Pulled Pork Bowl: Braised Boneless Country Style Ribs
Turn slow Braised Boneless Country Style Ribs into pulled pork, and you have the start of a meal-in-a-bowl pulled pork bowl or an unbelievably delicious sandwich. Whether you make it as an easy oven-baked country style pork ribs recipe or you cook your boneless country style pork ribs in the slow cooker, it’s easy to make pulled pork and homemade barbecue sauce with minimal fuss.
The magic of this recipe – the slow and low braising process – transforms your country-style pork ribs into tender pork perfection that takes only two forks to shred apart. Slather your pulled pork generously with the remaining sauce, pile it high on your favorite buns or in a bun-free bowl, and surround it with your favorite barbecue sides for the ultimate in comfort food.
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Ingredients
Country style ribs aren’t actually pork ribs but are cut from the pig shoulder. They are nearly always boneless, although you can find bone-in variations attached to the scapula.
Because they are well-marbled, country-style pork ribs are ideal for braising. If you can’t find country-style ribs, sub in another well-marbled cut like a Boston butt, which, despite its name, is also cut from the pork shoulder. Leaner cuts like a pork loin or pork tenderloin are better suited for roasting or frying.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Make the homemade BBQ sauce as spicy as you like with more cayenne or add chili powder or whatever makes you happy.
- Puree the sauce if your BBQ sauce has to be smooth.
- Substitute store-bought barbecue sauce. Making homemade BBQ sauce is easy, requires ingredients you probably already have, and you set the balance of sweetness, tang, and spiciness. But sometimes convenience wins.
Recipe tips and tricks
The hardest part of this country-style ribs recipe is deciding whether to make your ribs in your crock pot or cook your boneless pork ribs in the oven! The easy oven-baked country style pork ribs recipe adds a smidge of caramelization to the meat, infusing it with smoky goodness. But the slow cooker gives you completely hands-free cooking, allowing the boneless country style pork ribs to simmer to tender perfection while you do other things.
Either way, the most important thing here is the low, slow braise of those country style ribs. Whether you’re making pulled chicken in a Dutch oven on the stove top, pulled duck breast in your oven, or spaghetti and meatballs, slow braising cooks meat so it’s tender, not tough.
Slow cooker country style ribs
The crock pot is a snap for making a pulled pork bowl out of country style pork ribs. Simply put all of the ingredients for the barbecue sauce in your slow cooker.
Stir them together and then add your boneless country-style ribs. Cook on your lowest setting for 8 to 10 hours.
Boneless pork ribs in the oven
Braising boneless country-style pork ribs in the oven takes a little more active time, but will take less time overall. You also get a more smoky, caramelization to your pulled pork.
You’ll first cook the boneless pork ribs for about 30 minutes in barely simmering water. At the same time, make the barbecue sauce.
Pat dry the ribs and put them in your baking dish, and add the BBQ sauce. Cover the baking dish tightly with tin foil and cook for 2 hours. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional hour.
Making pulled pork
Whether you’ve cooked your country style ribs in the crock pot or made the country ribs in the oven, you want to cook it until the ribs are fork-tender and fall apart easily. Remove the ribs from the BBQ sauce and use two forks to shred the pork, separating out the fat from the meat.
How to serve braised boneless country-style pork ribs
Serve your pulled pork on a roll with a side of purple cabbage coleslaw, or make a pulled pork bowl with:
- Quinoa, rice, or the best homemade mac and cheese
- Sweet potato salad or sweet potato fries
- A quick refrigerator pickle like pickled green cherry tomatoes or spicy pickled onions
- Buttered corn or corn on the cob.
- Some amazing apple pie baked beans.
- Brown Butter Skillet Cornbread or cornbread croutons
Serve over a bed of green leaf lettuce and served with additional BBQ sauce on the side.
Recipe FAQs
Parboiling at a simmer (a low boil) helps tenderize the ribs and decreases some of the fat in the braise. It’s not essential, but if you skip this step, you’ll need to braise them longer.
Use this BBQ sauce on a BBQ pizza, in BBQ pinto bean burgers, or for my braised BBQ meatballs or in a meatball wrap!
Absolutely! Pulled pork is excellent for meal prepping. After shredding the braised pork ribs, store the pulled pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Simply reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop with a bit of extra BBQ sauce.
That too! Pulled pork can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the pork cool completely, transferring it to a freezer bag, and remove any excess air. Thaw the pulled pork in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
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Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Braised Boneless Country Style Ribs
Equipment
- Slow cooker optional
Ingredients
Homemade BBQ Sauce
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
Country-Style Ribs
- 2 pounds boneless, country-style pork ribs
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil if making the ribs in the oven
Instructions
Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the BBQ sauce in your slow cooker.1 onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1½ cup ketchup, ½ cup cider vinegar, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard, 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Add the country-style ribs and cook in your slow cooker on the lowest setting for 8 to 10 hours until falling apart. Skip down to Making Pulled Pork.2 pounds boneless, country-style pork ribs
Country Style Ribs in the Oven
- Heat the oven to 300°F.
- In a large pot, cover the ribs with several inches of water, bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.2 pounds boneless, country-style pork ribs
- Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce. Heat the oil in a large saute or frying pan and cook the onions over medium low heat until softened, about 10 minutes.1 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 onion, chopped
- Add the garlic and stir for one minute.2 cloves garlic, minced
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 15 minutes. Adjust the salt, pepper, and spiciness to taste.1½ cup ketchup, ½ cup cider vinegar, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard, 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- After 30 minutes, drain the ribs, pat them try with a paper towel, and place them in a shallow baking dish. Add BBQ sauce to cover.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with tin foil and cook for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional hour until the ribs are fork-tender and fall apart easily.
Making Pulled Pork
- When the pork ribs are fork-tender, remove from the BBQ sauce. Use two forks to shred the pork and separate the meat from the fat.
- Skim the fat off of the BBQ sauce and serve alongside the pulled pork.
Notes
Nutrition
This pulled pork bowl was originally posted March 28, 2021 with a braised boneless country style ribs recipe adapted from Saucy Country-Style Oven Ribs on Epicurious. It was last updated June 4, 2023.
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Super tasty way to get pulled pork with doing a whole Boston butt pork shoulder.
Every body loves this. Added a side of coleslaw and a great meal.
Hi Eric. I’m so glad you loved this recipe – did you make the BBQ sauce too? Thanks so much for leaving a comment!