Learn how to grill boneless country-style ribs with fantastic tenderness and moisture in 30 minutes. Using just a dry rub and BBQ sauce, you can quickly and easily barbecue country-style pork ribs on your gas grill with these step-by-step instructions.
🐖Ingredients
Boneless pork ribs—also known as boneless country-style ribs
Dry rub of your choice
Barbecue sauce of your choice
Optional brine—water, salt, brown sugar
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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!"
Boneless country-style pork ribs are my favorite "cooking for two" meal. They are economical and the right size with two large servings or 3-4 more reasonable size servings. Quick and easy to grill in only 30 minutes—grilled boneless ribs are lean and healthy with great taste. Plus, if grilled correctly, they are moist and tender boneless ribs.
👨🍳How to Grill Boneless Pork Ribs—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Optional: Brine first if you have time.
2. Clean and oil grill grates, then preheat to 450°-500°.
3. Trim ribs of any excess fat. Deepen the cuts already in the ribs to about 75% through.
4. Coat both sides of the ribs with the dry rub of your choice.
5. Place over direct heat and close the lid. Flip every 4-5 minutes and grill until the internal temperature is about 145°-150°, about 20 minutes.
6. For the last few minutes, coat both sides with sauce and grill until brown. Let set off heat for 5 minutes before cutting.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How long to grill boneless ribs
It takes about 20 minutes to grill boneless ribs to 145° (the best final internal temperature) on a gill at 450°. There will be a little pink left, and they will be moist and tender.
- Rare (less than 145°)—pink—Not recommended due to USDA safety recommendations
- Medium-Rare (145°-150°)—a little pink—will take about 20-25 minutes—Recommended.
- Medium (150°-155°)—no pink—will take about 24-26 minutes
- Medium-Well (155°-160°) will take about 28+ minutes—starting to dry a little.
- Well Done (160°+)—Not recommended due to dryness and texture.
The exact time will vary by the size and thickness of the pork tenderloin, your grill's surface temperature, and your desired final internal temperature. Use a grill surface thermometer and an instant-read thermometer to get this right.
As always, cook to a final internal temperature and never by time alone.
🥣The dry rub, BBQ sauce, and other seasoning
You don't have to use a BBQ rub since they are like pork chops. I usually use seasoning salt and pepper on pork chops.
Use your favorite BBQ sauce. I love my Gate's BBQ Sauce from Kansas City, which I buy by the case. Cooks Illustrated recommends Bull's-Eye Original Barbecue Sauce. Or you can make my fantastic homemade Memphis BBQ Sauce.
If you have a favorite pork chop recipe, you can use it here. I have included a version of my BBQ Dry Rub for Ribs in the recipe card.
🐖Boneless Pork Ribs and Related Recipes
For other boneless rib recipes, see Grilled Memphis Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs, Crock Pot Chinese Boneless Pork Ribs, and Baked Boneless Pork Ribs.
♨️Grill Temperature
Unlike regular pork ribs, these boneless ribs are a lean cut, so there is no need for indirect heat or low and slow cooking. Use a medium grill temperature of about 450° surface temperature. You can use a higher temperature, but they will dry out more.
You can use either a gas or charcoal grill. To learn about controlling the surface temperature of your grill, please see Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
🍽️Serving and leftovers
Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and side dishes you would use with any ribs like cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, French fries, or many others.
Leftovers should be sealed airtight and refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or air fryer, but thaw completely if frozen.
❓FAQs
Because boneless pork ribs are lean, they can tend to dry if overcooked. But if not overcooked, they can stay moist like a nice pork chop. A brining would fix moisture issues and add taste depending on the brine. But this would add hours and take it out of the weeknight recipe class.
If I have time, I do brine. A suggested brine would be 2 tablespoons of table salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 2 cups of water for 1-4 hours. Other spices, like allspice, garlic, pepper, etc., can be added.
According to the USDA, the minimum safe internal temperature for boneless ribs is 145°. The same is true for any pork that is not ground.
🐖What are Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs?
Boneless country-style pork ribs are not real ribs. They are the blade end of the loin cut in half and scored to make "ribs." So, it's more of a pork chop than real ribs.
Unfortunately, there are also "bone-in country-style pork ribs," which may get confused with the boneless variety. Bone-in country-style ribs are more like a slice of pork shoulder and need to be cooked more like a pork shoulder (AKA pork butt), meaning low and slow, while the boneless ribs are lean and are usually cooked more rapidly.
If you have bone-in country-style ribs, check out Slow Grilled Bone-In Country Style Pork Ribs.
👨🍳Recipe
Grilled Boneless Pork Ribs
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Ingredients
- 1 slab boneless pork ribs
- Dry rub of your choice
- Barbecue sauce of your choice
Optional brine
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Optional: Brine first if you have time. 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon table salt, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar for 1-4 hours in the refrigerator. Rinse well and use a rub without salt.
- Clean and oil grill grates, then preheat the grill to a grill surface temperature of 450°-500°.
- Trim ribs of any excess fat. Deepen the cuts that are already in the ribs to about 75% through.
- Coat both sides of the ribs with the dry rub of your choice, being sure to get in the cuts. Let the ribs rest for 10 minutes while preheating the grill.
- Place over direct heat and close the lid. Flip about every 4- 5 minutes and grill until an internal temperature of about 145°-150°. It takes about 20 minutes, depending on the grill and the thickness of the meat.
- The last few minutes, coat with sauce on both sides and grill until brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- I remove most/all of the fat pad.
- Extend the "rib cuts" to 75% of the thickness.
- Brine, if you have time. If you brine, use a rub without salt.
- Use the rub and sauce of your choice.
- Grill over a medium grill with a surface temperature of 450°.
- Do not overcook. 145°-150° is nice.
- If you don't have a rib, try this version of 8311. This makes about twice what you need, so cut in half or keep the extra for later. Also, if you brine, leave the salt out of the rub.
½ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoon 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 may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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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