Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs – Memorial Day is Grilling Day!

With normally perfect weather and longer days, the month of May is ideal for celebrating National Barbecue Month. We bring you Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs to continue the festivities because Memorial Day is Grilling Day! Somewhat confusingly named, this cut of meat is not from the ribs but from the blade end of the loin, close to the shoulder. This dish is perfect for a relaxing afternoon on the hammock with a relatively short grilling time.

Country-style ribs are cut from the blade roast located on the upper side of the rib cage (the fatty blade end of the loin) and are usually boneless. The secret here is to let a simple rub of brown sugar, salt, ground ancho, chipotle chiles, cumin, and garlic sit on the meat for a minimum of four hours, preferably eight. The dry spices will rehydrate and season the beef making it ready for relatively quick grilling.

Get the hammock ready under a shady tree, fire up the grill, and finish National Barbecue Month right with terrific food and remembrance of fallen heroes.

Serves: 4-6

Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
  • 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 1/2 pounds of country-style pork ribs

Grilled Country-Style Pork Ribs Directions

  1. Place all of the ingredients except the pork in a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the spice mixture evenly on all sides of the ribs. Place the meat in a resealable plastic bag or a baking dish covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Let the ribs sit at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium (about 350°F to 450°F).
  3. Place the ribs on the grill with the larger, flatter side down, cover the grill, and cook until the pork is browned and crusty on the bottom, about 5 to 7 minutes. Flip, cover, and cook until it’s browned and crusty on the other side, about 5 to 7 minutes more.
  4. Rotate the ribs to rest on a thinner side (you may need to prop them up against one another), cover, and cook until browned and crusty, about 4 to 6 minutes. Flip to the other thinner side, cover, and cook until browned and crusty, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thickest rib registers 145°F, about 4 to 6 minutes more.
  5. Transfer to a clean serving platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.