A delicious comfort meal at it’s best! The slow cooked baked tender pork ribs with a sweet-tangy homemade BBQ sauce surrounded by caramelized sauerkraut creating a family-style meal everyone will love!
I have to say, this is one meal that takes me back to my childhood. Mom and Dad made their own sauerkraut and living on a farm, we raised our own livestock. So pork ribs, tenderloin and sauerkraut was served often and to this day with such a large family we all loved it!
REFLECTING BACK TO.....
Mom would make the pork ribs and tenderloin very simple with lots of fresh garlic, Hungarian paprika, salt and pepper. Since the pork was so fresh and flavourful, I mean it was like no other pork I have had, it always tasted sooo good! She always would add the sauerkraut to the pan with the ribs and tenderloin, and that way the sauerkraut would caramelize and absorb some of the juices from the pork and which made it an exceptional meal!!
WHEN MAKING THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE
The ribs I like to use are the baby back ribs since it is meatier, as well antibiotic and hormone free if possible. It is recommended to remove the thin skinned membrane at the back side of the ribs, as this helps to prevent the ribs from being chewy.
The rub for these ribs is simply and you should have all of these spices in your pantry. It is a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Since a BBQ sauce is added at the end, there is lots of flavour making these ribs so yummy! Fresh garlic could be replaced with garlic powder.
The BBQ sauce recipe is one of my favourite that I like to add to pork and chicken. Simply add ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, dry mustard and pinch of salt in a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes. You get a sweet-tangy sauce that takes these ribs to the next level.
I really like Mom’s idea of adding the sauerkraut into the pan with the ribs. I do this the last half an hour of cooking the ribs, it’s long enough for the sauerkraut to absorb the flavours of the ribs and it caramelizes nicely.
HOW TO MAKE THESE DELICIOUS RIBS
Once the ribs have sat out at room temperature for 20 minutes, remove the membrane and season with the rub. Place in a preheat oven at 325°F covered with foil and bake for 2 hours. I have left the ribs in the oven up to 3 hours, and I would suggest to reduce the heat to 300°F.
After 1 ½ hours of the ribs cooking, add the sauerkraut around the ribs. Stir after 15 minutes and it should start becoming golden in colour. The last 15 minutes, remove the cover and add the barbecue sauce to the ribs.
THESE RIBS ARE SO TENDER AND JUICY
There is truth to cooking ribs at a slow and low temperature and for a longer period of time to get juicy and tender ribs you would be proud of to serve. Pork is not like beef, pork requires time for the meat to tenderizer and to prevent it from drying out if cooked too quickly.
DID YOU KNOW SAUERKRAUT IS HEALTHY FOR OUR GUT
Yes that’s right, sauerkraut goes through the process of fermentation and it provides many health benefits compared to fresh cabbage. When the cabbage is fermented it promotes the growth of probotics which in turn helps our body to absorb nutrients more easily.
These probotics helps to create healthy bacteria in our guts, more specially our gut lining which improves our immune system. Since sauerkraut is rich in Vitamin C and and iron, this will help to prevent common cold, flu and urinary infections. It is rich in many vitamins and minerals, also high in fiber. There so many health benefits to a healthy gut, including anti-inflammatory conditions, reducing diseases such as heart disease and cancers. They say, a healthy gut and healthy body!
There are other rich sources such as yogurt, keif, kombucha, dark chocolate, tempeh, pickles and olives to name a few.
MORE FAVOURITE RECIPES TO TRY
Tender Oven Baked Pork Ribs with Sauerkraut
Equipment
- large baking sheet or roasting pan
Ingredients
Pork Ribs and Rub:
- 2 lb (.910 kg) baby back pork ribs
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
BBQ sauce:
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp molasses
- ½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- pinch of salt
- 4 cups sauerkraut
- 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped and extra for garnishing
- thyme for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the pork ribs from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Remove and peel away the white membrane/silver skin on the back of ribs with a paper towel. Place the rack of ribs in a roasting pan or baking sheet and rub generously on the both sides with the spice rub. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and cook for 2 hours.
- While the ribs are cooking, in a small saucepan, add and stir together ketchup, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, garlic powder, chili powder and salt. Bring sauce to medium heat, then reduce to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken having a syrupy texture. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
- After 1 ½ hours of the ribs cooking, add the sauerkraut around the ribs. Stir after 15 minutes and it should start becoming golden in colour. The last 15 minutes, remove the cover and add the barbecue sauce to the ribs.
- Remove the ribs from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the ribs to sit 5 minutes before cutting. Just before serving, stir in chopped dill with the sauerkraut. Serve the ribs with sauerkraut and vegetables of your choice. Garnish with thyme and dill.
Amazing delicious!! My family loved it and so did I. Thank you! I had fresh thyme and fresh dill amazing flavor! Thank you for this wonderful dinner!!
Hi Judy,
I am so thrilled you and your family loved this meal. We love it too. 🙂
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and rating.
Kindly, Rose