Which ribs are better

No breastbone, cartilage or tips. The result is a rectangular rack of deliciousness. The Kansas City variety is very similar with even more bone removed. Also called loin ribs, baby back ribs or riblets, these tasty little guys are small and easy to hold. They tend to be a bit fattier than other styles but taste great when done right. Country-style ribs are from the shoulder or blade end of the loin. You can eat with your fingers but they have enough meat to knife-and-fork them.

Fortunately for you, pork ribs are fairly interchangeable see: our Best-Ever Barbecued Ribs will work with any variety of rib you come across! Pictured at the bottom, these are the ribs that come from the belly as in, the underside of the pig. The rest of the belly meat is cut away, often used to make bacon, pancetta, or other cured pork products, but the spareribs retain a fair amount of porky, succulent meat.

Pictured on the top, these are simply spareribs spiffed up—as in, the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage has been removed. Learn more. While the style of cooking is often the same, there are a few key differences that will affect how you cook these two types of ribs.

They may sound very similar, but these two popular cuts differ in several ways. Spare ribs are larger, meatier, and contain more bone and fat than baby back ribs. Many people also consider spare ribs to be the most flavorsome. Baby back ribs, on the other hand, are smaller, more curved, and the leanest and most tender of ribs.

Also known as back ribs, loin back ribs, or just simply baby backs, baby back ribs come from the upper rib cage. They are connected to the backbone, just under the loin muscle, and situated directly above the spare ribs. Your average slab of baby back ribs usually weighs around two pounds and contains bones. The slab will taper off at one end , with a more pronounced curvature where it meets the spine. More tender and much leaner than spareribs, baby back ribs weigh less and thus cook faster.

Thanks to their increased popularity in recent years, you may find that your slab of baby back ribs comes with a small amount of loin meat attached on top. Traditionally, loin meat was more expensive, but now baby back ribs are in demand , butchers tend to leave more loin meat on the ribs than previously. With each rib measuring anywhere between three to six inches long , one heavy slab should be enough for two adults or one very hungry adult. However, as baby back ribs are smaller and cost more than spare ribs, you may wish to save them for smaller gatherings and opt for spareribs when feeding a crowd.

Also known as spares or side ribs, spare ribs are cut from the section of the rib cage below the baby back ribs. The other edge of your spares comes from the chest, complete with small gristle known as the rib tips , cartilage, and small bones. According to USDA requirements, a spare rib slab needs to have a minimum of 11 bones.

They have less meat on top of them than baby backs, with extra meat between the bones and what is known as flap meat. Larger and flatter than baby backs, spare ribs tend to weigh in at an average of around three pounds per slab. The meat has more fat marbled through it, with the extra bones and connective tissue combined resulting in more flavorsome, richer tasting meat.

While your rack of spares weighs more than your average rack of babies, they do have quite a bit more bone and cartilage. A slab of spare ribs should be plenty for two — while it may look like a lot, bear in mind that half or a little more is bone.

A popular method to cook spare ribs is the technique. Now you know the difference between spare ribs and baby backs — what about St. Louis cut ribs?