ribs
Also known as: St. Louis Ribs
A cut of pork or beef that includes the rib bones along with the meat between and around them, almost always cooked low and slow -- braised, smoked, or slow-grilled -- until the connective tissue breaks down and the meat pulls easily from the bone. Cooked hot and fast the way a steak would be, ribs turn out tough and chewy instead of tender.
Buying guidance
Rib cuts go by several names that mean different things -- pork spare ribs, St. Louis-style ribs (spare ribs trimmed square), baby back ribs, and beef short ribs all cook somewhat differently, so match the specific cut called for rather than any ribs on sale. A rack with a thin, papery membrane still attached to the bone side benefits from having it peeled off before cooking, since it blocks seasoning and smoke from penetrating and turns leathery once cooked.
Substitutions
- A different rib cut from the same animal, such as baby back for St. Louis-style -- similar approach, but adjust cook time since size and fat content differ.
- Bone-in pork shoulder, cut into large pieces -- not visually the same, but a similar low-and-slow, fall-apart-tender result.
- Beef short ribs for pork ribs or vice versa -- different flavor and fat character, but a similar low-and-slow method works for both.
Tips & common mistakes
Ribs are done by feel and appearance, not a single internal temperature -- the meat should have pulled back from the bone ends by about a quarter to half an inch, and a rack lifted with tongs at its center should bend and start to crack rather than staying rigid. Pulling them off as soon as they hit a target temperature, the way a steak would be tested, usually leaves the connective tissue still tough and chewy.
Storage
Raw ribs are highly perishable, since the large bone surface and connective tissue give bacteria more places to take hold -- refrigerate them and plan to cook or freeze within a couple of days. Once cooked, they keep well in the refrigerator for several days and freeze successfully, but reheat them gently with a little added liquid rather than blasting them with direct high heat, since the same long, slow cooking that made them tender also makes them dry out fast the second time around.