One of my new favorite cuts of meat is the country style boneless ribs. You can find them on sale a lot which helps with the good old family budget.
For a simple solution, you can just toss these in a slow cooker with some bbq sauce. But just using a sauce will not give you much depth of flavor, so check out my addition of a dry rub.
These are great grilled or in the crock pot, depending on the kind of time you have.
Either way you go, you want to start with the dry rub. And you know I’m guessing on the measurements because I just dump it in until it looks right, but these quantities are a good jumping off point.
Pork Dry Rub
Source: Me
1/2 tbsp. ground cumin powder
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
I just put all the spices on a paper plate and mix them together, then spread evenly over the plate. Use tongs to press the spice mixture into your ribs on each side. If you run out of the mixture, make more. It’s just that simple. But I can usually guestimate how much I’m going to need.
Now, if you are going to grill them, just let hem hang out in the fridge, covered, until you are ready to cook dinner.
If you are going the slow cooker route, heat a skillet over medium high heat. When it gets hot, add some extra virgin olive oil and sear each side of the rib to create a crust. Then put the ribs straight into the slow cooker set on low. Add about 1/2 cup water and then pour about 1/2 cup of your favorite bbq sauce right on top of the ribs. Make sure some sauce is on each rib. Let cook for at least 4-5 hours.
If you decide to grill them, you will also want to sear them to create the crust. I have a nifty sear burner to the side of my grill that gets super hot super fast. So I just used that. If you don’t have that, you can go ahead and sear them inside in a skillet just like for the slow cooker.
Get your main grill set on medium-low/low. You want it to be about 250 to 300 degrees. Once your ribs are seared, place them on foil and drizzle your favorite bbq sauce over them. Fold up the foil to make a packet. I had to make 2 packets to keep them a manageable size to move on and off the grill. The packets will keep all the juices in and keep the ribs from drying out on the grill.
Grill for about 20 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your ribs, you may need to take a packet off and check the doneness.
These were a huge hit at my house. My 2 year old ate an entire rib along with his sides. He loved them! And my rib afficionado husband raved about them! You get so much more meat with these country style ribs than with traditional baby back or spare ribs.
These were a great compromise for us and didn’t break the budget!
This is the grilled version. Yum! But my family liked them both ways. Boneless ribs will be a new staple in my freezer from now on!
Burnt Toast 