Many will tell you that they are the ultimate rib, the baby back rib. Restaurants show them as one of their featured menu items and hard-core, dedicated barbecuers will tell you they are the tastiest part of the pig. They are the baby back rib.
But what is a baby back rib? Well first of all, baby back ribs do not come from baby pigs. The word baby refers to the size of the rib not the age of the pig they came from. Since the baby back ribs are smaller than the spare ribs, someone thought it would be cute to call them baby ribs. So if you are not eating baby back ribs due to what you thought was an effort not to eat baby animals, you will be happy to know that you can eat baby back ribs with no guilt what so ever.
Baby back ribs are also called pork loin ribs. These are the ribs that run along the spine on the lower part of the back. They make up part of the pork loin. They basically lay on top of the piece of meat that your buy called the pork loin.
Normally, when you buy a rack of baby back ribs, you should get about 12 ribs, give or take a few. Technically, baby back ribs should be less than 1 3/4lbs. But, in today’s meat market, you will most likely find that the rack will be more than this. The baby back ribs will be shorter than the spare ribs and a bit leaner with a little less meat. Because baby back ribs have lass fat, they will have less flavor, but this allows for the meat to better show off the added flavoring.
Baby back ribs are best prepared either smoked or braised. Most of the time a rub is applied to the ribs. Many dedicated barbecue officianados will tell you that a rub, as opposed to a sauce, is a much better way to cook baby back rib and to get the full benefit of their flavor.
So, the next time you plan of cooking ribs, consider giving baby back ribs a try. I am sure you will find them finger licking good.
For more information visit http://www.ribman.com/abtribs.html