Pork Ribs

(The picture of my neice, Savannah; father-in-law, Doyle; and their prize winning hog, was taken shortly after Savannah earned Reserve Grand Champion honors at the Tennessee State Championship 4-H Market Hog Show in 2005).

To many people, bbq pork ribs are the Holy Grail of bbq. The National Pork Board provides an interesting perspective to the pork production industry

Baby back, loin back, St. Louis cut, spare rib, rib tips, and country-style ribs are some of the various classifications of pork ribs.

Ribs are measured in the following terms:

• 4 1/2 and down....refers to a slab of ribs weighing 4 1/2 lbs. and less (generally an older hog)
• 3 1/2 and down....refers to a slab of ribs weighing 3 1/2 lbs. and less (generally a younger hog)
• 2 1/2 and down....refers to a slab of ribs weighing 2 1/2 lbs. and less
• Slab....generally refers to 12-13 individual bones depending on the butcher

The Rib Man discusses ribs in detail on his web site and provides a graphical depiction of various ribs and the areas of the hog producing the particular types of ribs.

BBQ Ribs