Question about country-style ribs... cooking today

[mayapoppa]

Hello all... I have these pieces of pork, which were labeled "country-style ribs." They are currently dry-brining in preparation for dinner this evening. My question is: to what temp should I cook them? Meathead's article says not to take them above 145, but in other places around these posts, Ive seen people taking them up to 180 or 203. And it seems like that is because there are multiple cuts called country-style ribs, which range from something similar to loin, to just sliced shoulder. There are some cross-sections of bone in these cuts that look like the bone from a shoulder or a butt, but I can't be sure. So, is there anyone out there who can look at the attached pic and tell me what I am dealing with, and thus how high I should take it?

Thanks to all... Happy Labor Day!

[Jerod Broussard]

I take them dudes on up to almost 200. I like the tenderness. I sauce at the end like ribs.

[mayapoppa]

Thanks!

[billg71]

Those look pretty much like pork chops to me, I'd suggest sticking with Meathead's recommendation. I've tried smoking country-style ribs low-n-slow for hours, they come out like shoe leather.

[smarkley]

What Jerod says... Those are basically shoulder steaks

[DWCowles]

Here's how I like to do them

[Medusa]

Allright! DWCowles. I make kebabs with the BNLS, but now I know what to do with the Bone-In. Awesome video!

Thanks!

-- Ed

[mayapoppa]

That looks good (GUUD) but one of the things I wanted to do with these is a try a couple of rubs and sauces on various pieces to do a little experimenting. Can't do that with them all simmering in one dish.

[smarkley]

DWCowles I am thinking around 2 hours in a dutch... depending on temp! Should come out good!

I have cooked these in a dutch but it was a braise... a little different but they came out fork tender in about 2 hours at 325-350 degrees in the oven

[mayapoppa]

Alright... this thread is an example of why I'm confused! I think I'm going to listen to Jarod and co. and try taking them up to the 200 range. billg71, I'm hoping you are wrong!

Thanks to all who have chimed in...

[smarkley]

Yup Jerod has it... you can do on your grill cook to about 200 internal -- remember this is just a sliced up pork butt... look at the bone, it should look familiar

[Huskee]

To add to your confusion, I've cooked them until 180-190 with good results. I'd never do that with actual ribs or actual solid pork butt, but with these they were plenty yum. Just an option for you if you find yourself impatient and running out of time.

[mayapoppa]

@Huskee... that is a perfectly timed suggestion. The day got away from me a bit, and I started them a little later than planned. They are closing in on 170, and I'd like to eat within an hour. Also, do you (or anyone else with knowledge of these things) cambro them?

[billg71]

Alright... this thread is an example of why I'm confused! I think I'm going to listen to Jarod and co. and try taking them up to the 200 range. billg71, I'm hoping you are wrong!

Thanks to all who have chimed in...

Best of luck, I hope your mileage varies.

Let us know how it turns out, please.

Best,
Bill

[Jerod Broussard]

The reason I sauce is because being thin, they will dry out a little.

But man, talk about some goooooooooood stuff.

[smarkley]

It looks GUUUD!

[SwampDonkeyzBBQ]

Looks Good!

[mayapoppa]

Oh yeah... I would be happy to see something like that in a couple of hours!

[mayapoppa]

So they came out great... thanks to everyone who chimed in. There is certainly a range of meat in these... some are very white, like a pork chop, and some are much darker, more like the shoulder. I took them up to 180-190, and (no surprise) the darker meat was wonderful and tender, but the whiter meat was a bit dry. Not sure I would do these again, as the variation makes it difficult.

Here are some pics, and again, thanks!

[smarkley]

weird... like they mixed some chops in with it?

[mayapoppa]

Maybe... there was significant color difference in the meat when cooked. I read somewhere else that this isn't surprising for these things.

[Jerod Broussard]

Nice. I don't mind the dry, I actually prefer a whiter drier meat, unless we are talking about wild duck.

I've done these a few times. Plan to do some again soon.

[SwampDonkeyzBBQ]

Generally, most "country style" pork ribs are just sliced, bone in, pork butt.

[Harry]

Today (2 Apr 2016), I'll be following, as instructed, the America's Test Kitchen recipe for "Barbecued Country-Style Ribs" as it appears in the ATK "Best Ingredients/Best Recipes" magazine from late Summer 2015 @ page 78. The recipe notes that the meat pieces are not really ribs but are chops from the blade end of the loin and that the recipe, which calls for pounding the chops into 3/4 inch thick slabs and slathering with some sauce then grilling, covered, somewhat indirectly to 125 degrees then finishing, uncovered with more slather, directly over high heat to 145 degrees [THANK YOU, Thermapen!] is not really "barbecue". I put all that source info in there in case somebody wants to try this recipe instead of the more traditional approaches listed earlier in the thread.

I'm just happy to be putting stuff on coals so if the head chef in the house wants me to follow her chosen recipe and if she is making the slather, I'm ready. We're doing fresh (?) corn, too, on the grill.

NEXT time, I'm following the DWCowles/Pit Boys "Jacks Ribs" method.

[gcdmd]

mayapoppa, the second one from the top in your initial photo appears to have a piece of rib in it. The bottom one is clearly a section through the scapula (shoulder blade or seven bone) containing what is called the spine of the scapula (not the same as the chine or backbone), all of which supports the contention that you have sections of shoulder or butt.

[Mosca]

Generally, most "country style" pork ribs are just sliced, bone in, pork butt.

Around here they are usually from the rib. Sometimes shoulder chops are included, but they are almost always those long chops with a small 1" to 2" curved rib bone at one end.

I coat them with a rub and grill them until they look done, then simmer them in a pot full of BBQ sauce until they are tender. That's how my mom made them. They come out pretty freakin' good that way.

There is also a website dedicated to country style rib recipes: http://www.countrystyleribs.org

[Mosca]

A clarification, too: I grill my country styles because the ones with the little curved bones are actually chops. If you cook them low and slow they dry out. The ones that are shoulder steaks cook better low and slow.