Honey BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs

Barbecue sauce has been used to add flavor to grilled and smoked meats for as long as 300 years. The history of barbecue sauce isn't clear, but we know that the mustard-based sauce that's native to South Carolina has been traced back to 17^th century Germany. Barbecue masters have their own special sauce recipe, but depending on where you set up your smoker in the United States, you'll probably use a different style of sauce. This is because each region, sometimes even within a state, has its own signature style. Sauces are used in a few different ways. Some meats and ribs are marinated in sauce and then grilled and basted. Other meats, like beef brisket and pork butt, are typically cooked with a dry rub and then sauced after they've been sliced or pulled.



North Carolina has different styles of sauce. The sauce in the Eastern area of the state is vinegar based  and very thin. Little to no sugar is used in these sauces, so they aren't sweet, but instead, rather bold and spicy. A liberal amount of sauce is traditionally added to chopped pork or beef brisket, which is served wet. The sauce in Western Carolina is also thin, but it uses a little bit of tomato or ketchup, resulting in a pinkish sauce.

South Carolina meat of choice is pork, and the signature sauce is mustard based. Vinegar, sugar and spices are added to yellow mustard, along with other ingredients like lemon juice and butter, depending on the recipe. Honey or syrup is often added to thicken it slightly and add a sweeter edge. In some parts of South Carolina, small amounts of ketchup are added, but most of the sauce recipes are strictly mustard.

Research Source: How Stuff Works

Plan to coat the country style pork ribs with BBQ sauce the day before you want to cook them.  That way, the ribs will be tender and flavorful.

Honey BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs

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Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless country style pork ribs

salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Season both sides of ribs with salt and pepper. Combine ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. 

Place ribs on rimmed baking sheet. Pour BBQ sauce over ribs, making sure to coat ribs evenly. Cover with tin foil.  Bake about 1 hour, until fork tender.Enjoy!