Country Style Ribs with Asian BBQ Sauce
This Country Style Ribs with Asian BBQ Sauce recipe shows you how to make fall-apart-tender, boneless barbecue ribs right in your oven. If you’re searching for a cheap and easy pork recipe to keep your family full and happy, you’ve found it. These sheet-pan ribs cook low and slow in about 2 hours, start to finish.
If you love country style ribs like we do, try my Air Fryer Country Style Ribs or my Sticky Oven Baked Country Style Ribs.
These boneless pork ribs are baked in the oven until they reach melt-in-your-mouth perfection…..sticky, sweet, tangy, crispy, and spicy. The Asian spices make these pork ribs very flavorful and unique.
We like country-style ribs because they are super budget-friendly, and we even make them as Sweet and Sour Country Style Ribs. When you see them on sale, grab some quick and toss them in the freezer when you get home.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Boneless country-style pork ribs: These “ribs” come from the shoulder or loin area of the pig and are not actually ribs at all. Country-style ribs are sections of sliced pork that are packaged as both bone-in and boneless, sometimes even in the same package. Country-style ribs are marbled with a little bit of fat that keeps them tender as they cook low and slow.
- Dark brown sugar: Light brown sugar works fine, too, in this recipe.
- Soy sauce: I always use low-sodium soy sauce.
- Ketchup: Because ketchup is both sweet and sour, it complements Asian flavors perfectly.
- Lemon juice: This adds acidity to the marinade to help tenderize the meat a bit.
- Rice vinegar: With a mild, slightly sweet flavor, it’s also just a bit tangy and has lower acidity.
- Garlic powder: You can substitute granulated garlic powder or minced fresh garlic, if desired.
- Freshly grated ginger root: Substitute 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground ginger, if desired. So that I don’t have to spend time grating the ginger root, I like to keep a tube of Gourmet Gardens Ginger Stir-In Paste in my fridge – so handy!
- Scallions and sesame seeds: Optional.
How to Make Country Style Ribs with Asian BBQ Sauce
Step 1: Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Place all the ribs into a heavy-duty gallon bag.
Step 2: Pour the prepared marinade into the bag with the ribs. Seal the bag and gently massage to combine everything well. Place the bowl in the fridge. Marinate the country style ribs for at least 8 hours.
Be sure to place the sealed bag of ribs and marinade into a bowl before refrigeration. If there’s a leak in your bag, the marinade only fills the bowl, not your fridge!
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Wrap two large, rimmed baking sheets with heavy-duty foil. Remove the ribs from the marinade and pat each one dry. Place the ribs on one of the foil-lined baking sheets and spread them out so they don’t touch. If you have time, let the ribs rest for 30 minutes while you make the sauce.
Step 4: Cover the ribs with foil. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender when tested with a fork. Remove the ribs from the oven and uncover. Don’t worry if the ribs look pretty ugly here. This is because you haven’t added the sauce yet.
Step 5: Transfer the ribs from the liquids and fats that have accumulated on the baking sheet, and place them on the second foil-lined baking sheet that you prepared earlier.
Step 5: Make the sauce by placing the reserved pork marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat and bringing it to a boil. Liberally slather the ribs with the prepared sauce using a silicone basting brush. Cover the ribs with foil.
Step 6: Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender when tested with a fork. When the ribs are very fork-tender, they will be right around 180 degrees F. at the center of each one when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove the ribs from the oven and uncover.
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Step 7: Continue baking the ribs, uncovered this time, for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the ribs are very fork-tender and caramelized. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve the ribs with extra warm sauce on the side, as desired.
My Recipe Tips
- Rest the ribs after removing them from the marinade before baking them, as the recipe directs. This gives the pork a bit of time to let the chill from refrigeration fade so the ribs can cook more evenly. It makes them taste better too!
- If you prefer to have lots of extra sauce for serving with the cooked ribs, you can double the ingredients for the sauce. It may take a few extra minutes of simmering since there’s more volume in the saucepan when you double the ingredients.
- Boneless country-style ribs also make great meat for kabobs. Just cut each rib into chunks and place them onto skewers to make the kabobs. Be sure to leave a bit of space between each chunk of pork on the skewer for even cooking.
Country Style Ribs with Asian BBQ Sauce FAQ’s
Add bbq sauce to the country style ribs after cooking the ribs for about an hour and half. This will keep the sauce from burning on the outside of the ribs.
The best way to cook country style ribs are on the grill or the oven on low heat for three to three and a half hours.
Country-style ribs are a cut of pork that comes from the shoulder or the loin of a pig that can be bone-in or boneless. Most of the time they are boneless. In contrast, traditional ribs come from the loin of a pig, come in a slab, and have a bone.
Air fryer roasted broccoli is delicious with these ribs and some warm rice. Any colorful vegetable pairs well with country-style ribs, too. I make these ribs a lot in the summer (for whatever reason, I’m not sure) and my family always wants corn salad on the side because it’s so refreshing.
More Favorite Pork Recipes
My family loves this Saucy Cubed Pork. This super easy weeknight meal is based in Asian flavors but loved by everyone. We also love Southwest Pork Cutlets with Calico Rice as an easy skillet meal. You can use pork cutlets or chicken cutlets that are sauteed until crispy on the outside, but still juicy on the inside. Or break out your slow cooker and try these Country Style Ribs in the Crock Pot.
Country Style Ribs with Asian BBQ
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Ingredients
Ribs
- 3 pounds country style pork ribs, bone-in or boneless, whichever you prefer, or a combination of both
Marinade
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce, may use low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 medium lemon, juice of
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root may substitute 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger instead
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, optional but delicious use less or more according to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Garnishments
- sliced scallions, as garnish
- sesame seeds, as garnish
Instructions
Marinate the Ribs
- Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients together in a bowl. Place all the ribs into a heavy-duty gallon bag.3 pounds country style pork ribs, bone-in or boneless, whichever you prefer, or a combination of both, 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, may use low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 medium lemon, juice of, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root, 1 tablespoon sriracha, optional but delicious, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour the prepared marinade into the bag with the ribs; seal the bag and gently massage to combine everything well. **To prevent spills in the fridge, place the bag of marinade and ribs into a large bowl.
- Place the bowl of ribs and marinade in the fridge; marinate the pork for at least 8 hours.
Bake the Ribs
- When you are ready to cook the ribs, remove them refrigeration. Remove the ribs from the marinade, patting each one dry. Let the ribs rest for 30 minutes before baking them. **Reserve the marinade. You'll be simmering it to make the sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Wrap two large, rimmed baking sheets with heavy-duty foil.
- Place the ribs onto one of the foil-lined baking sheets; cover tightly with foil.
- Bake the ribs, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or just until they are starting to become fork-tender.
Prepare the Sauce
- Meanwhile, while the ribs bake, place the reserved marinade into a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer the marinade until it becomess a thickened and reduced sauce, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Sauce the Ribs
- Remove the ribs from the oven and uncover. Transfer the ribs from the baking sheet (it will likely be full of grease after cooking the ribs) to the second (reserved) foil-lined baking sheet that you prepared earlier.
- Using a silicone basting brush, liberally slather the ribs with the prepared sauce.
- Continue to bake the ribs, uncovered this time, for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the ribs are very fork-tender and the sauce is caramelized.
Serve the Ribs
- Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if using. Serve the ribs with extra warm sauce on the side, as desired.sliced scallions, as garnish, sesame seeds, as garnish
Notes
- Covering your rimmed baking sheets with foil before baking the ribs makes for super easy clean up. Washing greasy baking sheets is never fun.
- Don’t worry if the ribs look pretty “ugly” after the first go round in the oven covered with foil. This is because you haven’t added the sauce yet. Don’t worry….keep going! The final step of the recipe is when you brush on the sauce and let it caramelize – this is where all the magic happens!
- Rest the ribs after removing them from the marinade before baking them, as the recipe directs. This give the meat a bit of time to let the chill from refrigeration escape so the ribs can cook more evenly. It makes them taste better too!
- Be sure to place the sealed bag of ribs and marinade into a bowl before placing them into refrigeration. This way if there’s a leak in your bag, the marinade only fills the bowl, not your fridge!
- If you prefer to have lots of extra sauce for serving with the cooked ribs, you can double the ingredients for the sauce. It may take a few extra minutes of simmering since there’s more volume in the sauce pan when you double the ingredients.
- I like to pour that rendered fat (the grease) into a big jar that I keep in the fridge for my dogs and then I add a small amount at a time to their dry dog food. They go crazy for it!
- Boneless country-style ribs also make great meat for kabobs. Just cut each rib into chunks and place them onto skewers to make the kabobs. Be sure you leave space between each hunk of pork so it can cook more quickly and evenly.
Made this once before and everyone love it. Now they want it again but time will not allow me to complete in 1 session. Is there any place in the recipe during the baking phase where I can stop for a couple of hours and then finish the bake?
Hi Rhonda –
You could just do the first bake, then cool slightly and remove to the new baking sheet and refrigerate. Then do the second bake later. Or you could make them ahead and completely bake until tender and just reheat later until warm again.
I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you have more questions so I can help!
Chef Alli
I am sorry to give this a negative review but this marinade just didn’t do it for our family. In fairness, I reduced the dark brown sugar by a non-packed 1/4c (I doubled the recipe) and marinated for 12 hours. The final product tastes like a weird ketchup on pork. I used heinz ketchup, low sodium tamari, and other quality ingredients. $50 wasted. Bummer.
Hi Toni –
Sorry you felt like this tasted weird! I know that’s disappointing.
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
great. used real tomatoes instead of ketchup.
Hi Tessie –
So glad to know you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for letting me know and for the 5 star rating – very appreciated!
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
I made these last week and there were so tender and delicious.
Hi Kate –
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for letting me know!
Let’s Keep Cookin’,
Chef Alli
Hi Kate – I’m so glad you enjoyed this rib recipe! It’s a family favorite around here, too. I appreciate your comment AND the 5-star rating.
Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
I am a chef & studying Asian cooking. I will not use a slow cooker but instead my. oven. So am really anticipating these country ribs. Thank you kindly for the recipe.
Hi Diana – sure hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know!
Your fan,
Chef Alli
opps…sorry missed the five stars
Hi Linda – Thank you so much for circling back to let me know how the ribs turned out – I was sure wondering. Thrilled to learn they were a success! You’ve made my day. 🙂
Thanks again,
Chef Alli
Hi Alli…these were absolutely delicious! Husband loved them, marinated the ribs overnight and so easy to make. Paired them with my first homemade creamy coleslaw, it was a hit. Thank you!
Hi Alli…was planning on making my usual BBQ ribs tomorrow, but this looks delicious! Wish me luck..
Know that I absolutely am! You truly won’t need much, I promise. Love that recipe – it’s easy and a piece of cake. Hope you enjoy it -‘please let me know what you think of it!
Chef Alli
Is it siracha or sesame oil you put in? Each is listed in a different part of the recipe. Thanks
Hi Laurel –
In looking at the recipe, I’m not seeing any sesame oil listed anywhere in the recipe. Are you maybe meaning the sesame SEEDS that are for the garnish? Hoping I’m not blind and missing what you are seeing! Please set me straight, if so!
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
I have made these ribs once and I making them again tomorrow because they are absolutely fabulous! I did question using the marinade as well when I made them the first time, but I also know that if you boil it, it should be safe. I would recommend this recipe. Absolutely love it!
Hi Trudy –
Thank you so much for letting me know! We love these ribs, too. And, yes, boiling the marinade to become a sauce makes it completely safe to consume. I so appreciate the review and rating here.
Let’s Keep Cookin’,
Chef Alli
You say to put the reserved marinade in a sauce pan. What reserved marinade? Do you mean the marinade the ribs have been setting in overnight? If so, is that safe? My plan is to make your ribs tomorrow night with stir fried rice and sugar snap peas.
Hi Brian –
Thanks for your question. I’ll adjust the recipe to include more details on the reserved marinade. As to your question about this being safe, that’s why the reserved marinade goes into the saucepan and gets simmered before you use it as a sauce. Simmering it kills any bacteria that could be in the marinade from the meat. All marinades need to be simmered for at least 2-3 minutes before they can become a sauce.
Sorry for the confusion!
Sincerely,
Chef Alli