9/10/21

Country-Style Ribs & Rice

An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style pork ribs. 

JUMP TO RECIPE

If you’re still reading this after seeing the description above, you’re probably from the deep south, over 40 or have an affinity for country cooking. Or all of the above.

And you might be thinking about how good it will be with a side of crowder peas or baby limas and some fresh sliced garden tomatoes. While we’re daydreaming, let’s add some collard greens, potato salad and biscuits too. Man, dang!

And if you’re anything like me, your mouth is watering just thinking about all of it! 

Country-Style Ribs & Rice! An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

We Southerners love to cook rice in the pan drippings and stock of slow-cooked meat – typically chicken or pork. From Chicken Pilau (“perlo”) to Greasy Rice to Chicken Bog to Ham Rice, if something we cook puts off a fair amount of drippings or makes a rich broth, we’re not letting it go to waste!

Doing so would be as sacrilegious as throwing out bacon grease.

This recipe evolved from something I grew up eating and love: Neck Bones & Rice. Neck Bones & Rice (recipe here) is typically a little more basic than this recipe but it’s made the same way. I just started using country-style ribs over the years because they’re easier to find and have a LOT more meat.

Country-Style Ribs & Rice! An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

WHAT ARE COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS?

Country-style ribs aren’t actually ribs at all. True country-style pork ribs are strips cut from the area between the butt and the rib end of the loin. Before these “ribs” became popular, the meat from this area was typically ground for sausage because it’s so fatty and boney, no one really knew how to market it. 

Country-style ribs have become so popular that butchers are cutting “ribs” from pork shoulders. This is fine but they can be somewhat dry since they’re much leaner than true country-style ribs and often boneless. Most of what you see in big chain grocery stores aren’t true country-style ribs, but rather these strips of shoulder.

Country-Style Ribs & Rice! An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

FAQ ON COOKING COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS:

Do I have to sear the ribs first? Yes. This will add a layer of flavor to the stock, it will help the ribs finish very tender and, since you’re likely not getting true county style ribs (which means they will be leaner) we need to add some fat to the dish.

Why bacon grease? Because bacon makes everything better. It will add a smoky flavor to the rice. Vegetable oil can be substituted if necessary but if the reason you don’t have bacon grease is because you don’t save it, you might need to get right with Jesus. 

Do I have to use country-style ribs? Nope! Pork neck bones or a small bone-in roast will work great too. You can use any cut you find that has plenty of marbling and/or bones since this is where the flavor comes from. 

What is Liquid Smoke? Liquid Smoke is sort of a savory extract that is actually made from smoke. Particles of hardwood smoke (such as hickory or mesquite) are collected in condensers which creates a liquid that is then reduced to a concentrate.  It’s optional in this recipe but I think it really makes the rice taste amazing! Look for it near BBQ sauces and marinades in your grocery store.

Country-Style Ribs & Rice! An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

I typically serve this as a main dish first then serve the leftovers as a side dish later in the week. If you’re thinking about making it, here are some ideas for what to serve with it:

Southern-Style Canned Green Beans Perfectly cooked Southern-style green beans with canned beans - the beans don’t fall apart but taste like they’ve cooked all day!

Country-Style Baby Lima Beans A no-fail Southern recipe for tender baby lima beans (butterbeans) cooked low and slow with bacon.

Cucumber & Tomato Salad A simple recipe for a perfect summer salad made with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and an easy oil and vinegar dressing.

Southern-Style Green Beans & Potatoes Fresh green beans and potatoes cooked low and slow the Southern way with bacon and onion.

Perfectly Cooked Collard Greens A step-by-step recipe for cooking the best authentic Southern collard greens.

Southern-Style Potato Salad Southern style potato salad recipe with mayonnaise, a little mustard, pickle relish and boiled eggs.

Southern Cooked Cabbage Cabbage cooked the Southern way by sautéing in bacon grease then slowly cooking until tender - sometimes called Fried Cabbage.

Recipe for Country-Style Ribs and Rice

Country-Style Ribs & Rice! An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

Country-Style Ribs & Rice

Country-Style Ribs & Rice
Yield: 8 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 10 M
An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. country-style pork ribs
  • Salt & pepper
  • 4 tablespoons bacon grease
  • 1 14.5-oz can beef broth
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups uncooked white rice

Instructions

  1. Season ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat bacon grease over medium-high heat.
  2. Sear ribs on all sides then set aside.
  3. Add beef broth, water, Liquid Smoke, salt and remaining spices to pot. Stir to deglaze the pan then reduce heat to low.
  4. Add ribs to broth, cover pot then cook over low heat for 2-3 hours or until very tender. DO NOT let the broth come to a full boil.
  5. Remove ribs from broth then cool. Keep pot covered.
  6. Shred rib meat into small pieces, discarding fatty bits and bones if applicable.
  7. Taste broth for seasoning then add more if desired. Bring broth to a boil.
  8. Once boiling, add rice and rib meat.
  9. Bring to a gentle boil then cover, reduce heat to low or medium-low (wherever your dial gives you a gentle simmer) then cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
  10. Stir rice once or twice with a fork to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan but don’t overwork the rice. Don’t stir the rice or open the lid the last 5 minutes of cooking.
  11. Remove from heat then let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
country-style, country, ribs, pork, neckbones, neck bones, greasy rice, southern, pork roast, how to, authentic, best, recipe, liquid smoke, perlo
main dishes, supper, dinner, potluck
southern, american
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Country-Style Ribs & Rice! An old-school Southern recipe made with rice cooked in a rich stock made from slowly cooked country-style ribs.

17 comments:

  1. This sounds good. Have never tried ribs and rice but often make country style ribs with dressing. Great fall meal.

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  2. My oh my! I've been eating neckbones and rice all my life! This recipe sounds like a delicious take on that recipe although we never made it that fancy! We served it with a baked sweet potato on the side and freshly baked (in a cast iron skillet) cornbread with butter. More carbs! LOL! Thank you for sharing this recipe with a fellow Southern gal!

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  3. This sounds so yummy!! In my grocery store, I can get bone in or boneless country style ribs. Can you tell me which you used for this?
    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Bone-in always! You're lucky find them that way, not everyone can :)

      Delete
  4. Girl, your making me hangry! It has been so long since I had me some good ol ribs n rice!! I'm gonna have to go to the store and get me some stuff to make this tonight. My mouth is just watering everytime I think about it. People you ain't had good food till you eat you some of this!

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  5. Reminds me of the pork and rice dishes that my grandmother, who was born in 1899, used to make in eastern NC, and at the time I paid no attention to how she did it! She didn't have a pretty pot/Dutch oven like yours, though...I love the color! I'm 69, and I'm going to try this and take a trip sown memory lane...

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  6. From the Midwest...made this tonight as shown in the recipe....AWESOME !!!!

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  7. In my 70's made last night delicious.. So nice to have something new. Served with artisan bread & salad. Felt something was missing will serve with refried beans next time & potato salad sounds good.
    Very tasty we loved it gave it a 10. Thank you

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  8. Very similar to how my grandmother taught me to make this. She was born in 1911 and got the recipe from her grandmother. Try throwing in a couple bay leaves and a few cloves of garlic. You'll love it.

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  9. I made this tonight because I had country ribs....so incredible. Good southern, warm YUM! My husband doesn't really like rice but had thirds. There are a lot of possibilities for the leftovers. YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS!

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  10. Sounds amazing! My grandmother made pig tails and rice. She grew up on a farm and they used snout to tail. It was so good, I just hated all the bones.

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  11. Thanks so much for posting. My grandma used to make ribs and rice in the pressure cooker and it was one of my favorites !

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  12. My store has pork and beef country ribs. Which do I get?

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    Replies
    1. These are pork. I just realized I never specified that! I didn’t know there was another kind. I’ll update the post!

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  13. Being a Northerner (but not a Yankee), I grew up eating meat and carbs seven days a week, but never have I tasted anything like your rice recipes. The Jailhouse Rice was so good, and I will be making this one soon. Keep 'em coming. Ya, youbetcha.

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  14. The recipe is good but the page itself overall is garbage. Why is copy and paste disabled? These are not national secrets here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Lord knows, I’ve grown some thick skin in the 13 years I’ve spent sharing recipes online, but damn it’s hard to hear my site is garbage.

      I built it myself. Slowly, painfully learning how to do all of it. I was flat broke when I started so I couldn’t pay for a ready-made site. Every feature, every picture, all the coding behind the scenes, every last bit of it was something I had to learn how to do myself.

      And then there are the hours and hours of cooking, photography, editing and writing I dp myself. All in an effort to share my recipes and yes, make money too.

      Then came the vultures who stole my photos and pasted the recipes on their own sites and facebook pages. Every time my photos and recipes show up somewhere else online my SEO rankings drop lower and lower until they can’t be found until the 3rd or 4th page of a web search. SEO?? I taught myself that too. Look it up.

      So, in a feeble attempt to slow down the parasites that feed off content creators like me, I disabled copy/paste. Just to make it a little harder to take take take from me all the hours of my life I’ve put into this site that now supports and sustains my family.

      State secrets? Nope. But worth a lot to me.

      So, yeah, it’s hard to hear all you can say is that it’s garbage. Do us both a favor and find another site to get free recipes from. I’m not up for you today.

      Delete

Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy