Unfuddling The Many Different Cuts Of Pork Ribs

Read more reports from Meathead's grill deck at AmazingRibs.com

In barbecue season the butcher's case is bulging with baby back ribs, spareribs, country ribs, rib tips, St. Louis cut ribs, riblets, rib chops, rib roasts, baby spareribs, button ribs, Danish ribs, loin ribs, and, across the street, there are McRibs. The prices range from $2 to $8 a pound. Here's what you need about the most popular cuts before you fire up the grill this Labor Day.

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Baby Back Ribs

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No, they do not come from baby pigs. They are called babies because they are shorter than spareribs. Connected to the backbone, nestled beneath the loin muscle, baby backs are the most lean and tender ribs. A typical slab has 11 to 13 bones, tapered at one end, with the shortest bones only about 3" and the longest about 6". The bones are usually curved like a hockey stick at the end where they meet the spine. Depending on how the butcher removes the loin meat that is on the humped side of the bones, some can have up to 1/2" of delicate, lean loin meat on the top. Usually about 1.5 to 2 pounds per slab, about half of which is bone, many hungry adults can eat a whole slab of baby backs. Typically $4 to $8 per pound, baby backs are more tender and less fatty than spareribs. They are also commonly called back ribs, loin back ribs, loin ribs, and Canadian back ribs. They are leaner than spareribs and incredibly good when smoke roasted low and slow at about 225F for about four hours and slathered with barbecue sauce just before they are removed from the grill. Low temp cooking makes the copious connective tissues and muscles soft and juicy. High temps make them tough.

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No, they do not come from baby pigs. They are called babies because they are shorter than spareribs. Connected to the backbone, nestled beneath the loin muscle, baby backs are the most lean and tender ribs. A typical slab has 11 to 13 bones, tapered at one end, with the shortest bones only about 3" and the longest about 6". The bones are usually curved like a hockey stick at the end where they meet the spine. Depending on how the butcher removes the loin meat that is on the humped side of the bones, some can have up to 1/2" of delicate, lean loin meat on the top. Usually about 1.5 to 2 pounds per slab, about half of which is bone, many hungry adults can eat a whole slab of baby backs.

Typically $4 to $8 per pound, baby backs are more tender and less fatty than spareribs. They are also commonly called back ribs, loin back ribs, loin ribs, and Canadian back ribs. They are leaner than spareribs and incredibly good when smoke roasted low and slow at about 225F for about four hours and slathered with barbecue sauce just before they are removed from the grill. Low temp cooking makes the copious connective tissues and muscles soft and juicy. High temps make them tough.

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This Rib Cut

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Click here to read more about the other cuts of ribs and how they are butchered (and learn what McRibs are), how barbecue champions cook "Last Meal" ribs, and how the most popular ribjoint in the world, Rendezvous in Memphis, cook its ribs.

All text and photos are Copyright (c) 2010 By Meathead, and all rights are reserved

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Comments

[andrew alfano starbucks]

07:44 AM on 09/08/2010

Not much of rib person, but these look great...I think they're going on the menu!

[owiseone]

04:47 PM on 09/21/2010

If you're going to be home two or three hours before dinner:

Put your Country Style ribs (better if they have some bone in them) in a cast iron skillet with a tight, heavy lid. Sprinkle them with a dry rub. I use a New Orleans type rub (no sugar, a bit spicy but not too hot). Put your heat on low, with the cover on the pan
Go do something. Check back in awhile. You'll find a lot of liquid has cooked out of the ribs. This is why you added none earlier. Leave the ribs to simmer.
After an hour or so, turn the ribs over, sprinkling that side with the rub if you haven't already. Unless cooked way down, no need to add any water. Return lid and let simmer some more.
After ribs have simmered slowly for a couple of hours you should keep an eye that they don't burn, but let all the liquid should cook down till you have this gooey residue at the bottom of the skillet. You may want to add a bit more spice rub to taste at some point. Turn meat so the both sides are browning and carmelizing. ...continued...

[owiseone]

04:49 PM on 09/21/2010

continued from below...sorry about the split posting:

When all the liquid has cooked down, you will have this wonderful meat just falling off the bone and so succulent...at this point, you can drain off the fat, retaining any gooey pan "residue". After removing the meat to a platter, use a tiny bit of water to loosten the pan residue and make a "sauce" for any left-overs.

If this sounds complicated, it's not. It's more a matter of waiting and long slow cooking, no added liquid....If you'd like my rub recipe, respond back here and I'll post it. I mix my own because (I love it) most prepared ones have salt in it which I avoid.

[thebigbike]

12:58 AM on 09/07/2010

Dang, and I just did a couple of slabs of spare ribs a couple of weeks ago. Now I got to go do 'em again, and take up the whole freakin day between make the rub ( no sugar) put it on night before, get up EARLY ( I hate gettin up early but for this... I guess I can) get the fire well started get the base charcoal well going and the hardwood chunks working, get the sauce just lightly liiiiightly mopped on, put em on the grill, make sure the smoke and warm is going through, check the temp every hour..... but boy HOWDY is it worth it !

[mlaiuppa]

12:49 AM on 09/07/2010

I did fire up the grill tonight. Bought two bags of Cowboy lump charcoal because I had run out and couldn't find any anywhere. When I did, I bought two. One is in the garage, I opened the other. I'll be grilling on into November so it will get used.

But no babybacks for me. Sorry. Not that much of a pork person and don't like nibbling ribs of anything. I was always a fussy child and don't like using my fingers or getting my face smeared.

It's Meatless Monday so I had tuna steaks.

I did use the two zone method to grill four burgers and two tuna steaks. Since it's just me, I ate one of the tuna steaks for dinner with corn on the cob and the other tuna steak and one burger are in the refrigerator to be reheated later this week. The other three burgers are in the freezer for same. Sacrilege perhaps, but I can't see firing up the grill for one burger or one tuna steak. I have to make it count. And I do love the taste of meat grilled over real charcoal. Not propane, not briquettes and no lighter fluid.

They had a nice sear on the outside and the insides were nice and juicy.

Sorry about that. I know you have three days left on your month of potatoheadness.

[Meathead]

10:21 AM on 09/10/2010

Making me drool. BTW, I consider fish animal muscle and that is meat.

[janie@atthelake]

12:35 PM on 09/12/2010

Alittle OT, but...and it may be a sacrilege to you...but if you have some seafood or shrimp recipes for the pit...post them on a blog.

[janie@atthelake]

07:39 PM on 09/06/2010

Wow!
And speaking for my friends...(and the neighbor down the street with rosemary powder) Thank you. Best damn baby backs in the world. No Texas Crunch needed.
Back to watching the idiots on the lake.
Thank you Meathead!
Damn good!

[teeniechino]

01:37 PM on 09/06/2010

I don't remove the back membrane. Why do you do this? It's good crunchy.

[janie@atthelake]

01:39 PM on 09/06/2010

I want to know as well!

[Meathead]

10:25 AM on 09/10/2010

Sometimes ist gets crunchy, especially if you cook hot. But if you cook low and slow, it gets rubbery. It also prevents the layer of fat beneath the membrane from rendering off. Some think it can prevent smoke from penetrating. I'm not sure of that. Lotta restaurants just can't be bothered. In Japan the haut cuisine is called kaiseki. You cook the same food as every day, but take special care to make sure everything is precise as a sign of respect for your honored guests. I think removing the skin is like that. An extra step of respect for guests.

[mellene]

01:17 PM on 09/06/2010

I just made the baby back ribs yesterday and with no outdoor grill I left them in the oven about 7 hours at 250 degrees. Quite delish.

[JFaye]

11:08 PM on 09/05/2010

My preference is baby back ribs using a dry rub with little or no sugar but spiced with Caribbean flavors. When making these for guests, they usually choose to not sauce the ribs. The first time this happen I was stunned because of the home-made barBQ sauce I wanted to show off.

On the other hand, when smoking a pork butt, I season with a dry rub rich with brown sugar, cumin, smokey paprika and cinnamon amongst other items.

[thebigbike]

12:52 AM on 09/07/2010

FANNED!

[henrypapillon]

11:10 AM on 09/05/2010

90% of producing a good meal is knowing you meat and choosing a good cut of meat. It takes a really good cook to take a fat cut of meat and make it not so greasy. It takes a really good cook to take a cut that is too lean and make it tender. Few cooks have those talents. If you don't , pay a little more and choose the better cuts, you'll be a lot happier. However, there isn't much sense in choosing a lean cut and slathering it with oil. Anything covered with fat and brown sugar tends to taste pretty good. anybody can do that (Emeril---lots of butter and sugar). The trick is to use something less heart stopping and produce something that TASTES like you used a lot of butter and sugar.

[Meathead]

02:36 PM on 09/05/2010

Well put. And of course "sugar" includes sweet BBQ sauce. Go easy on it folks!

[janie@atthelake]

03:49 PM on 09/05/2010

" something that TASTES like you used a lot of butter and sugar"...Ok, if you get a moment sometime I'd love a recipe. Spare Ribs are thawing right now....for Monday.

[Meathead]

05:16 PM on 09/05/2010

May I suggest this one. Read the unedited comments from users at the bottom.

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/best_BBQ_ribs_ever.html

[henrypapillon]

09:45 AM on 09/06/2010

A good cut is more forgiving than a cheap cut.Do it lightly or on only a certain portion of the meat. Keep your disasters small. Dried ground mustard is definitely a plus with pork, and it also works well on the outer skin of a turkey or chicken. Don't overdo it until you find the effect. It gives the meat the most beautiful golden brown color while adding a slight zing, but a solid coating of it can be kind of too much. It is kind of hard to shake out of the can sometimes and you can apply it from a shaker can by holding the can with one hand and tapping the bottom of the can with the other. Or it can be spooned on lightly and rubbed. If you are making a sauce, it can be mixed in. We raised 600 head of hogs a year and my mother was an excellent pork cook. Her favorite way was to take a pork roast and apply just salt pepper and the dry mustard to the roast, put it in a roaster for a couple of hours at 350, then take it out and cut it up in small pieces , maybe 1/2 inch thick and 1 inch square and brown it on the outside in her old black iron skillet on high heat just short of burning.

[henrypapillon]

10:58 AM on 09/05/2010

Meathead. I'd like to know how you reply to me without it actually showing up in the text with the other comments, and the whole thing leaving me unable to reply back to you for true "dialogue."

[Meathead]

02:39 PM on 09/05/2010

Not sure what you mean. But I'll guess. It is possible you are getting a notice of my reply to your post before the moderator releases my comment (even I am subject to moderation), so it is not yet visible to the world. Most comments are released within ann hour, so if this happens, if you come back it will be visible shortly.

[vinny]

07:10 AM on 09/05/2010

scratch slathering with bbq sauce, do a rub, and later baste with lighter mix (oil, vinegar, brown sugar, personal spice combo), use the bbq sauce for dipping

[grailknight]

10:40 PM on 09/05/2010

I like just a basting of my very excellent sauce for a finish. Nice glazing and not as messy as dipping.

[CR46]

12:02 AM on 09/05/2010

Smoked long and low, cajun rub, no sauce. Secret wood combo for smoking--pecan and wild cherry ....mmmm

[vinny]

07:11 AM on 09/05/2010

sounds like a good combo

[henrypapillon]

08:32 PM on 09/04/2010

Meathead---not cool to do comments on a story that you write. That is like a writer doing a review on his own book.

[Ozark Homesteader]

11:26 PM on 09/04/2010

I really like the bloggers that reply. That way we can discuss with the blogger was well as read. That's the great thing about blogging as opposed to old-fashioned paper articles.

[henrypapillon]

11:32 PM on 09/04/2010

What you like about him doing that, i find creepy. I disagreed with him on a recipe in another article and he jumped all over me.

[Meathead]

10:46 AM on 09/05/2010

Sorry to "jump" on you again, but I could not disagree more. When I post a column, I keep it open on my computer screen in the background as I work, and I try to respond rapidly. The comments section is a great opportunity for people to ask an author questions, for me to clarify ambiguities in my writing, correct errors (mine and readers'), respond to readers, and enter a dialog. I only wish more writers here would do it. You don't get that with the evening news or the local newspaper.

[Ozark Homesteader]

12:02 PM on 09/05/2010

And I still like it that way. :-)

[janie@atthelake]

03:50 PM on 09/05/2010

No you don' get that in the paper.

[MarcEdward]

12:19 PM on 09/04/2010

OK NOW you have offended me. You did cover "country style ribs", which here in NC (on sale) go for $1.39/pound. As my grill is dead and I cannot afford another, I braise them under a hot broiler 4-6 minutes a side, than slow cook them in a covered roasting pan (the one people use for turkeys) for about 2 hours, usually with a ketchup/onion/vinegar based sauce on top.
They are NOT hard to cook at all!
Don't be dissing my country style ribs!!!

[Alex Young]

02:39 PM on 09/04/2010

marc,

are you actually stating that you do not par boil you pork before baking or bar-b-queing?

we know of no other way to guarantee tenderness .
the meat is falling off the bones.
the preparation also prepares the pork to absorb the sauce.

of course, tomato based sauce never fails, but mustard based is a delightful change.

[Meathead]

03:50 PM on 09/04/2010

If you boil ribs, the terrorists win.

Water is a solvent. Pulls much of the flavor out. What do you think is in the water when you dump it? Boiling is a great way to make soup, not meat. Slow roast ribs at 225-250. Go to http://amazingribs.com for more.

[Meathead]

03:48 PM on 09/04/2010

Never said they were hard to cook! They're easy! Sounds like you're doing fine. Hope you can afford a grill soon (look for used Weber Kettles on trash day-They take a likkin and keep on tikkin).

[MarcEdward]

12:15 PM on 09/04/2010

No offense, but as somebody who has to raise kids on a budget, I have to go with the "country style" pork ribs, slowly cooked. All those fancy cuts - I'd have to get a job to pay for enough of those to feed my three boys.

[Meathead]

06:28 PM on 09/04/2010

Country ribs are the best deal on the hog! But they're not ribs. They're really chops.

[MarcEdward]

12:54 PM on 09/06/2010

Well you're correct there, but I won't tell the family.

[henrypapillon]

10:47 AM on 09/07/2010

Actually, especially if you have a freezer, feeding a bunch of kids and giving them quality food, and the most bang you can get for your buck, watch for the sale on "whole pork loins' . Least fat, except for pork tenderloin , of any cut, great meat, cooks faster, most forgiving of the cuts, quite tender, can get the same flavor, getting 3x the actual meat of ribs. This has been regularly on sale occasionally and frequently at the local supermarkets here for $1.59 to $1.79. Compare to ribs at minimum or $1.99 for a large percentage of fat, gristle and bone, even in the best. to more closely simulate country style ribs, chop your whole loin in 3 or 4 sections length wise and slice in pieces lengthwise again 3/4 by 2 inches wide. Pretend they're rib meat. You have something a lot easier to work with and more bang for your buck, really better food , and you can duplicate the taste.

[Eric Mann]

11:23 AM on 09/04/2010

Why no discussion of Beef ribs Mr. Meathead? They have superior flavor, texture, and...and...flavor. Growing up Jewish, that's what I thought ribs were.

[Meathead]

03:52 PM on 09/04/2010

This was about pork ribs, not beef, lamb, or fish. But I've got some great recipes for beef ribs, and info about the different cuts here:
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/zen_of_beef_ribs.html

[Eric Mann]

05:30 PM on 09/04/2010

All it says is "ribs." Listen, I'm a big fan, so this is why I'm pointing it out. It is a mark of Christian Privilege thing that an article about "ribs" is automatically about pork ribs. Its like saying "we'll be home for The Holiday" when you mean "Christmas." Christian primacy has its tendrils in all parts of our society. Ok, so I'm a raving secularist, so sue me. If that's what it's about, then fine, I'm not criticizing you for that, just call it "a guide to pork ribs." Its the culture that we live in, but you seem to be an enlightened kind of guy, so I thought you can take this bit of constructive criticism.
That said, I want to say that I was inspired by your month of vegetarianism, and have made it a policy for myself that I will not eat meat at least one meal a day. The 1/3 of me that is vegetarian is lacto-ovo, and I am torn about what to consider fish. My guiding reason is to just reduce how much meat I consume, to walk the walk when I criticize the typical American diet for containing too much meat. So I am not sure that fish falls under the "meat" category when it comes to that. And yes, there is a little cultural influence on that. The recipes on your site make it hard though.