This is your best guide to delicious baby back ribs, spare ribs, and how you can have a delightful meal during your holiday. By the end of this article, you would be able to know which best suits your tummy’s needs.
More importantly, you would be able to make the right decision on purchasing excellent quality beef when you get to the store.
Baby back ribs
Baby back ribs are a piece of flesh from the tender part of a pig’s loins. Spare ribs, on the other hand, are cut from the abdomen containing a higher portion of fat. A baby rib is a pork chop whose flesh has been partially removed.
It looks like a rack of ribs with about thirteen bony prongs. A rack of baby ribs can feed up to four people. So, when you want to purchase ribs from the market, you are not looking for a rack that is entirely bony.
Instead, you are looking for something that still has streaks of meat on it. Did I mention shiners? Yes, avoid shiners. Shiners are dry bones devoid of flesh. You should also avoid racks that have been contaminated with additives such as water or salt.
So, once again, your goal when going to the market is to purchase a fresh pork chop with a good amount of flesh attached to the bones. It would be good for you to know that baby ribs are more expensive than spare ribs.
Spare ribs
Spare ribs are pieces of flesh cut from the abdominal section of a pig, and they are in fact more delicious, bigger and meatier than baby ribs. They require more amount of heat to soften the flesh and make it more succulent.
A spare rib rack has more meat (white fat) and can feed about six people. A spare rib rack averagely weighs up to 5 pounds. Though some could weigh more, depending on the size and age of the pig. They are of less market value compared to baby ribs and costs about $3.5/pound on the average.
There is never one cooking style. So, expect different varieties of spare ribs taste and cooks across the globe. For example; Saint Louis- Style is a trendy style of spareribs.
The ribs are perfectly trimmed to a fine shape, while in some, the ribs are cut away to make the rack more perfectly shaped. They are beautiful to sight and very picturesque due to its various spices, ingredients, and thoroughly smoked flesh.
In the adventure of exploring restaurants around the world, it is also likely you come across the Kansas City-style ribs. A style trade-marked by the proud chefs of Kansas City.
A rack of ribs with the meats on the outskirts completely cut. What about Country Style? This style has the ribs boneless and the meat cooked separately. The meat is cut from the end of the loins and totally detached from the rib bone. They are grilled over very high temperatures and are very delicious.
Which style do you love best?
Taste can be different; it’s a matter of personal conviction
It doesn’t matter how great, tasty, tender, soft boned or delicious your ribs are. Pitmasters and beef lovers would still yell out their dissatisfaction even if you are half-pinch of salt away from the taste they desire.
“Pay attention to details; the seasoning isn’t enough” they yell. Even though the average foodie makes a judgment on whether a steak is delicious or not merely by savouring its smell.
That’s just how frustrating cooking could be at times. No one compliments the Chef for the considerable amount of time spent at the grill, but we are quick to judge the taste, analyze the spice and seasoning and condemn the food to trash.
Yet, it could be funny how we “complainers” may have never stepped afoot at the kitchen before.
Although, it may be true that many of these chefs some kitchen tutorials, you’ can’t really blame them for not flavouring the steaks to your taste. There are different cooking styles, differently trained cooks. I believe taste is a matter of personal conviction. When handled by a skilled chef, it becomes a roasted piece of succulent flesh that makes you salivate on sight.
Cooking Ribs; Baby ribs vs Spare ribs
If you would open your ears to advises on how to prepare excellent, succulent ribs that irresistible desire to have a bite, your ears would be so full. There’s one kitchen quote you should hold on to at this period, “there’s never one cooking style.”
That accounts for the varieties in tastes and flavour. You can make ribs in a pan, micro-wave or wherever you want to make them. However, this is the golden rule; to make delicious old school ribs, you’d have to make use of a slow-burning grill.
The ribs should not be heated directly but be enough to soften the meat and break them down into succulent tissues that are tender and wouldn’t give much work to the teeth. This process also makes the rib absorb flavour from the smoke.
Baby back ribs usually have a tiny slick membrane that covers the bones. You can choose to remove them before grilling. Many cooks consider the membrane to prevent the flavour from entering the meat.
Hence they remove them before grilling.
If you want to remove the membrane, fine. Using a knife, detach the membrane from the meat carefully by slicing the tin tissue that connects the membrane to the meat.
Once you have, use a paper towel to peel away the membrane from the meat totally carefully.
The kettle-style grill is best for baby ribs.
Preparing spare ribs, on the other hand, is a little more complicated and even takes more time to cook. At slow or moderate temperatures, it can take up to five hours to thoroughly cook a spare rib. Due to it’s tougher meat structure, it takes longer time to prepare.
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