BBQ Ribs - Beef or Pork?

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Zhizara

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The recent thread about BBQ ribs has inspired me to try them in my oven. I need help deciding whether to get beef or pork so...

Which do you like best and why?:chef:
 
I like both. Beef ribs are larger and carry more flavor on their own than pork - IMHO.

But, pork ribs are less expensive, quicker and easier to bake/cook/grill.
 
I like them both, but cook pork ribs 15:1 against beef short ribs.
 
I prefer pork ribs and they seem to always be more readily available in grocery stores. However, I once worked in a steak restaurant where the chef cut off the prime rib bones from a whole roast, and saved them for staff.

He often added an amazing rub or sauce to them and add that to the humungous size of these things, made for some rather special moments in my early restaurant days.
 
I love both beef and pork. I was thinking that the beef would be meatier, and the pork more tender. Am I right?
 
Beef short ribs can be tough and have substantial silver-skin on them. They are IMHO best when braised. Pork ribs are more tender. But when picking pork ribs, I shy away from baby back ribs as they have less meat on them and more bone. They are also more expensive than pork spare ribs. But, they are more heavily advertised and so are in more demand. I like this as regular pork spare ribs are superior to baby back ribs. just remember, on the grill, in the oven, or on a spit, ribs are to be cooked low and slow, with smoke. Sauce during the last 10 minutes or so of cooking time to avoid burning the sugar in the sauce. Burnt sauce isn't so tasty.

Seeeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Beef short ribs can be tough and have substantial silver-skin on them. They are IMHO best when braised. Pork ribs are more tender. But when picking pork ribs, I shy away from baby back ribs as they have less meat on them and more bone. They are also more expensive than pork spare ribs. But, they are more heavily advertised and so are in more demand. I like this as regular pork spare ribs are superior to baby back ribs. just remember, on the grill, in the oven, or on a spit, ribs are to be cooked low and slow, with smoke. Sauce during the last 10 minutes or so of cooking time to avoid burning the sugar in the sauce. Burnt sauce isn't so tasty.

Seeeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


Thanks, GW. I'd love to be able to cook them outdoors, but I live in a apartment with no balcony, no outside cooking area, and a horrendously loud smoke alarm.

I plan on braising on a rack above a braising liquid including Liquid Smoke, covered with foil until tender, but the BBQ sauce needs to be at least partly blackened sugar to taste right for me. I hate the flavor of raw BBQ sauce.:chef:


Thanks to all of you for the input. I think I'll go with the pork unless by some miracle I find a rack of beef ribs marked way down.

I was leaning towards pork because I know how flavorful and tender it can be, but wanted to ask in case I was missing something special.

One more question: 225°, 250°, or 275°?
 
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I like the pork ribs best, put a nice sweet sauce on them and I could go through a whole rack:LOL: For me beef ribs are ok but I find them stringy and rather tough. so for this household the preference is PORK.
kadesma
 
I hear ya, Z. Some people say burnt, others caramelized :rolleyes:

And don't even be going prime rib ribs, crummy kitchen... YUM!
 
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I love them all but really meaty beef ribs (except short ribs) are not as available around here for some reason. So I'll do pork ribs more often, mostly spareribs over baby back ribs due to cost. And once in a great while when I find a meaty rack of beef ribs I'll do that.
And when I do ribs I smoke them. I don't cook them any other way.
 
Z,
I should have told you how I do oven ribs. Before cooking I coat both sides with salt,pepper (fresh ground) garlic and onion pepper bring the foil up and around the ribs in pan put in a 275 or 300 oven for 3 hrs or 4. when uncovered they should be tender if not back in they go covered if they are tender I put on a sweet sauce or you could try Woody's it is great but not sweet. Hope this help. Well back to directions When ready put on the sauce and leave uncovered let the sauce warm up and have a great meal.
kades
 
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