. I do use probes for things like my whole chicken, pork butt or brisket on the grill.
Be sure your grill is measuring the grill surface temperature (where the food is actually cooking) and not the hot air higher up. You can see my discussion of controlling grill temperatures at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grill-temperature/
Hope that helps.
Enjoy your ribs.
Dan
di says
Not known for my cooking skills🤓family very impressed with how wonderful this turned out! Only change, brined 24 hrs in refrig; plans changed at the last minute on the 1st day .
Debra Hudson Blackshear says
Hello DrDan
I have a pack of "ribs" , bone in ,that looks more like the boneless ribs from loin area. But mine are cut apart. Usually throw in crockpot. How, or can you, cook these on a grill?
Thx for reply.
dhb
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Debra,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm not sure what you have but you probably have bone-in country style ribs. These are not even close to the same cut and must be cooked totally differently.
Let's assume that is what you have, I only have one recipe https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/slow-grilled-bone-in-country-style-pork/ but there are others out there but it seems that many bloggers don't seem to know the difference. Those must be cooked low and slow like pork butt.
Hope that helps some.
Dan