Ribs (food) facts for kids
Ribs are a popular cut of meat that comes from the rib cage of an animal. You can find ribs from many different animals, like pork, beef, lamb, and venison. When people talk about "ribs," they usually mean the part of the rib that has less meat on the bone, often cooked as a whole piece instead of individual ribs.
People all over the world also eat ribs from other animals. These can include bison, goat, ostrich, crocodile, alligator, llama, alpaca, and kangaroo.
How Ribs Are Cooked
Ribs can be cooked in many tasty ways. You can roast them in an oven, grill them over a fire, fry them, bake them, braise them (cook slowly in liquid), or even smoke them. Smoking gives ribs a special flavor.
When you have five or more ribs served together, it's called a "rack." So, you might hear someone say, "a rack of ribs."
Ribs in American Cooking
In American cooking, when someone says "ribs," they often mean barbecue pork ribs. Sometimes they also mean beef ribs. These ribs are usually served with different kinds of barbecue sauce. People typically pull the meat off the bone with their hands while eating.
To make ribs very tender, they are often cooked slowly. This can be done by slow roasting or barbecuing for a long time, sometimes even 10 to 12 hours! This long cooking time makes the meat super soft and easy to eat.
See also
- Galbi
- Meat on the bone
- Pork ribs
- Pork belly
- Prime rib
- Short ribs
- Spare ribs
- Rack of lamb
- Sous vide
Images for kids
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Beef ribs on a smoker grill
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Pork ribs on a smoker grill
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Inside of a beef rib cooked on a smoker grill
