Country-Style Pork Ribs

By ltrodrigu

Technically not ribs at all, these cross-cut slices of pork shoulder are knife-and-fork food, though surely nobody will fault you for picking up the bones and gnawing at the last of the spicy, tangy glazed meat.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 bone-in country-style pork ribs (about 2 pounds total)
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes, or as desired

Preparation

Step 1

In a bowl, combine ¼ cup salt, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Reserve ¼ cup spice rub for later use; coat ribs with remaining spice mixture. Place ribs in a sealable plastic bag. Refrigerate ribs for at least four hours or, ideally, overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Arrange ribs in a single layer in roasting pan. Season with some of remaining spice rub. Cover pan with foil and bake ribs until fork-tender though not falling off the bone, 1½ -2 hours.

Meanwhile, Make Glaze:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer vinegar, sugar, chili flakes and remaining salt until thickened slightly, 15 minutes.

Remove fork-tender ribs from oven and pour off any accumulated liquid. Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Brush ribs with glaze. Once oven comes up to temperature, return ribs to oven for 5 minutes, then brush with glaze again. After another 5 minutes in oven, flip ribs, and repeat the glazing process. Serve with braised greens, roasted potatoes and coleslaw.