There are two schools of rib thought in the United States. One, they’re something you slather in store-bought BBQ sauce and devour with minimal thought and maximum beer. The other is that barbecuing ribs requires an intimidating amount of time and commitment and is best experienced in rural temples run by wood-fire cooks. Both are true, and yet rib rapture can also be had in your own kitchen on a weeknight.
Americans hardly have a culinary claim on ribs: They’re equally popular in most of Asia, Mexico and even Norway, for starters. Yet no one would deny they’re part of the American comfort-food canon. Pork ribs were long enjoyed as part of whole-hog cooking, but didn’t emerge as their own cut until the advent of refrigerated meat processing at the end of the 1800s. Pitmasters (most of them Black and pulling influences from throughout the diaspora) popularized the “rib shack” across the country, and by the 1950s, handling of this once-humble cut evolved and you’ll now find it in fine-dining restaurants and suburban kitchens alike.
There are few other ingredients that give such an impressive payoff for minimal effort. Once you’ve prepared your rub, glaze or sauce base, it’s just a matter of getting them in the oven and forgetting about them while you relax with a glass of wine or two. The key is understanding how to navigate the world of ribs at your butcher or supermarket.
Know your Cuts
Beef ribs
Short ribs are the most common beef rib, taken from two
