How to Cook Delicious Pork Featherbones: The Ultimate Guide

Pork featherbones, also known as pork riblets or button ribs, are an underrated and often overlooked cut of meat. But with the right preparation and cooking method, these small ribs can become the star of a flavorful and tender barbecue feast.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about pork featherbones, from what they are to how to choose, prep, and cook them perfectly. Whether you want to grill, bake, or slow cook, we’ve got you covered with simple step-by-step instructions and pro tips for finger-licking barbecue riblets.

What Are Pork Featherbones?

Pork featherbones are thin circular rib bones cut from the sirloin end of the pork loin. They consist of the last 4-6 vertebrae and the meat that surrounds them.

Unlike traditional pork ribs that come from the ribcage, featherbones do not have the ridge of meat or tough cartilage between the bones. The meat on featherbones is very tender since these ribs come from the loin section, which runs along the back of the pig.

Featherbones tend to be around 2 inches wide and 3-5 inches long. They often have a round, coin-like shape with a small button of meat and fat in the center. When cooked right, the meat becomes succulent, juicy and falls right off the bone.

These mini rib sections used to be discarded by butchers, but recently they have become popular for serving as individual portions of ribs. Their mild flavor and tenderness make them a delicious appetizer or meal when you don’t want to cook a whole rack of ribs.

Choosing the Best Pork Featherbones

When selecting pork featherbones, look for ribs that are pale pink with white fat marbling throughout. The bones should be firm and not cracked. Avoid ribs that look dried out or have dark spots.

For the most flavor, choose ribs with a decent amount of meat on them – at least 1/4 inch thick covering the bones. Thinner ribs can dry out quickly during cooking. Look for 6-8 bones in each portion for ideal serving sizes.

You can find pork featherbones in the meat section of most large supermarkets. They are sometimes labeled as “riblets” or “pork loin riblets”. If you can’t find them pre-packaged ask your butcher to slice some button rib sections from a pork loin.

Buying them pre-cut saves time, but having the butcher slice them allows you to customize the thickness and number of riblets. For appetizers, order them cut 1-2 inches wide. For entrees, 3 inches wide works well.

How to Prepare Pork Featherbones for Cooking

Properly preparing the ribs before cooking is key to maximizing flavor. Here are some tips:

• Trim excess fat. Use a sharp knife to trim off any large chunks of hard white fat. Leave about 1/8 inch of fat to keep the ribs juicy.

• Remove membrane. There is a tough membrane on the underside of the bones. Slide a knife under it and peel it off for more tender ribs.

• Season generously. Rub seasoning or dry rub all over the meaty side of the ribs. Let it penetrate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

• Consider brining. Soaking ribs in a saltwater brine for 1-2 hours before cooking infuses flavor and keeps them moist.

• Apply a binder. Coat with mustard, olive oil or maple syrup before applying a dry or wet rib rub. This helps the seasoning stick.

Once prepped, the ribs are ready for your cooking method of choice. The tender meat and thin bones cook faster than regular ribs, so adjust cook times accordingly.

Grilling Juicy, Smoky Pork Featherbones

The high, direct heat of the grill adds delicious char and smoky flavor to pork riblets. Follow these steps:

• Use indirect heat. Sear them first over direct heat, then move them to indirect heat on the grill to finish cooking. This prevents burning.

• Go low and slow. Grill the ribs around 250-275°F for best results. The low temp gives connective tissue time to break down.

• Flip occasionally. Rotate and flip the ribs every 15-20 minutes to prevent burning and promote even cooking.

• Watch for doneness. Pork riblets take 1-1.5 hours to become tender when grilled low and slow. Check for doneness by poking the meat – it should feel soft.

• Add smoke. Try adding hardwood chips, chunks or pellets to the grill for extra smoky flavor. Apple, hickory and cherry all work well.

• Brush with sauce. Coat the ribs with barbecue sauce during the last 10-15 minutes to caramelize it onto the meat.

Grilling gives featherbones a crispy caramelized exterior while keeping the inside juicy. Serve them on their own or chop them up for slider sandwiches.

Baking Savory, Fall-Off-the-Bone Riblets

Baking is a hassle-free, no-fuss way to cook pork riblets to tender perfection. Here are some tips:

• Use a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with foil or parchment for easy cleanup. A wire rack helps promote air circulation.

• Employ a low temp. Bake at 275-300°F to break down connective tissue without drying out the ribs.

• Flip once. Bake meaty-side down first, then flip and finish bone-side down to soak up juices.

• Add liquid. Put riblets in a baking dish and add 1⁄2 inch of apple juice, cola or water to steam and baste them as they cook.

• Brush with sauce. During the last 20-30 minutes of baking, coat ribs with your favorite glaze or barbecue sauce.

• Let rest before serving. Once cooked through, let ribs rest for 10 minutes before cutting to retain moisture.

The extended time in the dry heat of the oven makes these ribs incredibly tender and gives the sauce a chance to caramelize.

Slow Cooking Super Tender Pork Featherbones

Slow cooking is hands-down the easiest route to ultra-tender pork riblets that are guaranteed to fall off the bone. Here’s how:

• Brown first. Browning the ribs on the stovetop first adds richer flavor. Skip this step if you’re in a hurry.

• Use a flavorful liquid. Stock, apple cider, beer or Dr. Pepper all infuse delicious flavor during the long cooking time.

• Add aromatics. Onion, garlic, herbs and spices amp up the flavor. Try thyme, rosemary, chili powder or Cajun seasoning.

• Keep time and temp low. Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Do not exceed 300°F to prevent overcooking.

• Let them rest. Once done, remove ribs from the liquid and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. This firms them up.

• Thicken the sauce. Boil down leftover braising liquid into a glaze to coat the juicy ribs.

The extended low and slow time tenderizes the meat into pull-apart perfection while the liquid keeps them incredibly moist.

Basting and Saucing Techniques

One key to finger-licking riblets is basting or saucing them as they cook. Here are some tips:

• Baste early. Start basting the ribs about halfway through cooking so the sauce caramelizes into the meat.

• Baste often. Every 10-15 minutes, coat again to build delicious layers of sticky glaze.

• Use a reserved sauce. Set aside a portion of the sauce/glaze before applying. Use this clean sauce for the final coats.

• Try before saucing. Taste a rib before saucing the whole batch. This prevents overpowering any seasoning on the ribs.

• Heat the sauce. Warm up sauces before applying to allow them to stick and caramelize better.

• Use a brush or mop. Use a barbecue mop or silicone brush to apply sauce evenly without tearing up the meat.

• Follow any sauce rules. Some sauces, like mustard-based ones, should only be applied toward the end of cooking.

Basting riblets as they cook infuses flavor and creates an irresistible sticky glazed coating.

Know When Pork Featherbones are Done

Since the meat on pork riblets is so tender and thin, they cook faster than regular ribs. Here are signs to look for so you pull them at the perfect time:

• Meat pulls back. As they cook, the meat will shrink back exposing about 1⁄4 – 1⁄2 inch of bone.

• Bones wiggle. The bones should jiggle easily when you grab one end of the rib.

• Meat is tender. Poke the meat with tongs or a fork. It should feel very tender and start shredding.

• Internal temp of 200°F. Check temp in thickest