Maple Country-Style Ribs + Panzanella

Country-style ribs are one of those cuts that can be easy to overlook if you aren't familiar with them. They're thick, meaty, flavorful, and especially good when they're given plenty of time to cook low and slow.

For this meal, we're seasoning them with Maple Row Sugarhouse Maple Rub and finishing them with Maple BBQ Sauce. On the side, we're making a simple panzanella with Maple Row Sourdough and fresh Piedt Acres tomatoes and peppers.

Farmstead Meal #009
Serves: 4–6
Prep Time: About 15 minutes + 30 minutes to marinate
Cook Time: About 2 hours

Ingredients

From The Farmstead

• 2 lb Country-Style Pork Ribs
• Maple Row Sugarhouse Maple Rub
• Maple Row Sugarhouse Maple BBQ Sauce
• 1 loaf Maple Row Sourdough
• 2–3 Piedt Acres Beefsteak Tomatoes
• 1 Piedt Acres Bell Pepper

From Your Pantry or Garden

• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Basil, optional

Directions

1. Season the Country-Style Ribs

Pat the ribs dry and season generously on all sides with Maple Row Sugarhouse Maple Rub. Let them sit for about 30 minutes before cooking.

This gives the seasoning some time on the meat while allowing the ribs to lose some of their refrigerator chill before they go into the oven.

2. Cook Low & Slow

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Arrange the ribs in a baking dish, add ½ cup water to the bottom of the dish, and cover tightly with foil.

Roast for about 1¾–2½ hours. Start checking the ribs around 1¾ hours. You're looking for meat that is tender when pierced with a fork. An internal temperature around 195°F is a good target.

3. Don't Stop at "Done"

Pork is safe to eat before country-style ribs reach 195°F, but safe and tender aren't the same thing with this cut. If the ribs have reached a safe temperature but still feel tough, cover them back up and keep cooking.

Check them every 20–30 minutes until a fork slides easily into the meat. The extra time allows the connective tissue to soften and gives country-style ribs the tenderness we're looking for.

4. Finish with Maple BBQ Sauce

Once the ribs are tender, finish them with Maple Row Sugarhouse Maple BBQ Sauce. Brush the sauce over the ribs before serving.

5. Make the Panzanella

Cut the Maple Row Sourdough into bite-sized cubes. Toss lightly with olive oil and toast at 400°F for about 8–10 minutes.

Chop the Beefsteak tomatoes and bell pepper. Toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let the vegetables sit for about 10 minutes so the tomatoes begin releasing their juices.

6. Finish & Serve

Add the toasted sourdough to the tomatoes and peppers. Add fresh basil if you have it, toss everything together, and let the salad rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.

Serve the panzanella alongside the warm Maple Country-Style Ribs.

Farmstead Tip

WHAT IS PANZANELLA?

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad made with toasted bread, ripe tomatoes, fresh vegetables, olive oil, and vinegar. It’s also a great way to use slightly stale bread or bread you’ve tucked away in the freezer, giving it new life by soaking up the tomatoes, dressing, and all that flavor.

Know Your Cut: Country-Style Ribs

Despite the name, country-style ribs aren't the same thing as a traditional rack of ribs. They're thick, meaty cuts from the shoulder end of the loin, with more meat and marbling than you would typically find on a rack of ribs.

That makes them a great choice when you want the rich flavor of pork ribs but a more substantial piece of meat.

Why Cook Them Low & Slow?

Country-style ribs contain connective tissue that needs time to soften. Cooking them gently at 300°F gives that connective tissue time to break down while keeping the pork moist.

That's also why temperature doesn't tell the whole story. Around 195°F is a useful target, but the fork test matters most. If they're still tough, they need more time.

More Ways to Cook Country-Style Ribs

Once you get to know this cut, there's plenty you can do with it. Country-style ribs can be roasted, braised, grilled, or smoked. They can be served whole, sliced, or cooked until tender enough to pull apart.

They're also a good cut for soups, stews, beans, tacos, sandwiches, and other meals where you want rich pork flavor.

Meet the Maker: Maple Row Sugarhouse

Maple Row Sugarhouse is a family-owned and operated business in Jones, Michigan. What started with tapping a handful of maple trees has grown into a local sugarhouse making pure maple syrup and a variety of maple products.

For Farmstead Meal #009, we're using two of those products. Their Maple Rub combines maple sugar with paprika, celery, garlic, mustard, onion, salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, and cumin. It gives the pork a savory seasoning with just a little maple sweetness.

Then we're finishing the ribs with Maple Row Sugarhouse Maple BBQ Sauce, carrying that maple flavor all the way through the meal.

Why Panzanella?

The ribs are rich, savory, and a little sweet from the maple. Panzanella gives us something fresh and bright alongside them.

Ripe Beefsteak tomatoes release their juices into the olive oil and red wine vinegar. The toasted sourdough absorbs that dressing without completely losing its texture, turning a few simple ingredients into a hearty side.

What You'll Find at The Farmstead

Most of what you need for this meal is waiting at The Farmstead: Country-Style Pork Ribs from our farm, Maple Rub, Maple BBQ Sauce and Sourdough from Maple Row Sugarhouse, plus fresh Beefsteak tomatoes and bell peppers from Piedt Acres.

Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper from your pantry, and dinner is covered.

Made Possible by Local Producers

• Jake's Country Meats: Country-Style Pork Ribs
• Maple Row Sugarhouse: Maple Rub, Maple BBQ Sauce & Sourdough
• Piedt Acres: Beefsteak Tomatoes & Bell Pepper

These are the farmers and makers featured in this Farmstead Meal. What's available changes with the season, which is part of the idea: start with good meat, see what local farmers and makers are bringing in, and build dinner from there.

About The Farmstead

The Farmstead by Jake's Country Meats brings together meat from our family farm and food from neighboring farms, fisheries, and local makers. It's a place to know where your food comes from, meet the people behind it, and find simple ways to enjoy what's in season.

Through good food and shared recipes, we're building a stronger local food system, one meal at a time.

Visit us at 57470 M-51 S, Dowagiac, MI, just south of town.