boneless baby back ribs - how to cook in oven

[yesidid]

I bought a rack of boneless baby back ribs.

Would the oven cooking temp be lower and less time than bone in ribs? I usually do bone ribs at 350 for a couple hours, but I don't want to dry these boneless ones out.

Also I'd love to hear lots of ways everyone here cooks their ribs and with what sauces.

Thank you in advance!

[JeremyEG]

I hear the market is about to be flooded with 'boneless wings' pre-seasoned in different ways. Guess we'll have to wait and see. : )
JeremyEG
homecooklocavore.com

[ricepad]

Are you kidding? Boneless "wings" have been around for years!

[JeremyEG]

Many many more about to come our way from the news story I saw around 6 weeks ago. Something to do with the shortage of actual wings.
JeremyEG

[yesidid]

I bought them from Albertsons, and on the label it says boneless baby back ribs. There are sections cut vertically but not all the way through the meat.

So if it is just a marketing ploy and it's really pork loin cut in half lenghtwise, I will just cook it the same as pork loin.

I did wonder as to how they got the bones out and maintain the shape so well. Thanks everyone!

[tommy]

I'm not sure anyone will know what this actually is, although it sounds like "attack of the country ribs"...but without a bone.

Cook them the way you cook regular ribs, assuming there is some braising or slow-cooker filled with BBQ sauce aspect, which you might like. There's probably not expertise on this particular cut, but I'm looking forward to hearing some.

If you generally cook ribs with smoke and slow and low temps, then I don't think you'd be asking this question. So rock the braise and BBQ sauce!!

[yesidid]

Thx Tommy, they are definitely not as thickly cut as country style ribs and don't have the same amount of fat marbled throughout.

I wasn't sure though, since they were boneless if the cooking time should be as long as bone in.

I will cook like I do my usual baby backs in the oven, wrapped in foil for about an hour with a some lemons and onion on top with a drizzle of apple juice and then unwrapped for 45 mins while basting with sauce.

I am yet to delve into being a real rib cooker as in smoking them, but the more I read about the methods of smoking the more comfortable I am with thinking I can do it. I worry about oversmoking though, I tend to overdo stuff like that thinking more is better.

[Shaw Oliver]

Can't be of much help without more info...

[TorontoJo]

Seriously, what are boneless baby back ribs? Can you describe what they look like or maybe provide a photo?

[maria lorraine]

Not uncommon at all. Google images has a few shots.

Speaking of which, Google has quite a few recipes for boneless baby back ribs in the oven.

[tommy]

It seems to me that this is pork loin, and not ribs at all. These are not back ribs with the bones removed.

[maria lorraine]

Are you referring to a specific photo? I claim no expertise here, but the photos I've seen look like genuine ribs, with indentations where the bones used to be.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/%2...

[tommy]

The ribs were removed *after* cooking in that photo. Other references refer to pork loin.

Regardless, I've never seen "boneless baby back ribs" made of back ribs in the market. If you do, it's uncommon.

[maria lorraine]

Hey, you're right about boneless baby back ribs. A made-up marketing name. Pure pork loin sliced horizontally. Lower fat, but lower flavor also. Don't know what that picture is of, that I linked to above -- certainly looks rib-like.

In any case, I'm edu-ma-cated now!

[John E.]

I said the same thing as Tommy more than 9 hours earlier.

[tommy]

I would submit that it's not even a marketing ploy. It doesn't exist. A google search turns up nothing but a few people talking about something that doesn't exist, including this thread. No actual sources.

I'm curious if the OP will ever respond, explaining what he or she actually purchased. And from where. And perhaps more importantly: why.

For the record, John E. wins.

[maria lorraine]

John E, here is a gold star for your forehead. Tommy, here is a red one.

FWIW, a Google search for "boneless baby back ribs" -- in quotes -- turned up 114, 000 results. Page after page of recipes. So something exists -- you may not be familiar with the term or the re-purposing of pork loin in this way, but it's being done on a large scale. Not in my house, or perhaps in your house, but it's going on.

[tommy]

I do notice that people are talking about buying them at Sams and Costco. Those are examples of the sources I was looking for. Sounds like these types of stores are marketing this stuff. Large scale? I'm not sure about that.

[alkapal]

i'm just curious what particular cut of pig they are *calling* "boneless ribs."

[maria lorraine]

Pork loin. I know, it's a stretch.

[alkapal]

but what is the point?

[tommy]

People don't like bones. Surely you've heard of this before now.

[John E.]

Yeah, you're right. It's a Sam's Club thing, I don't know about Costco. I'm aware of the 'boneless back ribs' at Sam's Club. Several years ago I even bought and smoked some. They were dry because it's a cut off the pork loin. I have occasionally bought country style ribs, but not for ribs. I've made pulled pork, carnitas or pork chili verde with them. The price has to be right. I've never been a big fan of country style ribs either. I think they're actually off the pork shoulder. People like 'boneless' meat for some reason, I mostly for people that are not avid cooks and think they're getting a better deal on the meat without the weight of the bone. It doesn't bother me if people like them.

[tommy]

during a recent discussion it came to light that "country style ribs" can come from the loin (ribs) or the shoulder. The packaging should specify "loin" or "shoulder", depending on the source of the meat. Around my area, they are from the loin. It's probably a regional thing as those who claim they are from the shoulder have never seem them from the loin, and vice versa.

[Uncle Bob]

Both examples are in my area...Those cut from the pork butt being more prevalent...One retailer even has "boneless ribs" those CSR cut from the blade end of the loin and boned out....You are correct that the Truth in Labeling Laws state (my words) that no matter what cute, artsy fartsy term a retailer labels the product...somewhere on the packed it must state the true origin of the piece of meat..Pk Sh, pk ln, Bnless chk, etc.

[joonjoon]

Costco sells something called "Boneless Country Ribs", it's basically sliced pork shoulder.

[LindaWhit]

LOL! My mom used that "gold star on your forehead" comment ALL the time when we had been good kids - GREAT line. :-)

[mtomto]

Does McDonald's now sell boneless bb ribs to the public? LOL.

[John E.]

What are boneless baby back ribs? That sounds like pork loin to me.

[maria lorraine]

Two weeks ago in The New York Times:
The Secret to Ribs Is Already in the Kitchen: The Oven
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/dining/30curious.html?scp=5&sq=ribs&st=cse

Recipe: Smoky Oven Spareribs
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/din...