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Dennis Brown, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons — Smoked_country_style_pork_ribs.jpg
Have a photo of Country-style ribs from your butcher? and we'll credit you.
Not actually ribs — country-style ribs are thick strips cut from the blade end of the pork loin or the upper shoulder, named for the rib-like slabs they produce when butchered. Bone-in or boneless; the bone, when present, is the scapula or part of a rib, not the dorsal-rib bones of true spare ribs or back ribs. Heavily marbled compared to centre-cut chops, with enough connective tissue to forgive long cooking. The American-South / mid-Atlantic version is the most common — slow-grilled with sweet tomato BBQ sauce — but they're equally happy braised with sauerkraut, smoked low-and-slow, or finished in a tangy mustard-vinegar glaze. Outside the US the cut isn't a distinct retail category; closest cross-cultural relative is pork shoulder strips or carré côtelettes.
Names by country
| Country | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Country-style ribsprimary | USDA-recognised retail category (since 1972); cut from the blade end of the loin or upper shoulder. Bone-in or boneless; despite the name, not actually ribs. |
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