Spare ribs
Encyclopedia
Pork ribs
Pork ribs are a cut of pork popular in North American and Asian cuisines. The ribcage of a domestic pig, meat and bones together, is cut into usable pieces, prepared by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then served....
and beef ribs
Short ribs
Short ribs are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, pork spare ribs...
, cooked and eaten in various cuisines around the world. They are the most inexpensive cut of pork and beef ribs. They are a long cut from the lower portion of the pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
or cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, specifically the belly and breastbone, behind the shoulder, and include 11 to 13 long bones. There is a covering of meat on top of the bones as well as between them.
Terminology
Etymologists find the term came from Low GermanLow German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
ribbesper (referring to pickled pork ribs, cooked on a spit), whose parts refer, in order, to rib
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
and spit.
- Pork spare ribs are also popular in ChineseChinese cuisineChinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
and American Chinese cuisineAmerican Chinese cuisineAmerican Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...
, they are generally called paigu (Chinese: 排骨; pinyin: páigǔ; Cantonese: paai4 gwat1; literally "row of bones"). When removed from the bone and roasted, or when roasted after marinating in a red coloured stock, they are called char siuChar siuChar siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of siu mei, Cantonese roasted meat...
(叉燒).
- In County CorkCounty CorkCounty Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, pork or beef spare ribs are boiled and eaten with potatoPotatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es and turnipTurnipThe turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
s. This dish is called bodice locally.
In Chinese and American Chinese cuisines
- In Chinese cuisine, pork spare ribs are generally first cut into 3-4 inch sections, then may be friedFryingFrying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
, steamedSteamingSteaming is a method of cooking using steam. Steaming is considered a healthy cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food.-Method:...
, or braisedBraisingBraising , is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour...
.
- In the Cantonese cuisineCantonese cuisineCantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
of southern China, spare ribs are generally red in color and roasted with a sweet and savory sauce. This variety of spare ribs, called char siuChar siuChar siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of siu mei, Cantonese roasted meat...
, is grouped as one of the most common items of siu meiSiu meiSiu mei is the generic name, in Cantonese cuisine, given to meats roasted on spits over an open fire or a huge wood burning rotisserie oven. It creates a unique, deep barbecue flavor that is usually enhanced by a flavorful sauce . Shops selling these meats are commonly found in Chinese-speaking...
, or Cantonese roasted meat dishes.
- In American Chinese cuisineAmerican Chinese cuisineAmerican Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...
, pork spare ribs are generally cooked in char siu style, and often feature as a part of the appetizer dish called pu pu platterPu pu platterA Pu Pu platter, Pu-Pu platter or pupu platter is a tray of American Chinese cuisine consisting of an assortment of small meat and seafood appetizers...
.
In Southern American cuisine
Spare ribs have also become popular in the American SouthSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. They are generally cooked on a barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
or on an open fire, and are served as a slab (bones and all) with a sauce. American butchers prepare two cuts:
- Pork spare ribs are taken from the belly side of the pig's rib cage above the sternum (breast bone) and below the back ribs which extend about 6" down from the spine. Spare ribs are flatter than the curved back ribs and contain more bone than meat. There is also quite a bit of fat which can make the ribs more tender than baby back ribs.
- St. Louis Cut ribs are spare ribs where the sternum bone, cartilageCartilageCartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
, and the surrounding meat known as the rib tips have been removed. St. Louis Cut rib racks are almost rectangular.
- St. Louis Cut ribs are spare ribs where the sternum bone, cartilage
- Beef spare ribs are taken from the belly side of the cattle's rib cage above the sternum (breast bone). Beef spare ribs tend to be longer, wider, and sometimes more curved than their pork counterparts, and are cut from the prime rib rump, of which the thicker boneless part becomes the ribeye steak, and the upper tips of the ribs are then cut off and become short ribsShort ribsShort ribs are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, pork spare ribs...
.
Consumption
Spare ribs are usually consumed individually by hand, with the small amount of meat adhering to the bone gnawed off by the eater.See also
- Pork ribsPork ribsPork ribs are a cut of pork popular in North American and Asian cuisines. The ribcage of a domestic pig, meat and bones together, is cut into usable pieces, prepared by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then served....
- SokiSokiis a specialty of the cuisine of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Sōki are stewed pork spare ribs, with the cartilage still attached. They are often served with Okinawa soba.-Sōki soba:Okinawa soba with stewed sōki on top...
- Char siuChar siuChar siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of siu mei, Cantonese roasted meat...
- Pu pu platterPu pu platterA Pu Pu platter, Pu-Pu platter or pupu platter is a tray of American Chinese cuisine consisting of an assortment of small meat and seafood appetizers...
- Short ribsShort ribsShort ribs are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, pork spare ribs...
- Prime ribs