I've seen lots of folks on the intertubes (not exclusively here) knock baby backs. A lot of the disparagement seems to revolve around a lack of meat when compared with side ribs. Personally, I love both equally. Our 2 grocery stores frequently get cryovacced baby backs and when they are on sale, I snap them up. The are mostly packaged by Maple Leaf and I find them to be very meaty.
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Why do Some Folks Knock Baby Backs?
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We buy them all the time from RCSS or No Frills.
Mainly for your reasons and you know what you are going to get when you smoke them.
I find ribs you buy over the counter all over the place while smoking.
Guess predictable is the word I'm looking for, still gotta do some work but they turn out good every time.
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I agree with your assessment. I try to buy baby backs above 3 lbs. In my freezer right now I have both baby backs and whole spare ribs. Both can be amazing!
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I prefer spares maybe cuz of the cost. Just did some baby’s yesterday & my wife, who’s opinion I treasure, said they were the best wibs I’ve ever done. "I want my baby back", dum, dum, dum, dum.
PS. Don’t knock any cooker when Fire is involved & any cook when meat is involved. I do like veggies but, let’s not get carried away. It just might take us into that kale thing again.Last edited by FireMan; July 18, 2019, 07:11 AM.
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I like 'em both. The arc on back ribs makes them a bit trickier for how I prep mine, but I like them just the same. I will say though that BIG back ribs ( >3 to 3.5lbs+) are not good, they don't cook up well IMO. Heavier back ribs are meatier,which means there's more loin meat on top, and that layer gets really dry by the time the interior is soft and done. I'd rather have big StL instead.
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For me, I prefer St. Louis cut simply because it is what I'm accustomed to cooking. I slung many a slab of those for competitions and can cook them with my eyes closed, but have no problem with baby backs. I will NEVER turn away a pork rib from anyone, except maybe my father in law(he can't cook).
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It's not the lack of meat that makes me not like BBR's as much. I find that a lot of them, especially the ones marketed as "extra meaty", have too much lean loin meat left on them to increase the weight. I trim most of that off, just for my own preference, but I hate paying for loin meat that I don't want to eat. Beyond that, I prefer the straighter bones and more consistent thickness of spare ribs.
Having said all of that, I will happily eat baby backs or spares, because... hey, ribs!
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People always make this kind of thing into an either-or choice. But if someone offered me ribs, I wouldn’t be all like, "Oh, I don’t know. What are they? Regular spares, or baby backs? Because I’m pretty picky about that stuff."
I think it’s important to understand the differences between the two. Obviously bbs are smaller... but they are also meatier, because they are being cut that way. That affects time and temp. Also, bbs are lighter meat. They have a milder flavor. Full spares are thicker now, too, but not like bbs. Full spares are stronger flavored, as well. And, just as important, baby backs cost more. Thanks, Chili’s, because there’s no reason for them to cost more. There is a 1:1 correspondence between racks of spares and racks of baby backs in this world.
I used to go 100% for the baby backs. Now I go almost always for the spares. I prefer the taste, and the fact that they are a lot cheaper and you get a larger rack for less money puts it over the top. Add in the flap meat and the tips when buying center cut, and I’m all in. But I’ll buy baby backs if I need to fit several racks on the LBGE, like for when company comes over, because laying out full racks makes a nice presentation.
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Like most, I like them both. However, I do prefer to cook St. Louis Style Ribs. SLSRs are more uniform in shape and they don't have that chunk of loin meat on top.
All that being said, I will cook and eat both!
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For me it’s a matter of what I’m doing . If it’s just for me and my family definitely spares . If I’m having one or two other families over for ribs then spares again . But if I’m supplying ribs to a potluck where there’s hundreds of other dishes I like to go with the baby backs because it’s not as much food per bone .
Me I like them both equally well
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I love them both but for different reasons. And unlike my esteemed colleague Mr. Huskee, I go out of my way to order the baby backs with the loin meat attached. They get treated just like a bone in loin roast, which is essentially the same thing. Here's an example of one of my loin roasts cut into thick chops;
...and some baby backs with full loin I get from Matador Prime Meats out of Dallas....
Totally different cut from spares or St. Louis cut. Cooked different and taste different. But again, I like the whole pig, ain't no part that I don't
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