When searching for ribs that are good for hunting, then, there are numerous options you can choose from. From these options, you can either opt-in for spare ribs or baby back ribs.
Baby back ribs are the most popular ribs in the market today. These meats are tender in texture with delicious taste and flavorful aroma.
Also, spare ribs are ribs with larger meat in it and are tend to be the right choice for people in search of pork to serve a large number of people. Although there has been a lot of controversies on which ribs is the best of the two, it is essential to know that both meals are nutritious.
In other to end the debate on which meat is the best, this article has been written to give you a piece of full knowledge on what are spare ribs, what baby back ribs are and how to choose the best ribs for your home with a wrap-up.
Spare Ribs
Spare ribs are thicker and meatier ribs from the pork belly. The name “spare” is derived from the fact that this pork is gotten from what is left over after the bacon has been cut away.
With a full slab of spareribs, you get front or belly ends of eleven ribs and the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. While some butchers leave the sternum portion and much of the connecting cartilage of the ribs, others remove these areas and leaving a narrower better slab of ribs.
When the sternum portion and much of the connecting cartilage are left unremoved, then, this type of meat is called “spare ribs”. On the other hand, when these parts are removed, these types of meat are known to be the “St Louis ribs”.
Even though many grillers most of the time take St Louis for spare pork, these ribs to some degree are different from each other. The St Louis ribs are about 2 to 3 pounds more than the spare meat. Likewise, they are more tender containing a good ratio of meat to fat.
Spare ribs are most of the time extracted from the relatively tough but incredibly succulent belly portion of a hog. This means that whenever these meats are being cooked, it must be slowly and gently.
This is because they come in a soft texture, which might be unpalatable if overcooked for a long period. This is one of the reasons these meats are the first choice for slow-cooked barbecuing and braising.
Spare ribs around these parts are usually sold with the tips attached and are therefore broader and flatter than baby back ribs. The tips of the spare ribs are trimmed off and are closer in width to baby backs ribs. They are cut from the bottom portion of the ribs.
Also, spare ribs have longer bones and lesser meats when compared to baby back ribs. However, many users have loved this pork because of its superior flavor.
Baby Back Ribs
On the other hand, baby back ribs are leaner and smaller pork that is extracted from the top, back or loin side of the hog. This pork is sometimes referred to as slab of back ribs because of other their small size. When compared with spare ribs, baby back ribs have a smaller size which contains more bone, which is usually short.
Another feature about baby back ribs is that they are less common when compared to St Louis or spare ribs. Likewise, they are popular and expensive to purchase. They weigh about 1 to 2 pounds.
Since these ribs have more bone, the backbone is always removed from backs of the ribs, therefore, making it easy to slice between the ribs and to cut a slab into smaller portions.
Many butchers call these meats loin back ribs as they are extracted from the loin part of the hog. This meats, since they are extracted from this section, tend to be more tender and lean but less flavorful than spareribs.
Also, one unique thing about these ribs is that they are versatile. Unlike spare ribs, baby back ribs can be grilled, broiled or barbecued depending on how you want it. Thus, you are usually to get a slice of delicious meat to consume from any of these ways.
Baby back ribs, as its name implies, are perfect pork to be cooked for old and young ones in the family. These meats have a tender texture, which makes it easy to chew. Baby back ribs combine flavorful aroma with a delicious taste to produce the pork you will surely love.
Besides, these ribs contain about 20 grams of protein and 248 calories, which are healthy for the growth of the body. You are sure to get about eight to thirteen ribs whenever you make an order for a rack or more.
How to choose between a Spare Rib and Baby Back Ribs
Since you have known what a spare rib and a baby back rib is made of, we are sure you are already planning to give an order. However, before doing so, you must be aware of what you are really searching for in the rib.
If you are in search of ribs with superior flavor, then, you go for no other pork but spare meat. In another sense, you can opt-in for baby back ribs if you want a slice of luxurious meat with soft and tender text for a large family texture.
For health consideration, both ribs are good pork for the growth of your body. However, baby back ribs contain a lot of protein and calories that would add a lot of health benefits to your body both externally and internally.
Therefore, both spare and baby back meat is good to make any food, and none is the worst, either any is the best of the two.