How To Buy Ribs.

[SkunkedAgain]

I did a little internet search and didn't find much. I know there are some good grillers on this forum. If I want to take my first stab and grilling ribs, what should I look for at the store? Where do most people buy there ribs? What do all of the different cuts mean (i.e. spare, babyback, country-style, etc.)?

[reinhard1]

spareribs are meaty but the bones are larger and have the brisket on them. st. louis ribs are the same as spareribs but without the brisket therefor more expensive. bone in country ribs are cut from the end of the porkloin were the assorted pork chops are located when cut not the sirloin end. country ribs are usualy found on sale and are tasty. its mainly a end cut pork chop cut lenthwise in half. boneless country ribs can be cut from the rib eye end on the pork loin or whats called cushion meat which is of a lesser quality than the rib eye end. i always stick to the bone in. now the cadilac of the ribs for many is the baby back rib. this cut is basicly the rib bone that you see on the pork chop you might eat, but only the whole rack in one piece. back ribs are always the most expensive in general. the bigger the size of the rib the less tender they are. spare ribs should be purchased [if bought as a whole rack] 4lb. and under. baby backs are best bought 2lb and under. smaller the rack,smaller the pig-more tender. you can go to favorite store and get these. pay attention to the size of the whole rib whichever you pick out. bone in country ribs it doesn't matter just look for leaner ones. a little fat goes a long way. i hope this helps. this was a general discription, if you have any other questions just ask. good luck.

[toddb]

I've had pretty good luck with pork baby backs from Sams club. They usually are very meaty and priced pretty good. I look for baby backs with alot of meat left on the back, sometimes you can get mostly bone with no meat if you just grab. You can usually tell right away if you have meaty ribs by thickness alone.

toddb

[reinhard1]

i agree on sams club. they are usualy packed in 3. cosco also has pretty much the same packaging as well. good luck.

[Jim Almquist]

I love spare ribs but then again I don't think I have ever found a rib I did not like

I like to get my spare ribs at Sam's and put a good rub on them. Then its time to wrap them up in plastic wrap for 24 to 48 hours then its time for the slow cook on the smoker. I always have to check out the price of ribs and porkbutt to see if there is a sale.

[reinhard1]

i love spare ribs also. size does matter when your talking spare ribs or baby backs. in the rib case it's the opposite. then your skills come in to play. slow and slow. and then comes your rub and the mop sauce this time of the year. i would give a winter recipe but i dont want to go there yet. takin atvantage of this weather while i can. good luck.

[McGurk]

Listen to reinhard...He speaks gospel here...We have much to learn from him... He's a virtual meat encyclopedia...

Don't forget about the "enhanced" ribs (that are typically cheaper) you'll see at grocery stores versus straight, untreated meat that most quality butchers sell. The enhanced meat has a salt solution that it is packaged in, frozen in, and sold in; up to 12% salt. Tyson and Hormel are mostly all this way unless specified. It is done for tenderness, but you need to watch the salt content in your rubs as you can end up with ribs that are "hammy." Don't get me wrong, I buy them and use them, but always cut down the salt to almost nothing in my rubs. Not much to do with your mop sauce, unless you make your own (I prefer a dry rib anyways).

[reinhard1]

man you put me on top of the mountain and then cut me down because i forgot about the enhanced part. as usual you get it right, it must be because of my advanced age. it is an important point. it is a salt solution so take it easy with salt. good luck.

[SkunkedAgain]

Great info guys. I almost bought my first ribs last weekend while walking through my local Rainbow. I picked up the vacuum-packed rack but just didn't like how it looked (without knowing anything). On Wednesday I finally visited the UofM meatlab. They had tons of varieties which spawned my question. Without the benefit of all the knowledge I just gained from this thread, I picked up a frozen package of "Beef Country-Style Ribs." They are defrosting in the fridge today and I'll likely cook them on Sunday. Now at least I know what to look for, and I'll likely hit one of the local butchers instead of the big grocery chain.

Thanks!

[McGurk]

You'll want to cook them SSSSSSLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW, and for anything beef I wouldn't put much sugar/sweetness on them, but that's just my preference. If you are going to a butcher/meat market, don't be afraid to ask questions; but make sure it's not to the 17 yr old girl in daisy dukes that's running the register. Get someone in an apron with some blood on it and a knife in his/her hand.

I don't have an issue with grocery store/buyer's club meats as the price is right in some cases. The enhanced meats should be rinsed a couple of times before prep to aid in the salt minimization. But a butcher in most cases will steer you right, as reinhard1 has done here many times.

[bbqhead]

Many of the BBQ Comp teams get their meat at Sams Club or Resturant Depot. From what I seen, Good looking meat.

randy

[reinhard1]

skunked-if you buy country style beef ribs make sure you ask the butcher if they cut them from the arm or the tender part of the chuck where they are supposed to. i know you are in a difficult position by only reading the label. the difference is huge. the arm cuts needs marination where the country part of the chuck does not. actualy you can grill one of those as if a steak. i marinade them anyway-but thats just me. at sams club they have thin cut short ribs. pick some up that look the most meaty. i marinade them in a soybased marinade with ginger, a little sugar , garlic powder, and sesame seeds roasted. i leave them overnight and grill them around 5 min. per side. serve with rice. this is a korean dish called kalbe. i have seen the back ribs at sams club packed in 3 racks per pac and they are of good quality and value. good luck.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for all of the advice. I ended up cooking them for about 5 hours at 200 degrees in my oven. I used a drip pan below with water in it to keep things moist. Then I finished the ribs over flames, half with just my rub and half slathered in bbq sauce. They all turned out great.

Now I just need to buy myself a smoker and do this all the right way! Thanks for all of the rib selection advice as well.

[reinhard1]

just an idea for that smoker. there are guys on the cooking threads who make their own and they look awesome. i'm not mechanical so i bought a charcoal/smoker from fleetfarm. it's a barrel looking type with a addaption for slow cooking and smoking that is sold sepperatly. it' called char-griller. i paid $138 for it but may get marked down near fall as a lot of summer items do. i have a electric smoker i use for deer sausage and other stuff but am exited about using it this winter to make larger amounts of sausage for my friends and myself. good luck.

[echo2010]

I make ribs a lot. My husband worked in a restraunt in his young age that specialized int their ribs. We make them a lot, and they are fantastic.

I worked in a grocery store meat room for a while. Most ribs actually come in vacuum packs. DOn't be afraid of them as they pink up nicely after opened and the vacuum helps maintain the flavor. However added solutions alter the flavor a bit and Im not a fan of the texture so i stay away from added solutions

I use Spareribs. Call me crazy but I love the brisket on the bottom. I cook it on the ribs and it makes for a nice chunk of meat. Cooked slow, it stays tender.

I sprinkle Lawrys and SandP.. Cover it in italian dressing with a few sprinkles of liquid smoke and then wrapping it in aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for about 3 hours turning every hour.

Throw on the grill and smother with your fav BBQ sauce!

Enjoy!

[reinhard1]

i agree about the brisket from the spare rib. some stores [very few] cut the rib part in strips and call them riblets and sell the brisket separetly usualy very cheap. now that i'm retired from the meat buis. when i see them i buy them. i use the fresh chunks for flavor for homemade spaggetie sauce and brine others for smoking and use them for flavor for baked beans and bean soups. the thing about injected pork is it does make the meat more tender but does add the salt. so less salt should be used when preparing injected meats. most of your pork now is injected or "enhanced" as the producers like to call it. it does pad their profits also with the extra weight for i haven't seen the price come down except when the item is on sale. but i use it and dont have a problem with it although i understand the texure issue. good cooking and good luck.

[NEANGLER]

A little more help for you guys, I work for a large meat company as a sale rep and can give you a little more insight. Most spare ribs you are going to find in the store are going to be 4.8# and down, hogs have gotten bigger so avg rib has as well. Same thing for back ribs the average you are going to see in the store is 2- 2.25#. As said the St Louis is from the spare rib and is going to have the brisket removed and look similar to the back rib in size/shape but will be less expensive. It also has a little bit better meat to bone ratio than the back rib. Sometiems the guys cutting the back ribs will trim to close to the bone and get what we call shiners(top of bone exposed. This mainly happens with back ribs, very rarely with St Louis. Make sure you inspected the ribs and have a nice meat covering on top since there is not alot of meat in between on back ribs. When they ar at the price they are you don't want to be paying for more bone than you have to. My personal choice would be St Louis rib over a back rib. Boneless/Bone in country style come from the end of the loin(sirloin) and are pretty similar to a bone in or boneless pork chop. Brisket bones are a good choice for a finger food item, that's what Famous Daves uses for their rib tips. You will have some cartilage and bones but the flavor is great.

Injected or enhanced pork is out there since we have done such a good job of raising hogs that we bred the marbling right out of them. Just make sure to use less salt in seasoning and also look to see how much injection(%) is in the meat. Once you get over about 12% it will break down cellular structure and become mushy. Me personlly I like the uninjected product, as long as you don't over cook it it will still be juicy. Plus you are paying for water.

Buying ribs - Right now you are at the peak of the buying period for ribs since it is summer and grilling season not only for you but for restaurants, caterers and competiton teams. Buy your ribs in Jan - April in the vaccum packages or vac pac yourself and put them in your freezer. You will pay less than you will in the summer. Most companies put up ribs in the freezer from oct - feb for the next summers needs since the price is lower and to handle the demand in the summer.

Best places to buy your ribs would be to watch for sales at Sam's, Restaurant Depot or buying through a Foodservice distributor. Retail prices(ie Grocery Stores) tend to be much higher than you can get through a wholesaler and many distributors will do a cash sale or have a Cash and Carry store. I won't name it by name but there is one in St Cloud that has a cash and carry.

One other tip, pull the membrane(silver Skin) off the underide of the rib. Some people think that it will keep moisture in, for as long as you have to cook ribs it does not have any effect and gives you a better eating rib in the end.

[McGurk]

Great tips, and from a very knowledgable source. I too like the spare ribs, cut St Louis style, with everything smoked up. The Leftover trimming from a St Louis cut can be prepped/cooked the same way, but may need more time as there is a alot of fat in there.

I agree with the leanness of pork products now, too. Drying out is a concern for most pork cuts, it seems like.