What You Need To Consider When Ordering Ribs At A Steakhouse, According To Experts

Dining out should be a treat from start to finish, especially if you're at a more expensive steakhouse. If you decide to order ribs, you want ones that are flavorful and tender, with meat that falls off the bone rather than being overcooked, mushy, or tough. To make sure you get quality ribs, Tasting Table spoke with two experts to find out what you need to consider before placing your order.

Leandro "Lean" Gentini is known as the world's first International Meat Sommelier. Christie Vanover is the head cook and pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill, and will be appearing on the new Food Network show "Pitmasters" hosted by Andrew Zimmern. Both experts agree that you can get good beef short ribs at a steakhouse; you just need to know what to look for. Gentini told us, "I wouldn't say you should avoid ordering ribs. You simply need to order them at the right steakhouse." Vanover agreed, saying, "I would never actually tell someone to avoid getting ribs at a steakhouse. Several restaurants make a decent rack of ribs."

However, not all steakhouses are properly equipped to grill spare ribs that are perfectly tender and smoky. According to Gentini, "great ribs require time, patience, and specialized equipment. Many traditional steakhouses are built around cooking premium steaks over intense heat, and don't dedicate the many hours required to produce truly exceptional ribs." Yet he went on to say that "when a restaurant embraces live-fire cooking and understands the art of slow cooking, ribs can easily become one of the highlights of the menu."

Gentini told us that one of the signs that a steakhouse will serve quality ribs is if it has the proper cooking equipment on-site. He said that "one of the strongest indicators is seeing a dedicated smoker or a charcoal- or wood-fired grill, like those found in traditional Argentine parrillas." This is because "great ribs should embrace the smoke — it becomes part of their identity. Slow cooking over wood allows the fat and collagen to gradually melt while developing deep, complex aromas that simply can't be replicated in a conventional gas oven." He went on to recommend a classic Los Angeles steakhouse that is known for high-quality Argentine beef ribs: "Restaurants like Alto: Fire to Table in Los Angeles, and traditional Argentine parrillas, demonstrate how mastering live fire transforms every cut, not just premium steaks. Smoke isn't there to dominate the meat; it's there to enhance its natural flavor."

Yet even if a restaurant doesn't have a smoker or grill, you can still get tasty ribs. In fact, when we ranked the ribs at seven chain restaurants, we placed Texas Roadhouse at the top of the list. Vanover suggests that "when ordering ribs at a restaurant, just keep in mind that they may or not be smoked. But that's okay. Oven-cooked ribs can also be delicious and tender. They just won't have the same level of barbecue smoke." If that smoky flavor is important to you, consider going to a local barbecue restaurant instead of a steakhouse. One of the telltale signs of a great BBQ restaurant, according to a Southerner, is an on-site smoker.