Country style Rib help

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nik76o

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Mar 8, 2006
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I have a question, im slow cooking 3 and 1/4 lbs of country style ribs at 250* degrees...the original recipe is for 5lbs and it says to cook for 3 hours, so what i want to know is, do i shorten the cooking time for 3 and 1/4 lb??
 
nik76o said:
I have a question, im slow cooking 3 and 1/4 lbs of country style ribs at 250* degrees...the original recipe is for 5lbs and it says to cook for 3 hours, so what i want to know is, do i shorten the cooking time for 3 and 1/4 lb??

A shorter cooking time will have to occur.
 
I'd guess the 5 pounds of ribs is just a longer strip of ribs (more ribs in a row), rather than a thicker piece of meat so I would expect it to cook in the same amount of time.
 
I would think it would take about the same amount of time too, not like it is a thick roast(small roast vs large roast).
 
ribs is ribs and they take time to cook and tenderize and get that melt in your mouth, fallin' off the bone, bone suckin' flavor.
 
Country style pork ribs (cut from the loin - not the country style "spare" ribs cut from the back) are one of my favorite foods!

The cooking time will be about the same for 3.25 vs 5 lbs. Don't know how you are cooking them - but bet there won't be 10-minutes difference.
 
Michael in FtW said:
Country style pork ribs (cut from the loin - not the country style "spare" ribs cut from the back) are one of my favorite foods!

The cooking time will be about the same for 3.25 vs 5 lbs. Don't know how you are cooking them - but bet there won't be 10-minutes difference.

Right.

Lee
 
Can I ask? You are speaking of "pork" ribs, isn't it? What type of cooking is "country style"? I'm very interested in this.....
 
RDG said:
Can I ask? You are speaking of "pork" ribs, isn't it? What type of cooking is "country style"? I'm very interested in this.....

You are correct. We are talking about pork ribs. "Country Style" refers to the cut of the ribs, not the style of cooking.

As Michael explained earlier, country style ribs are cut from a different portion of the pig and are heavier and meatier than spare ribs or baby back ribs.
 
Robo410 said:
ribs is ribs and they take time to cook and tenderize and get that melt in your mouth, fallin' off the bone, bone suckin' flavor.

I have to disagree. Now don't get me wrong, slow cooked ribs with a good rub or sauce, and cooked until the meat falls apart is a good thing. But it's only one great way to cook country-style ribs.

Another (I just had these this morning, and yeh, I know I eat strange things for breakfast), is to season the ribs and place in a smoking hot cast iron pan, sprayed with a good cooking spray. Imediately cover and cook for about five minutes. Trun the ribs over and repeat. Serve with sides.

The ribs should have just a hint of pink to them. They will be juicy, tender, and full of pork flavor. And just as with good beef, the flavor will be different that if the meat is cooked to the well-done stage.

For my flavorings, I sprinkled equal amounts of ginger, cardamon, tumeric, salt, and muti-colored ground pepper on both sides. By covering the meat, I allowed the oozing juices to creat steam which helped cook the meat quicker, and kept the herbs and spices from burning. The flavor and texture were phenominal.

Of course there are many flavors that complement the sweet pork. You can use chili powder, brown sugar, pineapple, etc. But the technique is the same.

Don't limit yourself. Be bold. Step our and take a chance. You might surprise yourself.

I had whole wheat toast with the rib, and finished the meal with freshly sliced cantaloupe. My flavor needs were met, and I'm ready for the day.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Country style ribs are a heavier, more meaty rib and it takes time to cook them properly. I cook them on the grill alot because they come out so good! They just fall off the bone and are so tender, all my friends just love them. They have more bones in them and are a lot cheaper price than Baby-back pork ribs because of that.

The ribs are cut in a much larger portion than regular pork ribs, with much more meat. About an inch and a half or more in gerth.
I dry rub them first and let them sit out for some time to get the seasoning all penetrated and the meat at room temperature.

I prepare the grill with a hot side and a cool side. On the hot side I place wet muskeet wood chips wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil with holes punched into one side, which goes down facing the fire. When the wood starts smoking real good I place the ribs over the top of the smoking hot side to get the outside of the meat seared, so the juices will stay in and make the meat more tender and moist. I turn them and watch them constantly becaue it shouldn't take too long, about five minutes depending on how hot the fire wood is.

Then I move them to the cool side and let the smoke flow over them from the other side all the while turning them to coat them with the smoke.
I cook them for at least two hours. Then I will test one to see how tender it is by just using a fork or a knife. If it is not to my likeing, I keep them on the grill untill I see that they are done the way I want which is usually within the next hour.

When they are nice and tender and juicy you can take them off and enjoy but sometimes at this point I also use my favorite BBQ sauce and slop them up and put them into a metal pan lined (for easier clean up and you don't want them to burn), and covered tightly with aluminum foil. Place it back on cool side of the grill and let them slow cook (bake) some more. They keep warm and good there for hours just in case we want to eat some more later and or more folks come late. It works good. And this little systems works for chicken, shrimp or anything else you can cook on the grill. It's a way of extending the entire BBQ experience all afternoon.

Now this whole thing is if you are cooking one two or three country style pork ribs or if you are cooking 3, 4, or five pounds. It doesn't matter. One rib takes the same amount of time.
Hope this helps.
 
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I think the answer is to cook them till they are done... no matter what they weigh.
Look at the bones... when the meat shrinks away from the bone and the bone-ends stick out... they are getting close to done.
Pick up one of the racks with tongs, near the end of the rack... if the rack sticks out sort of flat- they are not done. When you pick them up and the rack sort of flops down, loose- then they are done...and not before.

Now, of course you can eat them any time after the meat passes 140 degrees but that does not mean they are done like you want it...

The meat needs temperature and time to reach doneness like we want. The collagen and other connective tissue in Pork will dissolve when you get the internal temperature to 190 to 200 or so, but doing this at a slow rate!
Cooking at way over the 220 or so temperature will get the internal temperature up there all right, but if it is too hot it runs the risk of making the meat tough or dry... low and slow is the ticket... the only ticket to good ribs.
 
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