I have not been shy in our posts to admit that I am a meat lover. I even like some fat on the meat. That is one reason I like country style pork ribs. They are usually marbled with fat which makes them flavorful, tender and juicy. What makes this marinade different from most, is molasses. It makes the marinade thick, which helps it stick to the meat and stay there. It adds a unique, rich, deep flavor, which is equally as good on beef and chicken as it is on pork. As an added bonus, because molasses is a derivative of sugar processing, it helps to brown the meat and give it a little char, whether you bake or grill it.
Use a glass or pottery baking dish any time you are marinating so you are not picking up any after taste from the vessel you are marinating in. If you don’t have a glass or pottery shallow rimmed dish, plastic would be better than metal, unless the metal is stainless steel. Baking dishes are a reasonably priced investment in basic kitchen equipment. I have found that flea markets and yard sales often have glass and pottery baking dishes dirt cheap. They are handy to have around for so many dishes, sweet and savory. That is why we have them listed on our SHOPPING LIST of suggested “should have in your kitchen” items.
For a number of reasons, my grill did not get set up this summer. But I still had my usual craving for grilled food. My solution? Head over to my son John’s house. Yes, of course I wanted some family time, but isn’t food always in the mix? John and Cindy usually feed me. And this summer I have been requesting gilled food, in advance of my visit. Oh my, that makes me sound like a mother-in-law, doesn’t it? I contribute to the cause now and again. And so what if I submit a request! Wasn’t it ME who ran out the night before they were married, to stuff the refrigerator full of pizza, because cold pizza was John’s favorite breakfast? I am absolving myself of any guilt. On a recent visit, I brought a large baking dish loaded with chicken breasts, soaking in this marinade. When cooked, they were melt in your mouth tender and juicy. They were delicious. The marinade was a hit with the whole family. To give credit where credit is due, grilled food is only as good as the skill of the person doing the grilling, and John nailed it! Mothers never stop bragging about their children, no matter how old they are. That’s just what we do. But my assessment of my son’s grilling skills is completely unbiased. 😊
Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:
| 3-5 pounds country style ribs, with bones or boneless |
| 4 tablespoons olive oil |
| 3 tablespoons soy sauce |
| 2 tablespoons molasses |
| 3 scallions chopped |
| 4 cloves of garlic chopped |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon pepper |
This is WHAT TO DO:
If you are cooking in the oven, preheat to 350 degrees.
Chop the scallions and garlic.
Mix the olive oil, soy sauce, molasses, scallions, garlic, salt and pepper together in a glass baking dish. Roll the ribs in the marinade so all sides have been covered.
These boneless ribs have been rolled in the marinade. They are covered on all sides so the flavor can permeate all the meat. The meat needs to sit in the marinade, in the refrigerator, for at least an hour. To get full flavor, turn the ribs over when you are half way through your planned resting time.
Put in the refrigerator for at least one hour. You can even leave the meat in overnight, and cook it the next day. Cover the dish if you are going to be marinating overnight.
Before cooking, let the meat warm up, out of the cold marinade for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. If you are baking the ribs in the oven, place them on a rack, in a shallow baking pan. The rack allows the dry heat to cook the meat on all sides, and the shallow baking pan serves the same purpose. You don’t want anything to interfere with free air flow around the meat. You don’t need fancy baking equipment, just match up a fairly sturdy rack to a shallow pan.
Here are the marinated, boneless, country style pork ribs ready to go into a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. See how the color has darkened from soaking up the marinade?
Neat fact: this is my grandmother’s baking pan. That means it is really old. I love using family cooking equipment. It is almost like having the family member with me as I use them.
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Or grill them. Either cooking method should take about 45 minutes.
Pictured below are bone-in country style ribs cooked in the oven. A rack in a shallow pan, causes the same even cooking heat as grilling. It also allows the fat to drip away from the meat like grilling does. As you can see, the baked ribs look like those that are grilled. The molasses in the marinade helps with that.
Country Style Ribs
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Chop scallion and garlic.
- For the marinade, mix olive oil, soy sauce, molasses, scallion, garlic, salt and pepper in a glass baking dish.
- Add ribs to the marinade, and roll them around until they are completely covered. Refrigerate for at least an hour. If you are leaving them in for more than an hour, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. You can leave the meat in the marinade overnight if you like. While marinating, try to turn the ribs over at least once, preferably half way through.
- When out of the refrigerator, leave the ribs out for 15-20 minutes to warm to room temperature.
Cooking Instructions
- Bake for 45 minutes in 350 degree oven or grill.
Notes
Nutrition
A NOTE ABOUT SCALLIONS
The whole scallions, as you would buy them, are pictured on the far left. Other onions on the board, from the top outside row: White onion (sometimes called sweet onions), red onion (sometimes called Bermuda onions), yellow onion. Inside row is two shallots with a head of garlic in the middle.
Scallions are also called green onions. They have a little white bulb at the end of a long green stem. Chop up the white bulb after trimming off the “hairy” tip. Then continue to chop the green stems until you have all that you want to add to your dish. The stems are completely edible. Scallions have a taste similar to an onion, yet more subtle.