High on the Hog: Baby Back Ribs
Posted by Todd M. Johns on Get Your Grill On.
Here in Kansas City, the pork rib rules. The great debate of spare ribs vs. baby back ribs has been raging for many a decade and shows no sign of being settled anytime soon.
The more expensive baby back rib is known by different names: baby back rib, back rib, or loin back rib. The true baby back rib is the smaller boned ribs to the back of the loin rack, but in today’s vernacular, they all mean the same thing. The “back ribs” come from the top of the rib cage connected to the back bone, thus the name: back rib. The loin sits at the top of the rib bone, flanking the back bone. When you see a bone in pork chop, that bone is the same rib. Its just been left attached to the loin to make a chop instead of rack of ribs. You see, you can’t have bone in pork chops and a traditional rack of ribs. Growing up on a farm, my wife recalls that they never had pork chops because her mom would always get whole pork loins and ribs when they had a hog butchered.
It is amazing how two parts of the same rib can be so different in shape, texture, taste, and cooking. The spare rib has a firmer texture and more fat. A baby back rib requires a little less time to cook and can be overcooked quite easily. For done-ness, the text book rib should be cooked so that the meat pulls away from the bone cleanly only where the bite is taken. Rib meat clinging to the bone means not done enough, while having it all completely fall off the bone means overdone. In reality, I find that people like their ribs on the slightly overdone side. To most BBQ eaters, anything that just falls apart is good eats.
To cook, start with a good BBQ rub that you either buy or make yourself. Apply liberally 30 minutes prior to cooking. Baby back ribs take anywhere from 4-5 hours to cook at about 225-250 degrees. Ideally they are smoked and served as Barbecued ribs. Those that don’t have a smoker can try their grill or oven. Just make sure that you don’t cook them straight over the fire or coals of a grill. Low and slow cooking is what’s needed for ribs. Too hot and too fast will not render the connective tissues and you’ll be chewing on those ribs for a long time.
And remember… ribs should never be parboiled… never!
