Spare Ribs vs Baby Back Ribs
There are many who cannot differentiate between different cuts from pork and yet relish their steaks and hams. It is a fact that cut of the meat from the pig can make all the difference between a very tender and juicy steak full of aromas and a run of the mill steak. If you do not think so, get the opinions of master chefs who all agree that a lot depends upon from where the cut of meat has been obtained. The same goes for the ribcage of a pig as it is eaten with great enthusiasm all over the country by lovers of pork. The boney cage is cut into pieces with a little bit of meat on it and smoked or grilled to prepare delicious recipes. Spare ribs and baby back ribs are two cuts of meat from the pork that are talked about a lot because of their great taste and flavor. Some think these cuts to be the same, but they come from different body parts of the pork. Let us take a closer look.
Baby Back Ribs
If one takes an aerial view of a pig, the top most part of the pig is from where the spare ribs come. In fact, these ribs are cut from the loin section of the animal. In some places, they are also referred to as loin ribs or simply back ribs. If you recollect, this is the part of the animal from where pork chops are obtained. So, baby back ribs are simply pork chops with the meat removed.
As these ribs come from the loin section, one can expect them to be lean and tender. These ribs are short in length, and being so tender, they are loved by people all over the country. The word baby prefixed with back ribs indicates that they have come from small pigs rather than adults.
Spare Ribs
Spare ribs are obtained from that section of the rib cage that lies around the belly of the pig. If you can visualize the pig, it is easy to see that spare ribs obviously have a lot more meat and are large and tough. This means that spare ribs need a long cooking time. Spare ribs come from an area that is behind the shoulders around the belly of the pig. There are 11-13 long bones in this area and the ribs obtained from this area have a covering of meat and are cheaper than other ribs of the hog.
What is the difference between Spare Ribs and Baby Back Ribs?
• Baby back ribs come from the loin section whereas spare ribs come from the belly section of the ribcage.
• The bones in spare ribs are longer and larger than the bones in baby back ribs that are also tender.
• Spare ribs are cheaper than baby back ribs.
• Spare ribs have more fat on them while baby back ribs are leaner.
• Spare ribs are better suited to smoking while baby back ribs are ideal for grilling.
• Because of leaner meat, baby back ribs cook fast.