"Fast" Country-Style Pork Ribs - Melt-In-Your-Mouth-Tender in Just Over Two Hours

As I mentioned in my post about barbecue pork sausage burgers, not only is pork cheaper than beef, and less taxing on the environment to produce, but it's lower in calories and fat as well:

• Pork has 30% less calories than beef - a 4 oz. serving of pork contains 140 calories, while a 4 oz. serving of beef provides 200 calories.
• Pork has 60% less fat than beef - a 4 oz. serving of beef provides 11 g of fat, with 4.5 g of saturated fat, while a 4 oz. serving of pork contains 4.5 g of fat, with 1.5 g of saturated fat.

I really like tender slow-cooked and barbecued pork ribs, but they take a lot of advance preparation to make requiring hours (or days) of marinading, hours more of slow-cooking etc.  

Here's a recipe I worked up that gives melt-in-your-mouth-tender pork ribs in just over two hours.  The secret is to pre-simmer the ribs rather than marinade them.  That approach both tenderizes and infuses the ribs with juicy flavor in much less time. 

Here's how to make "Fast" Country-Style Pork Ribs that melt in your mouth:

• 3 lbs. Boneless Country-Style Pork Ribs
• 1 Large Onion - peeled and diced
• 6 Cloves Garlic - peeled and diced
• 1 Large Tomato - peeled and diced
• 1 Can/Bottle Fruit Flavored Soda (try Sprite or Apple "beer")
• 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat up your grill and sear the outer layer of the meat on all sides (this helps seal in the juices).  Place all the ingredients (onions on the bottom) in a large lidded frying pan or stockpot. Add enough water to cover ribs.  Cover, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat. Simmer covered for 2 hours, until ribs are tender.  Preheat grill to medium.  Remove ribs from the liquid with tongs and place in a large pan. Drench the ribs in additional barbecue sauce.  Transfer ribs to preheated grill. Close grill lid. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes, basting generously with barbecue sauce & turning every 2 minutes. Don't overcook the ribs--they will get dry.  Serve with additional sauce.

Don't throw away the delicious liquid.  Add some diced vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, celery, summer squash, corn etc. and simmer until tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve as a stew or ratatouille niçoise.