Country-Style Ribs with Chow Chow
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Tender, juicy country-style pork ribs are grilled up with sliced sweet potatoes and garnished with a slightly sweet chow chow mix of corn, onion, sweet bell peppers, and jalapeño.
It’s chow time—chow chow time, that is! Today’s recipe from my favorite summer grilling cookbook, Weber’s Way to Grill!, features a slightly sweet homemade chow chow served with Country-Style Ribs and Grilled Sweet Potatoes.
Country-Style Ribs with Grilled Sweet Potatoes & Chow Chow
A Southern staple, chow chow is a relish made of farm fresh veggies in various combinations. Some are sweet. Some are spicy. Some are made with green tomatoes or cabbage.
Chow chow almost always includes some mix of peppers—sweet bell peppers or hot peppers—plus onion and spices.
All versions are cooked until it reaches the consistency of sweet pickle relish, but believe me that’s where the comparison ends.
People in the South often serve chow chow as a relish on top of a bowl of slow-cooked pinto beans (seasoned with some sort of pork, of course) and cornbread.
I remember my Dad canning jars and jars of chow chow made from green tomatoes and peppers from our farm.
Being the picky eater, I never would try the stuff and now that I’m older and wiser, I regret missing out!
These ribs are seasoned with a simple rub of fresh thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper and are tasty enough on their own, but the chow chow is a delicious compliment.
Made from a combination of fresh corn, peppers, onion, spices and a little brown sugar, this chow chow is just slightly sweet.
If your preference is for something a bit spicier, leave in the jalapeño seeds to add a little heat and kick it up a notch! Either way, it’s delicious!
Grilled sweet potatoes make this a complete meal. Be sure to wash the sweet potatoes before cooking and grill with the skins on. They’ll be tender and delicious and you will benefit from the extra fiber and potassium.
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Country-Style Ribs with Grilled Sweet Potatoes & Chow Chow
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless country-style ribs each 3/4 to 1 inch thick
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Rub
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chow Chow
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup seeded and finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons seeded and minced jalapeño* *leave seeds if you like heat
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels 1 ear
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Ribs
- In a small bowl, stir together the rub ingredients. Season the ribs by brushing on all sides with olive oil and then evenly sprinkling with the rub. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerate for 1 hour. Before grilling, allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for 15 – 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush grates with oil, then place ribs over the direct medium heat, with the lid closed, for 20 to 25 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from the grill and let the meat rest for 5 minutes.
Chow Chow (prepare while ribs marinate)
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook for about one minute—with the lid on—until they begin to pop. Quickly add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook 3-5 minutes until softened, stirring often. Add he remaining Chow Chow ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Sweet Potatoes
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, then pierce each with a fork several times. Cook the potatoes in a microwave for about 8 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool while the ribs marinate.
- Cut the cooled sweet potatoes into 1-inch thick slices and brush both sides with oil and season evenly with salt and pepper. When the ribs have finished cooking and are resting, add the sweet potatoes to the grill and cook with the lid closed about 5 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned.
- Serve the ribs with the sweet potatoes and chow chow.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
What a great Southern meal! I love the grilled sweet potatoes, they look so good!
Thanks, Annie! I served this meal to my in-laws for Sunday lunch last week and they loved it, too!