Types of Pork Ribs

Perhaps the most popular kind of ribs for grilling, pork ribs are also extremely flavorful and marbled. The number one choice, I believe, for grilling are the famous baby back ribs. There's a reason for this. These ribs are tender and full of flavor and come from the loin area. Although these ribs typically come on a narrow slab they have considerable amounts of meat on them. A full rack will generally have between eight to fourteen ribs. A whole rack will feed two to three people. I buy mine at Costco where packages contain three racks.

You can also get spareribs from pork. Spareribs come from the pork's underbelly and are bigger, fatter and tougher than their sibling the baby back rib. As with beef spareribs, pork spareribs braise beautifully and are loaded with flavor. A full rack usually has thirteen ribs and will feed three to four people.

Another popular cut is the St. Louis- cut ribs, a.k.a. SLC, barbecue cut or Kansas City cut. This cut results from cutting the rib tips and the flat meat off of the sparerib slab. This slab is cut from the flattest part of the spareribs. These ribs are meatier and better marbled than baby back ribs making them a favorite of many a chef. A slab will feed one to two people.

The lower part of the sparerib, often discarded by butchers, is called a rib tip. Rib tip are full of connective tissue and don't have much meat but when cooked slowly they result in a luscious meal. Calculate approximately one pound per person when serving these.

Another cut of rib is the pork riblet. This cut results from cutting the baby back rack in half lengthwise with a meat saw. They generally are cut into 1 to 2-inch wide strips and are great for grilling. Ask your butcher to cut them for you if you want these as it will make your life considerably easier!

Finally, we have pork country-style ribs. These ribs are a skinny pork chop cut from the upper shoulder end of the loin. Many times these are sold individually and with out the bone. Country style ribs have a large amount of meat and can dry easily if not cooked properly. Further Information on Country Style Ribs