The Best Smoked Country Style Pork Ribs

Country-style ribs are a delicious option compared to traditional bone in BBQ ribs because they're super tender and flavorful. They're an underrated cut of meat but are surprisingly easy to cook on a smoker, giving you tasty and impressive results.

Use our comprehensive guide to make the best smoked country style pork ribs you've ever had!

What are boneless country-style pork ribs?

Country-style pork ribs are a delicious and versatile cut of meat that, despite their name, do not actually contain any rib bones. Instead, they are derived from the pork butt or shoulder area of the pig, offering a rich, flavorful and often fattier profile than traditional ribs.

These cuts are typically sold in two ways: bone-in, featuring a distinctive Y-shaped bone or boneless for added convenience. Their meaty texture and potential for incredible tenderness when slow-cooked make them a popular choice for barbecue enthusiasts and home cooks alike.

For this recipe we are using the boneless ribs, as thats what we have locally.

Why smoke country-style ribs?

As with cooking a whole pork butt, country ribs have a lot of internal connective tissue, so they're best cooked low and slow to a high temperature for best results. When they reach an an internal temperature of 200 degrees F, they're ready! 

Smoking at low temperatures for an extended period of time will break down all that tough tissue and fat, leaving you with melt in your mouth, succulent BBQ with more yield per pound than bone-in BBQ ribs like spare ribs.

Of course, if you don't own a smoker you can bake them! Try out my recipe for Oven baked country style ribs here!

Whichever way you cook them, they are a versatile, affordable cut of pork that's easy to cook and makes great barbecue. 

How to choose country-style ribs?

When buying country ribs, you want to look for a good amount of marbling. Check the sides of the meat to see how much fat marbling the pork has. If the meat is lean and has very little marbling, the final product will be dry and tough.

Most grocery stores - at least in The South - carry pork country style ribs at the meat counter. If you're having trouble finding them, ask the meat person at a local butcher to cut you some. Chances are they'll be more fresh.

Local butchers are the best way to source harder to find cuts. 

How long will it take to smoke country-style ribs?

As with any barbecue, you want to go by the meat's internal temperature, not necessary a set timeframe. A good meat thermometer is essential for longer cooks like this.

That being said, You can expect these ribs to take roughly 5 hours at 250°F if you follow the recipe below. Depending on the thickness of the ribs, they may finish faster or longer, so be sure to go by temperature and give yourself some time buffer.

You can always rest them in a well insulated cooler if they get done earlier than expected. 

Smoked Country-Style Ribs Recipe

You can almost treat pork country style ribs as you would a whole pork butt. They're pretty resilient to overcooking, so you can have peace of mind that they're not labor intensive. This recipe gives you a sure-fire method for perfect smoked country style ribs every time! 

Preheat the grill.

Preheat your smoker to 250°F with a clean, rolling smoke. Note: We like to use a blend of hardwoods and fruitwoods, like hickory wood and apple wood, or pecan wood and cherry. Blending woods like that gives subtle, but different flavors to the meat, adding depth.

A lump charcoal base with wood on top also works well. A pellet grill is also great for this recipe, and you can find blends of pellets already packaged. 

Prepare the ribs.

Remove the country ribs from their packaging, and rinse under cold water, removing any bone fragments leftover from the cutting process. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel.

Cover the ribs with yellow mustard or olive oil to act as a binder, then coat evenly on all sides with your favorite dry rub recipe. You can use any dry-rub of choice, or check out our homemade bbq rub recipe.

Smoke the ribs.

With the smoker rolling at a steady 250°F, place the ribs directly on the grill grates leaving a slight bit of space between each country-style rib so smoke can penetrate all sides of the meat. If your smoke has a built in water pan, use it.

Otherwise, you can put a a foil pan under the meat to act as a drip pan and keep moisture in the cooking chamber if needed. 

Let the meat smoke until the internal temperature reaches 175°F. You can spritz the ribs hourly if they start to look too dry after the first hour. I like to spritz with apple cider vinegar, but apple juice or water work fine here. Use your spritz of choice.

Depending on the thickness of the country ribs, reaching 175°F should take 3-4 hours in indirect heat. 

Braise the ribs.

Once the meat hits 175°F, remove the ribs from the smoker grate and place in a foil pan. Add one medium onion, that's been sliced, to the pan. Then pour over your favorite BBQ sauce and some apple juice.

Add this mixture to the pan and use your hands to get eveything incorporated evenly. You want the meat to be completely covered, and the onions to be spread throughout the pan.

Once the moisture releases from the onions, you will notice the pan will have a lot more liquid.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it back on the smoker grate to finish cooking, much like you would when cooking burnt ends. Let the meat braise until the internal temperature reaches 195°F - 200°F and the ribs are probe tender. This will take another hour or two.

Rest and serve the ribs.

Remove the pan from the smoker and let the ribs rest covered for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 at room temperature. If resting any longer, you can place the pan into a cooler so the temperature holds. 

Remove the ribs from the pan and brush on some of the caramelized sauce and onions. Serve the country style ribs by the piece, cut into chunks or shredded. These are perfect for sandwiches, tacos or straight up with a piece of white bread!

If you love bbq, check out these recipes below!

Smoked party style bbq ribs

How to make smoked pig shots with maple bourbon glaze

Pork belly burnt ends

How to smoke a 15 pound brisket

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