How to Brine Country Style Pork Ribs for Maximum Juiciness

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Country Style Pork Ribs are a budget friendly cut that are great to enjoy covered in BBQ sauce.

Have you ever heard of country style ribs? I didn’t know what they were or how to cook them so that the meat would be tender at first. But now I’ve done the testing on these tasty pork ribs so you don’t have to!.

To find out more about how it all works, scroll down or click here. Now you can go straight to the recipe.

Country style pork ribs can be tough and dry if not prepared properly. But brining is an easy technique that helps ensure tender juicy country ribs every time. Follow this complete guide to brining country style ribs at home for mouthwatering results.

What are Country Style Pork Ribs?

Country style ribs come from the pork shoulder or butt. They contain both light and dark meat in one boneless cut. The bone is removed, making them easier to eat than traditional bone-in ribs.

Compared to loin ribs, country style ribs have more fat marbling from the shoulder. This adds flavor and moisture when cooking. But it also means they require longer cooking times at higher temperatures to properly break down the collagen and fat.

Why Brine Country Style Ribs?

Brining provides several benefits for country pork ribs:

  • Tenderizes – The salt helps dissolve tough collagen in the ribs, leaving the meat incredibly tender.

  • Adds flavor – The brine allows seasonings and aromatics to deeply penetrate the meat.

  • Retains moisture – Brining helps the ribs better hold onto moisture during cooking for juicier meat.

  • Enhances texture – Brined country ribs turn out super tender with great mouthfeel.

  • Promotes even cooking – Brining leads to uniform moisture and seasoning distribution.

Without brining, country ribs often end up dry, chewy, and bland. The brine helps avoid this.

How to Make a Simple Country Rib Brine

Making a basic brine for country style pork ribs is easy. Here is a simple recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1⁄2 cup kosher salt
  • 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 5 lbs country style ribs

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients except ribs in a pot. Heat over medium until salt and sugar fully dissolve.

  2. Remove brine from heat and let cool completely.

  3. Place ribs in a large container and pour cooled brine over to submerge.

  4. Refrigerate 12-24 hours, occasionally flipping ribs.

  5. Remove ribs from brine, rinse off, pat dry and cook as desired.

Tips for Successful Brining

Follow these tips when brining country pork ribs:

  • Use a nonreactive container like stainless steel or plastic. Avoid aluminum.

  • Ensure ribs are fully submerged. Weigh them down if needed.

  • Brine in the fridge at 40°F or below.

  • Brine 12-24 hours for moderate flavor infusion. Up to 2-3 days for intense brining.

  • Periodically massage and flip ribs for even brine exposure.

  • Always rinse ribs after brining and pat dry before cooking.

  • Don’t reuse brine. Make a new batch each time.

Customizing Your Brine

Feel free to customize your country rib brine with different seasonings:

  • Herbs – rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano

  • Spices – garlic, onion, cloves, jalapeños

  • Fruits – orange, lemon, cranberries

  • Sweeteners – honey, maple syrup, molasses

  • Soy sauce, Worcestershire

  • Beer, bourbon, wine

Mix and match flavors to create your own signature brine.

Brining Times for Country Ribs

Recommended brining times for country style pork ribs:

  • 12-24 hours – For moderate brining with decent flavor infusion.

  • 1-3 days – For intense brining and pronounced seasoning.

  • 5-7 days – For extreme brining that makes ribs very salty.

In most cases, 12-24 hours provides the ideal balance of flavor enhancement without over-salting.

Cooking Brined Country Ribs

Brined country ribs can be cooked many delicious ways including:

  • Grill – Get nice char and caramelization on the grill.

  • Smoke – Hot or cold smoke for extra depth of flavor.

  • Braise – Braise in broth until fall-off-the-bone tender.

  • Roast – Roast in the oven with BBQ sauce.

  • Instant Pot – Pressure cook for fast, tender results.

  • Slow cooker – Slow cook in a crockpot with sauce.

No matter how you cook them, brining helps ensure moist, flavorful country ribs.

Delicious Brined Country Rib Recipes

Here are a couple excellent brined country rib recipes to try:

Maple Brined Country Ribs

  • 5 lbs country ribs
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1⁄2 cup salt
  • 1⁄2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves

Brine 12-24 hours. Grill over medium heat, basting with maple syrup until cooked through.

Apple Cider Brined Country Ribs

  • 5 lbs country ribs
  • 1 gallon apple cider
  • 1⁄2 cup salt
  • 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons oregano

Brine 1-2 days. Roast at 325°F until tender, basting with apple cider syrup.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much salt do you use for brining?

Use around 1⁄2 cup kosher salt per gallon of water. Reduce to 1⁄4 cup if using table salt.

What’s the best brining container?

Use a nonreactive stainless steel, plastic or glass container. Avoid aluminum.

Should you rinse ribs after brining?

Yes, always rinse to remove excess surface salt, then pat dry before cooking.

Can you reuse brine?

No. Reusing brine is not recommended as it loses effectiveness over time.

How do you know if ribs are brined long enough?

Check after 12 hours. If not as salty as desired, continue brining up to 24 hours for moderate flavor infusion.

Conclusion

Brining is the secret to moist, tender and flavorful country pork ribs. Follow this complete guide to brining success. Customize brine times and flavors to suit your preferences. Your ribs will turn out succulent and packed with taste every time.

how do you brine country style pork ribs

How Long Should I Cook Country Pork Ribs?

These ribs are best for braising in a low temperature oven for a long period of time. The time needed for the dark meat to become tender though leaves the white meat dry. Instead, cook the ribs so that the lean, light meat stays moist and tender. If you do this, the dark meat can get tough and chewy.

America’s Test Kitchen recommends brining the ribs in a salt solution, which I tried. During the low and slow cooking that was needed to make the dark meat tender, the brine came right out of the pork.

So where did I land with this? The dark side. The best part, the melt-in-your-mouth dark meat, was what I catered. To keep the white meat moist, I sauced the ribs with my favorite barbecue sauce.

The ribs will smoke for a few hours and then be broiled for a short time to make the outside caramelized and the meat more flavorful.

How To Cook Country Style Pork Ribs

To make the country style pork ribs, place one of the oven racks in middle slot. (If your oven only has one rack, you’ll need to move this one to the broiler after the pork has been braised.) ). Place second oven rack just below broiler. Preheat oven to 250°F.

Place the ribs on a sheet pan leaving about ¼-inch of space between each rib and set this aside for a minute. In a small bowl mix together paprika, salt, and pepper, and rub this mixture evenly over all sides of the ribs. It’s much easier to mix the spices in a bowl first and then rub it onto the ribs, rather than sprinkle them on individually, which can leave uneven patches.

Place the sheet pan on the lower of the two racks in the oven and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Bake this for 2 and 1/2 hours, and then remove the pan from the oven.

Now, I’ve seen some popular recipes for these ribs online that have you brush the ribs with sauce and then bake them for another hour after removing the foil. This is to bake in the sauce. However, I found that that contributed to the drying of the lighter meat. So instead, we’re going to get that sauce baked in using the broiler, and that gets us a bit of nice charring too!

So, change the oven setting to broil on high and remove the foil from the ribs. There might be some pan juices that have rendered onto the bottom of the pan. This needs to be removed so that the barbecue sauce doesn’t get mixed into the liquid. Move the ribs to a plate, pour off the liquid, and then return the ribs to the pan. Alternatively, carefully tilt the pan with the ribs still in it and let the liquid drain into a heat-safe container made of ceramic or metal.

Add a lot of barbecue sauce to the ribs and turn them over to coat them all over. Brush the sauce on all sides. Try my Best BBQ sauce recipe or your favorite store-bought kind. Place the pan on the rack just below the broiler and put it back in the oven. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the tops of the ribs are caramelized.

Remove the pan from the oven and let this stand 5 minutes before serving.

Add more barbecue sauce and lots of napkins to these ribs. Then serve them with your favorite sides for a barbecue, like coleslaw, potato salad, and baked beans.

You can eat these ribs with your hands like a bone-in rib, or you can use a knife and fork to cut them.

Also, if you don’t want to braise a whole pork butt but like pulled pork instead, country-style pork ribs are a great option for smaller portions. After being braised, shred them in a bowl and mix them with barbecue sauce to make cheap pulled pork.

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