Smoked Country Style Ribs

By Todd Martin April 30, 2025 8 mins read 9 Views

You’ve probably heard of baby back ribs and spare ribs, but what about country-style ribs? These meaty, flavorful slabs come from the pork shoulder rather than the rib cage. They’re thick, juicy, and usually boneless, which makes them great for low and slow barbecue.

In this recipe, I’ll show you how to smoke them to build a deep, flavorful bark, then braise them until they’re fall-apart tender. It’s a straightforward, two-step method that delivers smoky, satisfying ribs in just four hours and at a lower cost.

Here’s why you’ll love these smoked country-style pork ribs

Affordable and meaty: Since they come from the shoulder, they’re usually cheaper than baby back or spare ribs, but still packed with rich, porky flavor.
Easy to eat: Most country-style pork ribs are boneless, though some may include part of the shoulder blade. Either way, they’re simple to handle and perfect for casual cookouts.
Ideal for low and slow cooking: Just like pork butt, they’re full of fat and connective tissue that melts down beautifully over time—making them juicy, tender, and flavorful.
Faster cook time: Unlike a whole pork shoulder, country-style pork ribs cook much quicker, saving you time (and wood or charcoal) while still delivering smoky, tender results.

smoked country-style pork ribs laid out on butcher paper with a bowl of sauce at the top

Smoked Country Style Ribs

Every time I spot boneless country style ribs on sale, I think, “Why am I not smoking these all the time?” They’re meaty, budget-friendly, and downright satisfying when cooked low and slow. This is such an easy recipe to smoke on the pellet grill, and you can easily change it up and use whatever rubs or sauce you have on hand.

Ingredients you’ll need

Country-style pork ribs (or a boneless pork shoulder) – you can pick up a pack of country-style pork ribs at the store or slice a boneless pork shoulder into country-style ribs yourself.
Yellow mustard – Yellow mustard acts as a binder to help the seasoning stick evenly to your ribs.
BBQ Pork Rub – our homemade BBQ Pork Rub is perfect for this recipe. If you use a store-bought rub, I recommend finding something with a good amount of salt, pepper, and a touch of brown sugar.
Barbecue sauce – our easy BBQ sauce recipe is also perfect for braising these ribs, or use your favourite.
Butter – butter adds a nice flavor and silkiness to the glaze.
Brown sugar – this helps get the ribs sticky sweet during the braising process.
Red pepper flakes – add a bit of spice to balance out the sweetness of the braising liquid.

ingredients for the country style pork rib braise

Equipment you’ll need

Smoker or pellet grill – This recipe will work on any smoker or pellet grill, as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for at least four hours. I used my Weber Searwood XL for this recipe.
Smoke wood – I used a hickory blend of wood pellets, but you can’t go wrong using any fruit woods like apple, cherry, or pecan, or
Aluminum pan – Or oven-safe baking dish for the braising portion of the cook.
Aluminum foil – You will need a sheet of aluminum foil to cover the pan.
Sharp boning knife – If you are cutting your own country-style ribs out of a pork shoulder, you will need a sharp boning knife like our Smoke Kitchen boning knife.

How to cut country style pork ribs from a pork shoulder

We all know that any time a butcher has to get their knife out, the price of the meat goes up. While country-style pork ribs can often be found at your local grocery store, cutting them yourself will often be cheaper.

To do this, start with a boneless pork shoulder (also called pork butt) and a sharp knife. If you only have a bone-in shoulder, you must remove the bone first.

Here’s how to cut your ribs:

Slice the pork shoulder into pork steaks about 1½” thick.
Take each steak and cut it lengthwise into 2 to 4 strips, depending on the size. The goal is to get a rib-shaped piece of pork shoulder that are about 4-5” long and 1-½” wide.
Trim off any loose bits of of meat.

Pro tip: Chill the pork shoulder before slicing!

Chilling the raw pork shoulder for 20-30 minutes before slicing firms up the meat and makes it easier to make nice, clean cuts.

How to make smoked country style pork ribs step-by-step

1. Prep your ribs

The first step is to coat the ribs with a light layer of mustard, which acts as a binder. A binder will help the seasoning stick to the meat more evenly. If you’re not a fan of mustard, you can use Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, or olive oil.

raw country style pork ribs in an orange container, drizzled with yellow mustard

Then, season them generously all over with the BBQ pork rub.

raw, seasoned country style pork ribs in an orange container with a shaker in the middle

Now that your ribs are seasoned, let them rest at room temperature while you fire up the smoker.

2. Fire up the smoker

Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 250°F. I smoked these country-style pork ribs with hickory-blend wood pellets on my Weber Searwood XL.

2. Smoke your ribs

Once the smoker is preheated, place the ribs directly on the grates (a wire rack would also work and make them easier to take off). Let them smoke for about 1½ – 2 hours until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. You want the outside of the ribs to have firmed up with a dry crust that doesn’t rub off when touched.

The best way to check internal temperature is with a meat thermometer. I love using an instant-read probe, like the Thermoworks Thermapen, when I’m cooking. It takes an accurate temperature in less than one second, making it easy to check temperature quickly and accurately.

country style pork ribs in the smoker with a bark formed on them

Make sure the bark is set before moving on to the next step! You want the bark to be firm with a dry, slightly tacky surface. This will ensure the bark stays on the meat during the braising process. If the bark isn’t fully set, you can let it continue to smoke unwrapped for an additional 30 minutes.

3. Braise the ribs

Now that your ribs are about halfway done, it’s time to pack in some flavor and braise them.

Transfer the ribs to an aluminum pan or oven-safe baking dish. It’s okay if they overlap a bit, as the braising liquid will melt into the sauce they cook in.

cooked country style pork ribs in an aluminum tray with pats of butter and brown sugar on top

Add a few (or a lot of) pats of butter on top, sprinkle over the brown sugar, drizzle with BBQ sauce, and finally sprinkle over the red pepper flakes.

cooked country style pork ribs in an aluminum pan with the braising ingredients on top

Wrap the pan in foil and place it back on the smoker to finish.

an aluminum pan covered in foil in the smoker — I prefer to use disposable pans because the smoker and the sticky sauce tend to be pretty tough to clean off my bakeware.

This braising process should take 1½ – 2 hours. You’ll know they are done when they reach an internal temperature of 195°F and they are fully probe tender.

Once they’re done, let them cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve alongside the leftover brasing BBQ sauce for dipping.

country style pork ribs after braising in an aluminum tray

How to serve smoked country-style pork ribs

The most obvious choice is to enjoy them just as they are! They are full of flavor and taste great alongside your favorite BBQ sides.

Another great way that I like to serve my country-style ribs is in a taco or sandwich. Then you can pile on extra toppings like homemade coleslaw, pickles, BBQ sauce, onions – whatever you like! Just pile a rib (or two) on a burger bun and the sky’s the limit.

Here are some great sides to go with these tasty country-style pork ribs

dish of smoked mac and cheese with spoon scoping some out

The Best Smoked Mac And Cheese Ever

Loaded Potato Salad

The Best Pasta Salad For BBQ

Loaded Smoked Potato Skins

Country-style pork ribs are an easy, budget-friendly way to get big barbecue flavor without the long cook time of a full pork shoulder. With a smoky bark and tender, juicy meat, they’re sure to become a new favorite on your smoker.

Tried these smoked country-style pork ribs? We’d love to hear how they turned out! Be sure to leave a rating and comment below.

Smoked Country Style Ribs

Smoked country style pork ribs are seasoned with a flavorsome BBQ rub and then smoked low and slow to build a flavorful bark, then braised until fall-apart tender for a rich, juicy bite every time.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 10

Servings

Calories 517kcal

Author Breanna Stark

Ingredients

4 lb country-style pork ribs
2 tbsp yellow mustard
½ cup BBQ pork rub see note 1 for more ideas
½ cup butter cut into pats
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup BBQ sauce
½ tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat your smoker to 250°F.
Place your country-style pork ribs into a bowl or prep tub. Coat the ribs in a light layer of yellow mustard.
Season generously on all sides with the pork rub.
Place the ribs directly on the grates of the smoker and let smoke for 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the bark is firm.
Remove the ribs from the smoker and transfer them to an aluminum pan or baking dish.
Place the pats of butter on top of the ribs and add the brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and red pepper flakes on top.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it back on the smoker for another 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F and the ribs are probe tender.
Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve alongside additional barbecue sauce for dipping.

Notes

1. More rub ideas for country style ribs

I’ve included a link to one of our most popular rub recipes above, but pork is so versatile that you can’t go wrong. Sometimes I like to make these more savory and use our brisket rub. Our pork chop seasoning would also add a nice smoky and sweet balance.

2. Braise ideas

You can use our Carolina-style Vinegar sauce for the braise to give it a bit more tang and brightness, balancing the richness of the pork perfectly. You could also use hot honey instead of the brown sugar and red pepper flakes.

3. The bark

It’s essential to ensure the bark is set on your ribs. You want the bark to be firm and not pulled away from the meat. This will ensure the bark stays on the meat during the braising process. If the bark isn’t fully set, you can let it continue to smoke unwrapped for an additional 30 minutes.