Today we’re preparing oven baked country style ribs, prepared with a fresh garlic and apricot preserve rub. The addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, and just a dash of cloves, adds warming spice notes, contrasting nicely with the sweetness of the apricots. The ribs cook up tender, further moistened by the rub.

Prep Tips

1) Why Resting Matters. One word; moisture. During cooking, the liquids of the meat, any meat, are drawn out of the flesh and ‘float’ between the cooked muscle fibers. Allowing your meat to rest gives this liquid the opportunity to reabsorb back into the muscle fibers of the meat as they cool. Should you cut into the meat without allowing it to rest, these liquids will spill out of the meat, drying it out. This is one reason I suggest ‘not’ using a stab-in meat thermometer.

2) The Foil Tent is a Must. The foil tent keeps the ribs from drying out during the cooking process – which ‘can’ happen even when cooking them low and slow. While I’m leaving them ‘tented’ during the entirety of the cooking process, some chefs will start their ribs out bare and then cover them midway through the cooking process, while others do the opposite. All three methods achieve delicious ribs. Personally, however, in my opinion, since ribs are at their ‘moistest’ when raw, you will likely lose more moisture during the early part of cooking, and thus this is when ribs should be covered, since this is when there is the most moisture to lose. However, all three methods are used by top chefs worthy of respect and emulation.

Ingredient Notes and Tips

1) Sea Salt or Table Salt – Is There a Difference? Can you substitute one for the other? In terms of flavor, the honest answer is ‘it depends.’ To start, sea salt is produced by evaporating ocean water. It is the trace minerals, impurities, and ‘elements’ that are found in saltwater that gives sea salt its distinctive flavor. However, depending on how thoroughly processed the ‘salt’ is after it’s been produced via evaporation (and ‘all’ sea salt requires at least ‘some’ processing), your sea salt might not actually taste any different. The more sea salt tastes like ‘the sea’ the less it’s been processed – which may or may not actually be a good thing. With all of that said, for culinary purposes, while I love my Pink Himalayan Salt and Black Hawaiian Sea Salt as much as the next gourmet, the reality is that table salt and sea salt are almost entirely interchangeable except in very specific circumstances. Thus, feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

2) Preserves, Jam, or Jelly – Does it make a difference? Yes, it makes a ‘big’ difference. During cooking, jelly will melt away to liquid. Jam will ‘partially’ melt away. Preserves will produce a thick, sticky ‘reduction’ – which is precisely what you want for a rub. The difference comes down to how these three different items are made. Jelly is made from (thoroughly) strained fruit juice, which is then combined with copious amounts of sugar, and usually some kind of thickener, such as pectin. When heated, this combination of ingredients returns to its natural liquid form. Not fun. Jam is thicker than jelly, being made from fruit juice, chopped or crushed fruit, or fruit puree, along with lots of sugar. Thickeners are also usually present, although most commercially produced jams are looser than jelly. Preserves, by contrast, are made with large chunks of fruit, or whole fruit in the case of berry preserves, which are then cooked in sugar before being bottled. As such, the preserves will cook down to a reduction or reduction-like, viscous liquid, whereas jelly will liquify, and jam will ‘mostly’ liquify.

Country Style Pork Ribs – The Reason You’re Here

1) What are they? To start, they aren’t actually ribs. Instead, they are cut from the loin end of the pork shoulder, and have no rib bones…because they aren’t ribs. While these are typically boneless, they ‘may’ have some of the shoulder blade. Regardless of whether or not they are truly boneless or have portions of the shoulder blade is no indication of the quality of the meat, cut, or butcher, instead it’s just a matter of ‘precisely where’ and how the cut was made.

2) Are they Loin? Or are they Shoulder? The answer to those questions is ‘Yes.’ Being cut from the loin end of the pork shoulder means that these may either be loin or shoulder or some combination thereof. Once again, this depends purely on ‘how’ the cut was made, as well as ‘precisely’ where the cut was made. As you may have guessed, whether your country ribs are loin or shoulder or both will determine the best way to prepare them.

3) Selecting Quality Country Ribs – A Matter of “Where.” As mentioned above, these ‘ribs’ may either contain solely loin meat, solely shoulder meat, or have some mix of both. This fact will define how best to prepare your country ribs. Thus, if possible, you’ll want to find out what kind of meat or cut the country are that you’re buying. Are they loin or shoulder? Are they ‘mostly’ loin or shoulder? If they’re loin, or mostly loin, you’ll want to grill these stove top, either on a griddle or in a cast iron pan, or bbq them for best results. Conversely, if they are mostly shoulder meat you’ll need the tenderizing effects of cooking them low and slow, either in the oven at around 255-325 degrees for hours on end, or simply toss them in a sauce, where the meat is not only tenderized courtesy of the cooking process but also infused with extras flavor.

Today’s Ribs Pair Great With

1) Onion Rings. I love the combo of moist ribs and fried onion rings. I prepare my onion rings with just a hint of spice, and a thick, dense batter that crisps up beautifully during frying. You can grab my recipe here.

2) Coleslaw. My preferred recipe for coleslaw combines the obligatory mayo-coating with a citrusy dressing. For a nice kick, I slice in jalapenos with the cabbage to create a sweet-and-spicy salad, with just a hint of crisp citrus.

3) Ultimate Steak Platter. Pretty much everything in this steak platter.

4) Pickled Sweet Potato Salad. My absolute favorite way to eat sweet potatoes, this salad is sweet, crunchy, just tad acidic, and refreshing. As a plus, letting it sit a night or two in the fridge only enhances the flavors, meaning its perfect for making ahead.

5) Spicy Jalapeno and Orange Salad. A simple fruit salad prepared with oranges, mint, jalapeno, fresh basil, and nutmeg. This salad packs a nice kick, while remaining crisp and refreshing, while being blissfully simple to put together. This is a summer salad that you should definitely have in your seasonal repertoire.

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