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)
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
George says
I make mine on the stove top and add onions and diced green apples
Heather says
That sounds delicious!
Diane says
Love this recipe. Yea no apples.
This is how mother cooked this for years – sometime in slow cooker.
Even got my husband to like it.
Love them
Thanks.
Heather says
I love that you got your husband to try it and like it. It always makes me so happy when people are pleasantly surprised that they like a recipe they didn’t think they would.
Thank you so much for giving it a try and coming back to comment. I greatly appreciate it.
Nick VanderHoff says
I made this for dinner tonight in celebration of our first snowfall. Followed your simple recipe and used the Costco sauerkraut. It was absolutely delicious! Accompanied it with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots from our garden…..harvested just before the snow fell. I was tempted to add onion, apple, and or brown sugar to the Dutch oven but am glad that I stayed with your recipe.
Heather says
Ok, now I am completely hungry for garlic mashed potatoes!
Thank you so much Nick for giving the recipe a try and coming back to rate it. I greatly appreciate that!
Jen says
Garlic mashed potatoes sound perfect. I grew up with the potatoes being cooked with the spareribs and the kraut in the pressure cooker. They are so good with some melted butter and tang from the kraut juices! I’m firmly in the camp of “no apples, brown sugar or caraway seeds in my kraut.” But I could get on board with luscious mashed potatoes with loads of garlic!
Jen says
I too grew up on this meal in the 70s-80s! My dad would make the spareribs, potatoes and kraut in a pressure cooker. I’m not as comfortable with a pressure cooker so I roast mine in the oven. I’m sure there are InstaPot recipes galore! It really is super moist and tender on the pressure cooker and almost as perfect in a roaster. It’s also good luck and made on the New Years! Enjoy!
Heather says
Love hearing that so many enjoyed this meal growing up and I agree, the pressure cooker makes it amazing!
Ron says
Absolutely excellent! Very, very easy! We added onions! Thank you!
Heather says
You are very welcome Ron. Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try and for rating it.