The Ribs To Buy If You Want The Meatiest Types

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The only thing more mouthwatering than a plate full of perfectly smoked barbecue ribs are barbecued ribs that are absolutely loaded with tender meat. A rack of ribs may be just about the most primal looking meal you can order. It truly unlocks something deep inside your brain. But no matter how appetizing they look, one way ribs often disappoint is being a little too heavy on the bone. So we asked Christie Vanover, head cook and pitmaster for team Girls Can Grill, and a contestant on Season 4 of Food Network's "BBQ Brawl", exactly what types of ribs she would recommend for the meatiest bite.

Vanover tells us that the choice is different depending on whether you're going with pork or beef ribs. Pork is the more common choice, and comes in three standard styles most people know: Spare ribs, St. Louis style ribs, and baby back ribs. Vanover says, "Baby back ribs are near the loin. They're smaller, but meatier. St. Louis and spare ribs are closer to the belly, so they have more marbling." St. Louis-style ribs tend to have more meat overall just because they're bigger. Vanover also mentions a fourth extra-meaty option, "Country style pork ribs are usually cut from the pork shoulder and are boneless. They're very meaty, but not technically ribs."

The different cuts of beef ribs are a little less familiar to many cooks. There are back ribs, and also short ribs, which Vanover says come in a few styles. She explains, "When it comes to beef ribs, there are plate ribs, which come from near the belly and short ribs, which can be cut into thick short ribs or sliced thin for Korean-style ribs." And of those short rib styles, Vanover says, "The plate ribs are the meatiest and often referred to as dino bones." And plate ribs aren't just the meatiest, Vanover also calls them one of her "favorite bites in BBQ."

Meatier ribs mean a longer cooking time. Ribs of all kinds are full of connective tissue, and are best cooked low and slow to break down their collagen into gelatin, otherwise your ribs end up chewy. Cooking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit can take four hours, even for baby back ribs. Thankfully meaty ribs like plate ribs are incredibly flavorful on their own, so they don't need much prep. How does Vanover cook hers? For plate ribs she says, "I rub them heavily with my Girls Can Grill brisket rub and smoke them for 5-6 hours, until they reach an internal temperature of about 205F degrees." That may be a long time, but you won't care at all when you bite into those supremely meaty and beautifully tender plate ribs.