Food & Receipts

Should you buy pork ribs with more meat or less meat? Turns out you’ve been mistaken all along.

Pork ribs are one of the tastiest cuts of meat from the pig. However, not all ribs are created equal. Knowing how to choose the best ribs will ensure that your dish reaches its maximum potential.

Administrator

11 January, 2024

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When buying ribs, choosing between more meat or less meat is a dilemma that many housewives often have.

When buying ribs, should you choose more meat or less meat?

Ribs come in different types: Front ribs – near the front legs, middle ribs, and back ribs – near the hind legs. The ribs at each position have different tenderness, taste, and cooking methods.

Ribs at the front:

Ribs at the front refer to the head part of the entire rib frame, near the neck and the veins near the front legs.

Ribs in this position have more bones and less meat attached. Some front ribs may still have a few neck vertebrae attached, with a less delicious taste and lower price.

Ribs at the front are suitable for simmering broth or making hot pot, but not suitable for cooking dishes such as braised ribs, sweet and sour ribs, or grilled ribs.

Middle ribs:

This part of the ribs is located in the chest of the pig, with flat and long bones and a lot of relatively even and compact meat. The layer of fat on this part of the ribs is thin, and the meat is tender, making it the best and most expensive part of the ribs.

Middle ribs are used for grilling, stewing, sweet and sour stir-frying, etc., all of which are delicious and very attractive due to the fragrant and tender meat with less fat.

Back ribs:

Back ribs are the ribs near the pig’s buttocks. The meat on this part of the ribs is thicker and more tender. The smell of back ribs is relatively distinctive, and it has high nutritional value.

This part of the ribs is suitable for stewing dishes because the bone marrow in the ribs imparts a sweet and nutritious flavor to the broth.

So when buying ribs, should you choose more meat or less meat? If you want to make broth for soup or use it as hot pot broth to save costs, choose ribs with less meat. But if you want to cook dishes such as sweet and sour stir-fried ribs, braised ribs, or pork rib porridge, choose ribs with more meat for a delicious, attractive, and nutritious meal.

Some tips for choosing delicious ribs

Apart from being nutritious, ribs are also considered one of the tastiest parts of the pig. According to the experience of sellers, pork ribs are divided into 3 main parts: front ribs (near the front legs), middle ribs, and back ribs (near the hind legs). Each position of the ribs has a different tenderness and taste. Depending on the dish, there are different ways to choose delicious ribs.

For the front ribs, the cartilage layer extends along the long bones and is usually thick and hard. Those who like to eat cartilage should choose these ribs to cook dishes.

Another characteristic of front ribs is that the surrounding meat is quite tender and elastic. Although the meat is delicious, it is very thin and less in quantity. Front ribs have a relatively low amount of marrow. Therefore, front ribs should not be used for making soup. Instead, they are ideal ingredients for braised dishes, stir-fries, or sweet and sour ribs.

The middle position is considered the best rib position. The ratio of cartilage, meat, and marrow in the bones in this section is harmonious. It is suitable for making all delicious dishes from ribs. In particular, the intricate grilled garlic ribs dish can mostly only be made from ribs in this section.

Compared to the middle section, back ribs are not a top-grade type, but they also have their own advantages. Specifically, they contain a lot of marrow, the meat is thin but firm, flavorful, and tender… very suitable for making soups or stews.

If it is easy to recognize middle ribs, it is difficult to distinguish between front and back ribs. To distinguish them, meat vendors revealed that you should pay attention to the following points:

In terms of color, the front ribs are the darkest. In contrast, the back ribs are usually lighter in color.

In terms of shape, aside from containing a large amount of cartilage and less meat, front ribs are also quite thick and short. Conversely, back ribs have more meat and fewer bone density.

In addition to choosing ribs according to their position, you should also pay attention to the smell, color, and elasticity to choose fresh and delicious ribs or ribs that have been stored for a long time.

Normally, fresh ribs have a mild but not foul smell. The outer color is bright red or pale pink. When you press the meat with your hand, the depressed part will quickly return to its original shape.