Buying Pork Ribs

[zupanj]

I have never given any thought to the ribs I buy. I shop mostly at Giant here in PA and I just grab several racks whenever they are on sale. I used to buy from a popular farm but it seemed the racks were small and not real meaty, not to mention expensive. I mostly buy and smoke baby backs but have done quite a few St. Louis cut ribs as well. I am starting to lean that direction because they seem to be meatier. To get to my point, I just read a click-bait on how to buy ribs that didn't actually say how. It made me wonder if there are certain parameters that others use to make their rib selections.

[Lynn Dollar]

For me, its a crap shoot. Can't tell much about marbling because of how they're packaged. Not sure that matters anyhow.

I do like to buy the heaviest whole spares I can find. I prefer a two pack weighs over 10 pounds. That's my best chance at getting meaty ribs.

As to baby backs, I go just the opposite. The lower the weight, the less loin meat they will have.

[realdocBBQ]

YES!

Baby back ribs these days are more and more being called 'loin back' or 'extra meaty' - this is because in the butchering process, they're leaving a big chunk of the pork LOIN on the ribs, which they used to trim off. Some people might think this is a good thing, and to some it may be... but that loin muscle is very very different than the muscles around the ribs. If your baby back ribs have a big pyramidal hump on them, that is almost assuredly LOIN muscle.

The problem with the loin is that it is MUCH leaner than the other portions of the ribs - being so lean, it cooks very differently and sticking up like it does, it really get get dried out. Take a pork loin and cook it to 195-205ºF - what's it going to taste like? It's going to be dry and tough. And that loin portion of those "loin back ribs' is MUCH drier and tougher than the rib meat.

When buying baby backs, I don't look for the big, heavy THICK baby backs - that just means they're much more 'padded' with loin meat and they will cook more unevenly and end up drier on that top side. If you see a rack of baby backs over 3lbs it is definitely loaded down with loin meat. Look for baby backs more in the 2-2½lb range or so. If it's 3 pounds or 3½ pounds, I've even seen some close to 4 pounds - that sucker is going to cook much more unevenly.

This is another reason I've been gravitating more toward St. Louis cut spares or whole spare ribs, myself.

That's my rant.

[jayjordan]

What you are describing sounds like my last rack of baby backs. Big meaty portion on one end that ended up dry and chewy. If that’s all you can get, is the solution to cut off the big end or trim off the excess loin meat on that end, leaving those ribs with same amount of meat as the rest?

[Steve R.]

That's exactly what I do, jayjordan. Just fillet that lean stuff right off. The improved quality is worth the anxiety I get from throwing those bits of loin meat away.

[Carolyn]

I buy baby backs, and try to find a couple racks at no more than 2.5 pounds, then I cut off that big hunk they leave on the top that way they cook more evenly. I have had good luck since doing that.

[Mosca]

I’m into finding good pork, especially ribs.

You’re in Yardley, so you can get Hatfield brand. I did some research a few years ago; they’re a Yorkshire/Duroc cross. Yorkshire are meatier, Duroc are tastier. Hatfield is well respected.

Spares or baby backs? Pick one, they’re both delicious. It’s enlightening to get a rack of each and have them side by side to compare, because otherwise you prefer whatever is in front of you. Plus, you have two racks of ribs.

If I’m flush with cash, bills all paid, and the eagle just crapped, AND they have a sale going on, I buy full racks from Cheshire Farms. Us being in PA, shipping isn’t too bad. They’re big, meaty, and dark. I cut off the breastbone (that big bone on the bottom left in the picture in the link) and leave as much of the tips on the rack as I can. I LOVE the tips. (Tips, flap, and skirt are all trimmed from St Louis cut.)

Otherwise, I search out respected brands. Hatfield and Prairie Fresh (used in competitions). Swift is okay. I used to trust Sam’s Club but the last couple racks I got there were badly butchered. If you have a Wegman’s nearby, they get good quality ribs from local farms in PA, NY, and NJ.

And: if I just want ribs, and there they are, I just grab a rack that looks good.

[zupanj]

Thanks for this. I will pay more attention to what I get in the future.

[Finster]

I mostly cook baby back because that is what the family likes better.
I look for racks that are no more than 2.5 lbs.
Based on Mosca recommending the Hatfield brand, I will make an effort to find them. I did not realize they were more than just a commodity product. I've looked for Prairie Fresh at local Walmarts and have yet to come across any. Swift , or Smithfield, is what I usually see in the local groceries near me. I do occasionally buy from Wild Fork and those have been good quality. The best grocery store ribs I've gotten are a house brand at the local Shoprite labeled as Chairman's Reserve Prime. I know that "Prime" for pork is just a marketing gimmick, but these really are very good ribs. They are a bit pricier than other products but they do go on sale every once in a while, so I try to stock up when I catch those sales.

[Mosca]

You should be able to find Hatfield in “Delawhere?”! To me, it’s opening the package and smiling and thinking, “Man, those are nice looking ribs.” That’s what Hatfield are, to me.

[Finster]

Mosca
I honestly don't recall ever seeing Hatfield ribs. I've seen plenty of their other products ... ham, bacon, sausage, loins, tenderloins..etc.

[klflowers]

Some of the best spare ribs I have had came from Porter Road, but shipping costs rose so much that I stopped buying from them. Most recently I have been buying from local butchers. Occasionally I’ll buy from Publix, but I swore off Costco ribs after I got a few bad rackets in a row. Really fatty racks of spares; it was really strange.

[Jfrosty27]

I prefer spares, wifey prefers back ribs. So guess which gets made here? 🙄🤦♂️

But regardless, I have found Wild Fork to be the best source for either for me both in price and quality. Consistently priced at Costco or less, and the quality has been great. The back ribs are usually smaller with less loin meat too.

[LA Pork Butt]

I like St. Louis cut ribs. I rarely buy if they are not on sale, and I look for ribs that have less hunks of fat at the ends. I try to avoid racks that have thick fat on the center ribs, also. If that is all I can get I trim the fat off. The only few times I tried wrapping ribs they turned into complete fall off of the bone mush which I didn’t care for. I rarely if ever do loin back ribs, but if I did them regularly I think I would experiment with wrapping a la Johnny Trigg.

[realdocBBQ]

I wrap for about 35-45 minutes is all. Smoke a couple hours, then wrap for a short time, then unwrap - they'll be pretty soft, but leaving them unwrapped again lets them tighten up a little bit and they come out about perfect this way, I find. Tender and bite-through to pull-off the bone, but not FALLING off the bone. Maybe give it a try. Saves me a good bit of time, completely unwrapped, St. Louis can take 5 hours or more. This usually shaves more than an hour off, sometimes more.

[LA Pork Butt]

realdocBBQ Thanks for the tip. Ribs take between 5 and 6 hours on my BGE, and I like the results. I’ve done them on my Weber Searwood which functions like a convection oven, and they take 4 to 4 1/2 hours. If it wasn’t for lack of smoke flavor the Searwood would be the only way I would cook them. I’ll give the wrap a try for 30 minutes or so, and maybe have St. Louis ribs done in 3 - 3 1/2 hours.