Country-Style Pork Ribs With Onion Gravy

A plate of smothered pork chops with caramelized onions, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and a dinner roll in the background.

5 from 1 vote

Boneless country-style pork ribs are seasoned, seared, and slowly braised in a rich homemade onion gravy until fork-tender.

Prep Time20

Cook Time3 10

Total Time3 30

Servings:

Ingredients

For the Pork Ribs
3 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons black pepper
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Onion Gravy
2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium beef broth warmed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for serving, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Pat the country-style ribs dry with paper towels. Season all sides with the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and thyme.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the pork for 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer the browned pork to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the sliced onions. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden brown.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour over the onions. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring continuously, until the flour begins to turn light brown.
Slowly pour in the warm beef broth while stirring or whisking to prevent lumps. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release the browned bits.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, thyme, onion powder, black pepper, and bay leaf. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes. Taste and add salt only if needed.
Return the pork and any collected juices to the pot. Spoon some of the onion gravy over the meat. The pork should sit mostly in the gravy without being completely submerged.
Cover the Dutch oven and transfer it to the preheated oven. Braise for 2–2½ hours, turning the pork halfway through, until it is fork-tender and approximately 195–205°F internally. The minimum safe temperature for whole pork is 145°F with a 3-minute rest; this longer braise continues until the meat is fork-tender.
Remove the pot from the oven and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the pork to a plate if the gravy needs to be adjusted.
For thicker gravy, simmer it uncovered over medium heat for 5–10 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, gradually stir in additional beef broth.
Return the pork to the gravy and spoon the onions over the top. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve hot.

Notes

Sear in batches so the pork browns instead of steaming.
Use fork tenderness to judge the braise; lean loin-style country ribs may behave differently from shoulder cuts.
Reduce thin gravy with the pork removed, then return it to the pot.

Estimated nutrition. Per one-sixth of the ribs and all onion gravy. Uses boneless pork shoulder and reduced-sodium broth references; counts all cooking fat and sauce. Extra salt, broth and optional garnish are excluded.

Nutrition