Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut
An absolute comfort meal, Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe creates extremely tender caramelized pork nestled into tangy sauerkraut. With just 3 ingredients and 2 steps this family favorite recipe is an extremely easy slow cooked meal.
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Do you have recipes that have stayed in your family for generations?
This Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe has been in my family for more generations than I can keep track of.
I remember eating this in the 70’s as a child but I especially remember eating this every single week in the 80’s with out fail during my mom’s pregnancy with my baby brother.
This was my mom’s pregnancy craving BIG time!
I realize that sauerkraut is an acquired taste so I was a little concerned that my husband may cringe at the idea of eating this meal.
I am happy to report though, not only did he eat it, he went back for seconds all the while saying “hmmmm, this is really good!”
There are a couple of elements that I personally absolutely adore about this Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe.
The meaty ribs are so tender they just literally fall apart.
I also adore that the meat juices impart a ton of flavor into the sauerkraut thereby also mellowing the tanginess.
I have a favor to ask though. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t send me hate mail.
This Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe steers a little away from your traditional German or Polish version of spareribs and sauerkraut in that it does not have potatoes, brown sugar or apples. Rest assured though that this version is incredibly irresistible and an absolute family favorite.
Why sauerkraut is healthy:
Sauerkraut in its simplest form is fermented cabbage that produces gut healthy probiotics. Many scientists now believe that much of our immune system resides in our digestive tract and is run by healthy bacteria. Sauerkraut, with all its healthy bacteria, feeds our intestinal lining those very healthy bacteria.
How to reap the healthy benefits of sauerkraut:
Many health experts hold the belief that the best form of sauerkraut is organic unpasteurized versions found in many health food stores. Unfortunately the heating process of this Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe does kill many of those healthful bacteria. To reap the benefits of improved immune function by eating sauerkraut then the best way to achieve this is to eat 2 tbsp of raw organic unpasteurized sauerkraut daily. Here are a few more ideas that may help too.
How to sear Country Style Pork Ribs:
Pull meat from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before searing. I personally prefer cast iron or stainless steel pans for searing. Place pan over medium/high -high heat. Add oil and let pan become very hot. You can check to see if the pan is hot enough be either by seeing the oil ripple or by placing the tip of a rib onto the pan and if it sizzles, it is ready. Place ribs onto pan with the fattiest side down first and do not move. The ribs will be ready to turn when they are easily moved (no longer sticking to the pan) and golden brown. Repeat with all sides.
Tips about Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut:
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- The awesome raw organic unpasteurized version of sauerkraut that I describe above can be a bit spendy but luckily Costco has a great price on it for $7.99 for a container that runs a little under 1/2 gallon.
- I recommend buying the best quality of pork you can afford. In my opinion the best would be pork raised organically on pasture, but at least try to aim for pork raised without antibiotics. Here is a great resource for finding a pasture-based farm near you!
- Country style ribs are a very meaty cut of pork that contain no bones and are perfect for this Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe.
- This is my favorite high heat healthy oil that I used for searing the country style pork ribs. (affiliate)
- BIGGEST TIP I can give about this Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut recipe is DO NOT salt the pork before searing. Normally you would salt meat before searing but because sauerkraut is already salty, salting the meat will just be too much.
- This cast iron indoor grill is my favorite for multiple purposes and did such a beautiful job for searing the meat on my gas stovetop. (affiliate)
- This Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven did a phenomenal job with this Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut. (affiliate)
- This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker for 8-9 hours on low.
Country Style Pork Spare Ribs and Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 2- 2 1/2 lbs country style spare ribs
- 2 tbsp oil
- 16 oz sauerkraut *see tips above
- black pepper *optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉
- Place large frying pan or indoor grill over med/high- high heat. Add oil and bring pan up to a full heat. (see tips above for testing heat of pan). Sprinkle ribs with black pepper and place fattiest aside down onto pan. Sear all sides until golden brown.
- Place seared meat into dutch oven and top with sauerkraut. Cover dutch oven with lid and bake for 3-3 1/2 hours.
- (Note: video above was a doubled recipe)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for more savory inspirations.
If you love healthy comfort meals then check out these recipes:
Beef and Brussels Sprouts Stew
Super Healthy Sweet Potato Nachos
It was easy, inexpensive, and keto. Most pleasingly, it was delicious and satisfying! The ribs turned out tender and juicy which went nicely with the tangy and hearty sauerkraut. I haven’t had this since I was a child and I forgot how much this dish hits the spot. Thank you for posting this recipe!
That is wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to comment and review the recipe. I appreciate it!!
No hate here! My family never added apples, onions, caraway, etc to pork and sauerkraut, so adding those to this dish seems excessive and weird. I’ve made this a few times and it’s perfect! Sometimes just keeping things simple is best.
I appreciate your kind words. I have to agree with you, with this particular recipe there is beauty with the simplicity. Thank you so much for taking the time to make the recipe and coming back to rate and comment. It means the world to me!
I’ve had kraut different ways but never thought of it with ribs. Thank you, I can’t Imagine who or why anyone would send hate mail about a recipe. LOL
Thank you so much Jeffrey! This recipe in particular reminds me so much of my Mom. We come back to it again and again throughout the year because it works for both winter and summer meals. I appreciate you being here and yes, sometimes the hate mail can be a bit much. To each his own. Thank you again!
love your recipe for pork ribs and kraut.
Thank you so much Melva! I appreciate you!
This was delicious and incredibly easy. I added an apple cut up into 1” chunks, 1 tsp Caraway seeds (to help with gas), 1 tsp dried juniper berries. The only change I would make to this recipe (for 5 stars) would be to triple the amount of sauerkraut. My husband and I were scraping the pot around the meat trying to get more sauerkraut.
Hi Marti! Your addictions sound absolutely delicious! I can understand about the sauerkraut because it is a favorite of mine also. Thank you so much for sharing your tweaks.
Believe it or not, this is exactly the way my Mother made her county style ribs…….browned completely and very SLOW cooked in the oven…..Of Course, baked potatoes were also part of the menu and she made a batch large enough to feed 5 for 2 dinners. ABSOLUTELY YUMMMMMMMMMMY !!! Just a Note, if Mom were still with us she would be l20 years old this year so this recipe is definitely Tried and True….
I love this so much and recipes getting passed down through the generations! Your mom clearly knew exactly what she was doing. And yes to baked potatoes… always. Thank you for sharing this memory and taking the time to come back to rate and comment!