Ah, Memorial Day weekend. Makes me think of fishing around in a watery cooler for the last Pabst and gnawing on rib bones while collecting a bad farmer's tan. I wish that's what I were doing right now. But instead I'm sitting at my desk staring
at barbecue guru Steven
Raichlen's new book,
Raichlen on Ribs, Ribs, Outrageous Ribs
(Workman, paperback, $12.95). Yes, the title sounds like less like a best-selling book and more like something Nathan Lane would sing in the second act of a musical about a gay butcher [shiver], but the more time I spend looking at this book, the more I think it's actually pretty cool.
First, how many of you can point to the part of a critter from which we take the ribs? Good! I know where my ribs are, too! But ask me to point to the spare ribs on a hog? I have a chart of the retail cuts of pork tattooed on my ass and I'm not 100 percent on spareribs. I've butchered whole hogs and I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd probably fail a quiz that asked me to cut a carcass into baby back ribs, country-style ribs, top loin ribs, rib tips, St. Louis-cut ribs, spareribs and riblets. My DOG'S NAME is Riblet and I'm still a little hazy on the exact location of the cut. Maybe I'm a poor student or maybe I kinda don't give a crap because allz I know is I like ribs.
But the fact is that this level of ignorance is really unforgivable. So this morning I sat down to read, with interest, how these different cuts of the same part of the animal might each please my palate in a different delightful way. In an introductory chapter he calls "An Anatomy Lesson," the barbecue guru goes about explaining pork, beef and lamb ribs to idiots like me. He also gives 75 pretty tasty looking recipes for them. He does all this without the benefit of any pictures or charts (which I really do think would have helped). But because I think you should know, here are the basics of pork ribs, cribbed and quoted from Raichlen, with some of my own research and thoughts mixed in:
Country-style ribs
are not what we normally think of as ribs. You'll often find them in the grocery store, cut into individual ribs. They are from the farthest-forward end of the ribs, are very meaty and taste more like pork chops than ribs. Raichlen suggests that they be grilled like pork chops and eaten with a knife and fork.
Top loin ribs
, also known as back ribs or baby back ribs, come from the top middle of the hog, sort of where you'd put a saddle if the hog were a horse. These are the most popular ribs in America, Raichlen says, because they're "the most tender, succulent and generously marbled ribs on the hog." Mmm...marbled. There are between eight and 14, but usually 12 ribs on this rack, weighing from 2 to 2½ pounds, about enough to feed two people. True baby back racks, Raichlen says, are trimmed from a young (baby) hog and weigh from ¾ to 1½ pounds, but are most often found only in upscale butcher shops and restaurants.
Spareribs
come from the part of the pig where you'd tickle him, low on the side, curving toward the belly. Raichlen describes them as "bigger, fatter and tougher," qualities he says make them more flavorful than top loin ribs. They require longer, slower cooking-ideally smoking, and are "the bones of choice for skilled pit masters." A rack of spareribs has at least 11 and normally about 13 ribs. Untrimmed, it weighs 5 to 6 pounds; nicely trimmed, it weighs from 3 to 4 pounds and feeds from three to four people. Because of the way the lower ribs curve (just like ours do) spareribs have what the barbecue guru calls "long ends" and "short ends." "Long ends," he says, "tend to be a little tougher and meatier, short ends are slightly fattier and more tender." Both are popular.
St. Louis-cut ribs
are cut from the sparerib section of the hog to imitate the look and size of baby back ribs-with better flavor than the baby backs. A rack of St. Louis style ribs weighs about 2 to 2½ pounds and feeds two or three people.
Rib tips
, Raichlen says, are produced when spareribs are trimmed; they are tough and cartilaginous, but become tender when smoked at a low temperature for a long time. They vary widely in size and weight, but generally serve one person per pound.
Riblets
are meaty little Boston terriers who are just cute enough to eat! No, not really. According to Raichlen, riblets are top loin ribs, cut lengthwise into strips about 2 inches thick. This is hard to imagine if you've never seen it, but picture one 6-inch-long piece of meat with four or five little bones sticking out of it. Get it? You may have had them this way at Applebee's. The problem is-and Raichlen doesn't mention this-lots of people also use the term riblets for rib tips and other trimmings. Because really, why would you bother cutting perfectly good top loin ribs into weird lengthwise strips? Why not give a cute name to something you otherwise couldn't sell? Bottom line: Riblets are not baby back ribs, but cooked well they can be great.
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
