These Grilled Country Style Pork Ribs are seasoned with a savory spice blend, grilled low and slow, and finished with a brush of tangy BBQ sauce. It’s an easy recipe that delivers tender, flavorful ribs with a perfectly caramelized finish.
Serve these tasty ribs with sweet corn and Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes or Baked Potato Salad for a delicious summer meal!
This recipe comes courtesy of my big brother, Jim, who knows his way around a grill. He made these Grilled Country Style Pork Ribs for us one night at his cabin in the woods, and I pretty much begged for the recipe before we left. He was happy to oblige (thankfully!).
These ribs are seriously finger lickin’, lip smackin’ good. The combination of flavors from the seasoning, sweet chili sauce, and a final slather of BBQ sauce is so simple, but SO delicious! It’s the perfect blend of smoky, savory and sweet-heat.
His no rush grilling method renders the ribs incredibly tender and a final sear creates an irresistible caramelized finish.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite brand. Jim (and I) use a combination of Kinder’s Mild and Hot BBQ Sauce. It adds the perfect amount of heat without being overly spicy. If you use another brand, try to find something with a little heat or add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the seasoning.The slightly sweet/heat combination is what really makes these ribs so special.!
- Ribs: Country style pork ribs are a meaty, flavorful, inexpensive cut which makes them a good choice when serving a group.
- Seasoning: A simple combination of McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning and garlic salt.
- Marinade: Sweet chili sauce is a thick, tangy-sweet condiment with mild heat, made from red chili peppers, vinegar, and sugar. Look for it in the Asian food section of the grocery store.
Grilled Country Style Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in country style ribs, approximately 3 ½ pounds
- 2 teaspoons Lawry’s Garlic Salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, or to taste
- 1½ cups sweet chili sauce, like Mae Ploy
- 1 cup Kinder’s Mild and Hot BBQ Sauce, (½ cup of each) or brand of your choice, for basting
Instructions
- Season the ribs with garlic salt and steak seasoning on all sides. Place in a large dish and add the sweet chili sauce, turning to coat the ribs. Cover the dish and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
- Prepare your grill for indirect heat. For a charcoal grill, spread the hot coals to one side. For a gas grill, turn on the burners on only one side.
- Place the ribs on the grill on the indirect heat side and cook, covered, turning occasionally. While the ribs are cooking, combine some of the mild and hot BBQ sauce in a small mixing bowl to achieve the heat level desired.
- After about 45 minutes, baste the ribs with sauce. Move the ribs over to direct heat and continue to cook, basting every now and then and turning often, for another 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through and nicely caramelized.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
How to Make Grilled Country Style Pork Ribs
- Season the ribs with garlic salt and steak seasoning on all sides.
- Marinate in sweet chili sauce for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your grill for indirect heat. For a charcoal grill, spread the hot coals to one side. For a gas grill, turn on the burners on only one side.
- Grill the ribs, covered, over low heat for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Baste and finish the ribs with your desired ratio of mild and hot BBQ sauce. Move them over to direct heat, and grill for another 15 to 20 minutes, turning and basting often, until nicely caramelized and cooked through.
Valerie’s Tips
- The minimum safe temperature for pork is 145 degrees F but for tender, juicy ribs, it’s best to cook them to 190 to 200 degrees F. This allows the connective tissue to break down, resulting in that fall-apart tenderness you’re aiming for.
- Use tongs instead of a fork to turn the ribs on the grill. Piercing them can cause flavorful juices to escape.
Storage Tips
Leftover ribs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in the oven at 300 degrees F, covered with foil, until warmed through. For longer storage, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 month. Thaw frozen ribs overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Great Grilling Recipes
- Grilled Steak Kabobs
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Steak with Corn and Black Bean Salsa
- Beer Brats with Sauerkraut
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin
For an alternate slow cooker or instant pot method, be sure to check out my BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs.
If you get a chance to fire up the grill soon, give these a try! And, if you do, please come back and leave a review and rating.
About the recipe creator (my brother, Jim!): Jim is the only male in a family of six. Yes, he has five sisters and somehow he survived. Growing up in a predominantly female household makes him a pretty special guy. He might argue that point but I’m sticking to it. He’s a great conversationalist, an amazing photographer, a comedian, and one of the best cooks I know. My husband still talks about spaghetti sauce Jim made for us years ago. What the heck was in that sauce Jim? I’ll force it out of him one of these days.
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What is covered “indirect heat” for your ribs???
Hi Doug. Cooking over indirect heat is a great method that helps create a really tender result in cuts like ribs. Basically, you just don’t want the heat source directly underneath the ribs. If you’re cooking on a charcoal grill, pile your charcoal more to one side so that you can move the ribs over when needed. Here are some great instructions for achieving the same effect on a gas grill from Epicurious.
I would love to be able to convert this to oven directions re oven temp and times. we don’t grill. but those ribs look wonderful. anyone want to take a stab at it.???
Check out Valerie’s Kitchen Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs. I use this recipe every time I make ribs. Instead of Baby Back just use the Country Style ribs.
Happy you’re loving the baby back ribs recipe. 🙂 Here is a direct link. They are very different recipes using different methods but both are great!
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! Can’t wait to fire up the grill for these! You must post the recipe for the beautiful cocktails in the picture. Thanks for sharing. Keep it coming.
These ribs look delicious! It looks like a great time….and I’ll take a drink or two myself!
Another delicious recipe!! Thank you Val and brother Jim!
What a beautiful and relaxing trip with family! You have this way of making me feel like I’m sitting right at the table with you, Val! So glad you shared this post. And these ribs, OMG. Jim knows what he’s doing!
Sweet chili sauce and montreal steak seasonings! Both are my favorite seasonings and what a great idea to make ribs with them. Printing out now… 😀 Sounds like you had a great holiday! I want to go to mountains for vacation while my kids and husband wants beach. I never win… miss going to the woods! 🙂
Beautiful home and I will definitely be trying the BBQ Ribs. Enjoyed the pics and reading about your family. Thanks
Valerie, you have a wonderful blog! I enjoyed reading your About page and you have a lovely family. How fabulous to be surrounded by such handsome, sweet men! But, I had to laugh about how you are still trying to figure out the male brain. Ha! It must be a challenge being out-numbered. 😉 Tasty BBQ recipe you have shared. We keep grilling even when the snow flies here in Indy! Thanks for sharing. And, please tell your sister that I love her outfit! She has good taste. (I like that boho look.) So nice to meet you, girl! Happy cookin’ and bakin’!
Thanks so much Stacy! I’m so glad you stopped by. Love your site as well. I will be sure and tell my sis 🙂
Those look amazing!