Traeger Smoked Country Style Ribs
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Smoked country style ribs on the Traeger are a delicious new way to enjoy an affordable and delicious cut of pork. Low and slow brings out the best in this family favorite, the Traeger Smoked Country Style Pork Ribs. Learn how to cook these ribs just right.
Growing up in Iowa – my Dad cooked all the time and one of his favorites was country style ribs. We would always bake them in the oven and they came out tender and juicy. But now – I’m all grown up and have been in love with my Traeger grill. It’s great for low and slow smoking and I had to breath new life into these country style ribs!
What are Country Style Ribs?
There are so many amazing different cuts of pork that you can use on the Traeger. Country-Style Ribs are from the blade end of the loin – near the pork shoulder. They are very meaty and there are actually no bones! These actually have pork loin and some pork blade meat – so some of the meat is more lean – while other parts more fatty. I like them because it provides a nice balance all the best parts!
Ingredients for Smoked Country Style Ribs:
- Country Ribs – country style ribs are $3.49/lb vs. $4.59 for st. louis style ribs or $5.99/lb for baby back ribs!
- They have bone-in and boneless ribs that are Country Style. You can choose whichever style you like –
- BBQ Rub – everybody with a smoker has a bag full of rubs and seasoning mixes – use your favorite! Mine is Historic BBQ Red.
- Most rubs have similar ingredients like brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder – so use your personal favorite
- Butter – just a half stick
- Apple Juice, pineapple juice or cold water
- Favorite bbq sauce – again – use what you like
How to smoke Pork Country Style Ribs on Traeger Grill:
I’ll tell you – it’s a process – but this country style pork ribs recipe is definitely worth it in the end! These same instructions work for any pellet grill.
- Rinse ribs and pat dry with a paper towel
- First you rub the ribs – I have a dry rub recipe for you – but you can also use any poultry rub you like. I like Historic BBQ – they have a Red that is for pork & poultry that I love! You want to be sure to put a good dusting of the bbq rub on your meat – don’t be delicate!
- Once the ribs have the rub – you put them on your up-to-temp Traeger grill at 225. You need to cook them at this low temp to smoke your ribs. This will add a lot of flavor to the ribs – although it does take time.
- For best results, smoke the ribs at 225 for about three hours – this is low and slow baby!
- At this point you’re going to remove the ribs from the grill and put them in a pan. You’ll add apple juice and butter to get some moisture in the ribs.
- Bump the ribs up to a higher temp of 275 until the internal temperature of the meat comes up to 190 degrees.
- After that, you’ll remove them from the pan, sauce them and back on the grill to add your favorite barbecue sauce and let that set in for about 15 minutes . Then they’re FINALLY ready! This whole process took 4-5 hours – but it was sure worth it.
Can you make Country Style Ribs faster on the Traeger?
Yes – you can definitely do a quicker method like you would with a pork loin or even Yes – you can definitely do a quicker method like you would with a pork loin or even chops – they just won’t be smoked. I think the best way to cook country style ribs is low and slow with smoke – it’s more time consuming but it does produce a delicious flavor. Always be sure to check the temp on your pork – here’s a quick guide to pork temperatures.
What if I don’t have a smoker? How would I make this on a regular grill.?
If you have a regular grill instead of a smoker – you can use either pellets or wood chips to get the smoky flavor.
- Wood chips – Soak them in water for 30 minutes before starting the grill. One cup of wood chips will last for about 20 minutes. Keep adding chips to the grill throughout the process. If you use a charcoal grill, light the coals, when the coals are ready, place them on one side of the grill. Place some of the wood chips on top of the coals. Place your food on the side without the coals to cook it with indirect heat.
- Pellets & Smoke Tubes – Sometimes folks with a Traeger still want MORE smoke – so they use smoke tube and fill them with pellets. You light the pellets on one end and then once they light, blow out the flame. Then, set your smoke tubs on the grill (indirect heat side) and shut the lid. They will smoke throughout your cook and add that smokiness into your ribs! You can even add these to your pellet grill for extra smoke flavor!
How many pounds of country style ribs per person?
Folks will eat approx 1/3 pound per person – so you can think of it as one country style rib per person.
Are country style ribs boneless or bone-in?
Well – they’re both! You can get them either way but the only difference is that the bone-in are a little longer and I always think bone-in has more flavor! Boneless country-style pork ribs can be a little more convenient for people and they are a bit leaner.
How do you store and reheat leftover country style ribs?
Wrapping your ribs in aluminum foil is typically enough to keep them for 1-2 days. Otherwise store in an air-tight container and reheat in the oven at 200 for 20-30 minutes covered. You can always add a little apple or pineapple juice to the pan/foil pack for extra moisture.
What to serve with Smoked Country Style Ribs
Obviously – when you’ve got ribs – you’ve got side dishes – here are some of my favorites!
Other Traeger Recipes:
This post is sponsored by Iowa Pork. All opinions are my own.
Traeger Smoked Country Style Ribs
Video
Ingredients
Rib Rub
- 1/8 cup paprika
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground pepper
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
Ribs
- 2 lbs country style ribs
- 1/4 cup BBQ Rib Rub
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- If you want to make your own rub – mix together all seasoning ingredients above. Or you can use a premade. My favorite is Historic BBQ.1/8 cup paprika, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp light brown sugar, 2 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp ground pepper, 2 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder
- Coat your ribs completely with the rub seasoning.2 lbs country style ribs
- Setup your Traeger to cook at 225 degrees and place ribs on grill. Cook until ribs are at 155 degrees – approx 3 hours. Spritz the ribs with apple juice every hour until they get up to temp.1 cup apple juice
- When the ribs hit 155, remove them from the Traeger, and use tongs to place each of them in a large roasting dish or disposable pan.
- Add a half cup of apple juice to the roaster, along with four pats of butter. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and return the ribs to your smoker.4 tbsp butter
- Then adjust the temp of your smoker to 275, and let ribs cook until meat temp is 190. It will take about 60 minutes for them to come up to temp.
- When they are all up to temp, remove the ribs from the roasting pan and place them back on the grill rack and return to the smoker.
- Brush each of the ribs with your favorite bbq sauce, and let them cook at 275 for about 15 min.1 cup barbecue sauce
- Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes – then (finally) enjoy!
I’m only 14 and I tried this recipe, these were the best ribs that I have ever made. The recipe, was very easy to understand, and the results won a contest between my friends and I, BEST RIBS EVER!
That’s awesome Joziah!!! This is my favorite comment ever!
I made this recipe this past weekend! WOW! The EASIEST and most DELICIOUS ribs ever!! My husband took leftovers for his lunch at the fire station and his Chief wanted to know why he didnโt bring enough for everyone!!!
That’s awesome! Glad you liked them! I’ve been making country style ribs since I was a kid – they’re a favorite cut of meat. ๐
Second weekend with my new Traeger found this recipe. Didn’t use a rub, just sea salt and ground pepper. Substituted white grape juice for apple juice. Times and temps were spot on. BBQ sauce is a great finishing touch. These country ribs were delicious with a nice hint of hickory smoke.
What pellets did you use
I used apple
Thanks for the recipe! I made these delicious country style ribs today and REALLY like them. I am a new Traeger owner (Pro 22) and LOVE trying recipes. Along with ribs today, I cooked hot dogs, hamburgers, halved potatoes, quarter zucchini & yellow squash and quartered green cabbage. It all turned out amazing, but the BEST flavor is the ribs–hands down–tender, flavorful & they were on sale! (after moving from a different state 2 months ago and purchasing my Traeger, each time I use it and try new recipes I am inspired to cook and start posting regularly in my blog–cooking is my happy place.)
So glad you liked them – and such an affordable cut of pork!
Isn’t 190 too hot for pork? Everything I’ve read says pork is done at 145. I think they’d be dried out at 190.
It is DONE at 145 – but for ribs you want to cook them longer for that low & slow, fall apart texture…
Lean cuts of pork the 145F temp leaves them juicy and a splash of pink. Lean cuts cooked to higher temps are those grey dry shoe leather types of pork.
With the fattier sections like the shoulders, ribs, etc, those cuts need the longer cooking time to higher temps. Usually 195F to 205F. The fat and collagen break down adding moisture and tenderness to the meat.
Will cook open to the 145F to 165F ranges then wrap in foil or cook in a covered pan to the higher temp.
Same situation with beef. Lean to 125F medium rare range. Fattier chucks and brisket to the 205F range. If you make a beef Chuck roast and it seems tough, itโs not overcooked, it needs longer cooking to the higher temps. Then itโs fall apart good.
I love your ribs smoking recipe. You have explained very well. For your users who want to convert from propane gas to natural gas grill, here how to convert propane to natural gas article which will give a good experience to your user.
otherwise…
keep doing this great work
If I marinade my ribs first for 3-4 hours, do I still need to do the pan/apple juice step?
I would still do it because you need to continue cooking the ribs. I don’t feel like pork ribs need to be marinated so I have not done that.
I did something wrong. I cooked the ribs to the recommended time/temp. They turned out very dry. Not tough, but dry. I did put them on the grill on โwarmโ after the 15 mins of sauce time for 15 mins, in a pan, covered.
I made these a few weeks back and the ribs turned out amazing. Sweet and savory and so tender they just melted in your mouth. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome and a keeper!! Made this recipe exactly using the Traeger Pork rub. โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ So easy to follow and they turned out perfect
Glad you liked it!!!
I Love this recipe thanks
These were so tasty! Iโll definitely make them again.
THANK YOU! So glad you liked them!
mine were tasty but tuff.
It can be tough (no pun intended) because country style rib cuts can vary depending on where the cut is from. I would take off a little sooner next time. Always feel free to taste test near the end to see where you like it. Sometimes meat has a mind of its own.
Could you substitute beer for apple juice??
Yes for sure
this is a new favorite for our family! i use the RibRack original bbq sauce, and they are absolutely delicious!
Simple and yummy! I was in a hurry so I went with my go-to rub…Old Bay. It’s good on lots of things besides sea food. I had boneless ribs this time but I agree bone in are more flavorful.