r/BBQ • u/WeirdAddress3170 • 21h ago

Anyone tried the Costco beef ribs? Looks like there is barely any meat

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193 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

113 comments sorted by

137

u/VeryDerison 21h ago

I'll get some and cook direct heat with a mop sauce. You're correct that there's not much meat and you might be surprised that once cooked they shrink up more than you'd think.

BUT, the bones are great for making beef stock, and that's the real reason I get these occasionally.

33

u/JCuss0519 21h ago

The meat is good, and bones are great for stock!

3

u/Hener001 8h ago

I tried to make these several times.

These are more like butcher scraps than what most people consider beef ribs. I won’t buy them anymore. Taking them out of the smoker on more than half of the ribs you are lucky to get a couple bites of actual beef on a rib.

I am usually a big fan of Costco. I go there a couple times a month for home and buy all my office supplies there. This is my only real disappointment after many years.

Don’t buy them. Not worth the money. Go to a butcher shop. At least there you may pay more but you get beef ribs worth the name.

1

u/spenzalii 5h ago

Never thought of using them for beef stock. Great 2 for 1 use

1

u/OKTAXMAN 4h ago

Recipe? For both the sauce and the stock please

1

u/VeryDerison 4h ago

Mop sauce: two sticks of butter (melted), fry off a diced onion in the butter, crush up a few cloves of garlic and throw those in (not too early or they'll burn), add in some Worcestershire, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, salt, pepper, juice of a lemon, and however much beer you want to add to thin it out a bit. Measure all those things with your heart.

Stock: throw bones in pot, cover with water, boil. You can get fancy and add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Also if you want it super gelatinous add some chicken feet or wing tips.

0

u/SwanginRichards 15h ago

This is the way

108

u/Rolex_throwaway 21h ago

Beef back ribs. They’re a different kind of rib than what you are looking for.

2

u/PepperoniFogDart 6h ago

Costco does also usually carry Chuck ribs, a.k.a. Dino ribs. I would imagine that’s what OP is looking for.

34

u/dar3productions 21h ago

Beef back are like this. Beef short ribs are the meaty ones

64

u/Mikesiders 21h ago

These are great but there’s a distinction between plate ribs (the Dino ribs you usually see) and these.

The beef back ribs usually take 2-3 hours to smoke and while there is minimal meat, they’re not as heavy at the plate ribs and you can knock out a couple of these. Also way more affordable. I enjoy doing these if I’m pressed for time and still want beef ribs.

1

u/AdditionalNotice6289 22m ago

30 bucks for a average size rack of beef ribs is not affordable for me.

20

u/Stalaktitas 20h ago

These you can cook at 325 with some smoke and be done in 3 hours. Quick cook, goes great with some cold beer, buns and coleslaw. I would not call this a waste of time, it's just the whole another thing than Dino ribs - brisket on the stick.

34

u/TheGreenAlchemist 21h ago

Dude, the last time they had plate ribs at my Costco my dog literally pulled them off my kitchen counter and ate them before I even got a taste. I'm not ashamed that I cried lol. And I've never seen them at Costco since.

12

u/Living-Metal-9698 21h ago

PTSD

28

u/jonathanhoag1942 20h ago

Pet that stupid dog

5

u/the_real_zombie_woof 20h ago

That stupid pet dog.

4

u/ColdMastadon 20h ago

Sorry for your loss. FYI, if you can catch someone from the meat department, you can request plate ribs. They get tgem that way and then cut them into short ribs or flanken.

1

u/liartellinglies 20h ago

I’ve never seen plate ribs at mine once, I’ll have to ask. It’s always just back or short ribs.

1

u/ColdMastadon 20h ago

That was the same for me, but after I asked they started putting a few out during BBQ season.

1

u/PoorestForm 7h ago

Ive asked this and was told that at least at my location they don’t receive plate ribs, what they receive is already cut.

1

u/UnDosTresPescao 12h ago

You will often see them thin sliced which means they have the full ones in the back if you ask.

1

u/blimpcitybbq 9h ago

I see them at Save a Lot all the time.

1

u/Gil-The-Real-Deal 7h ago

Who owns the dog now? /s

8

u/fav13andacdc 21h ago

I like them. It’s the rib connected to the ribeye. Low and slow with salt and pepper until tender. 

5

u/random_notrandom 20h ago edited 20h ago

I cook these for my mom when she comes on days I’m doing pork ribs for everyone else. (She can’t have pork due to a gut reaction). TMI…. I’ve cooked these several times to count and have found that they they always come out texture and tasting like little tender pieces of beef roast on a bone. I’ve asked her what seasoning she likes so far and it’s always SPG.

8

u/blzzardhater 20h ago

For beef back ribs, I only buy them from Costco. They’re far meatier than anything you’ll get at the local supermarket.

3

u/pmac109 20h ago

I’ve got some beef back ribs I’m planning on doing this weekend

3

u/Inevitable-Drag-1704 20h ago edited 20h ago

It helps to pick through them and find the ones with a bit more meat.

Beef back ribs are expensive compared to how much meat youll get with other cuts, but I look at them as a rare treat.

3

u/PancakesandScotch 20h ago

Beef back is different than beef plate ribs.

These are great, but they don’t yield much meat

3

u/TopObligation5373 20h ago

That's cause they're beef back ribs

2

u/armrha 21h ago

Back ribs are pretty sparse but can be tasty. Just don’t put a lot of work into them, lol

2

u/Loud-Chicken6046 21h ago

I've never had good beef ribs from a store. They're always 85% bones.

2

u/Dolophonos 21h ago

They are more akin to pork ribs. Cook faster, less meat, need less seasoning. I've made them twice, both times I over-salted them.

2

u/Reen1980 20h ago

Best to find a butcher

2

u/PyroN00b 9h ago

Back ribs always looks like this because they are cut away from the ribeye, so most of the meat stays with the more expensive cut. As others have mentioned, short ribs come with more meat because they come from the plate or the chuck. I really like short ribs, but their popularity has them priced really high, so I'm trying to just make chuck roast come out similar.

5

u/vote4kyle 21h ago

Those are beef back ribs. You want the plate ribs.

2

u/gamelover42 21h ago

I tried cooking a rack of back ribs like those that I got from winco. By the time they were done cooking there was no edible meat on them. I can’t figure out why people would buy them

5

u/no1ukn0w 20h ago

Because the butcher that cut the pack you bought did his job really well.

It’s literally the bone from a bone in ribeye, the butcher wants to keep as much of the ribeye they can.

Which also means, at least imo, it’s literally the best part of a cow you can put on a smoker. It’s literally ribeye on a stick.

My butcher charges me an extra $1/lb but will leave a little bit more meat on them.

2

u/JCuss0519 21h ago

Beef back ribs tend to be pretty thin on the meat, but they can be quite tasty!

1

u/Underwater_Karma 20h ago

Back ribs are the ribs cut off a standing rib roast to make a prime rib so they deliberately have as little meat as possible.

They very tasty, but so little meat I don't think they're worth the trouble. But they're not very expensive either

1

u/Sekshual_Tyranosauce 20h ago

They will smoke ok but better for soup IMO.

1

u/Cocoa_Pug 20h ago

These used to be like $10 for 2 racks at Walmart/Sams a year ago.

1

u/Same_Coyote7318 20h ago

I know exactly what ones you are talking about lol but those are much smaller

1

u/SloCalLocal 20h ago

Back ribs are a thing here on the Central Coast of California. I like em smoked, no wrap.

Locally they tend to be grilled and can be rather tough, but smoked properly they are kick-ass. I often serve em with linguisa and/or Swiss sausage. The best seasoning for them is up for debate, but the late Norm Eggen's Old Country Deli dry rub is contender.

1

u/Sea-Foundation6975 20h ago

Back ribs… make a damn fine broth, though. I’d give ‘em away every now and then when I was cutting.

1

u/KravMata 15h ago

There's not a ton of meat relative to the overall weight, but what's there is amazing. Each rack serves 2-3 people.

Remove from plastic. Tons of coarse salt. Bring to room temp, Roast at ~250 for a few hours. Then there's options - turn up the oven, leave them in and serve as is, finish hot, or take to grill, get crust, BBQ sauce then crust again. They're top notch for a stock then soup where you will use the meat - beef barley, borscht, etc.

You know they're cooked when the mean has retracted an inch or more up the bone.

1

u/Defconx19 15h ago

The lack of meat is because they are back ribs.  Backribs really just have little meat.  They come from the ribeye which is why.  If you want meaty beef ribs, you have to buy short ribs

1

u/BadQuail 15h ago

Can confirm there's barely any meat. However, if you ask, the will sell you uncut beef short ribs which do have a ton of meat on them.

1

u/cheffredy 13h ago

I get them all the time. Most of the time what I do is break them down into individual bones, freeze them up, and give them to my dog, needles to say he loves them. He chews on them for hours. When I get them for my wife and I, I salt them up, and they go on the grill until they are nice and tender, and yes there’s no much meat on them, but they are a tasty treat.

1

u/duncey12 11h ago

Excellent for braising/stews/meat sauces. I’ve done them on a smoker and honestly there’s not as much meat as pork ribs so it didn’t feel worth it.

1

u/TwinFrogs 10h ago

They’re fucking hot garbage. Only thing they’re good for is rendering beef stock. Which you can do with a jar of bouillon. 

1

u/pausitive-vibes 8h ago

Costco meat in general seems to be going downhill. The suppliers seem to have cut quality to keep prices lower.

1

u/ilikehotdogs54 7h ago

These are great, they’re what you’d get at a Santa Maria style restaurant. Typically should be cooked directly over red oak with only garlic salt and pepper

1

u/HereForTheBoos1013 6h ago

Yup. Smoked them in the traeger. Not your classic dino ribs or anything, but I heard no complaints.

1

u/theviking-666 6h ago

Those are just a shuttle to get sauce into your mouth. Spoons are overrated

1

u/rockstang 5h ago

I thought Costco only carried prime beef? I haven't been a member in about 5 years. Has that changed?

1

u/XxI3ioHazardxX 3h ago

Beef back ribs are delicious! and they are definitely meatier than they seem. most of the meat is between the bones since beef back is the leftovers from when they trim off the ribeye. but I would say to buy two of them if you’re feeding multiple people because beef backs are sold as a half-rack

1

u/Ragepower529 3h ago

There is still a lot of meat in them, and they are super hearty. But they also shrink a lot

1

u/Redeemed-Assassin 3h ago

These are beef back ribs from underneath the ribeye. If you ever get a bone in ribeye roast, these are the rib on bottom. They are wonderfully tender and flavorful, but yes the bone to meat ratio can be a bit high. They are butchered with the idea of keeping as much of the ribeye on the ribeye roast as possible; if you want them with more meat a butcher may be willing to do a custom cut for you but it would be expensive I bet.

These cook hotter and faster. I typically cook them at 250F for about 4 hours and they are melt in your mouth tender without even wrapping. The bones can be used to make a good stock as well after.

The big ass dino ribs are beef plate ribs, aka short ribs. Comes from an entirely different spot on the cow. Much smaller number of bones per rack, only 3-4. They also are roughly 50% bones by weight, they just “look” meatier due to how they cook. These are less per pound and a similar yield of meat, percentage wise, so no you are not being ripped off or the like. Just a different cut.

These are my favorite cheap ribs to smoke. I used to have them often as a kid; they were cheap back then because few people understood they needed to be cooked low and slow (like so many “used to be cheaper” cuts of meat). They are definitely worth giving a try! They go great with a sweet and tangy bbq sauce mopped on towards the end for the last half hour.

1

u/BoredAccountant 3h ago

I love beef back ribs. The advantage of beef back ribs over plate short ribs is that they don't take as long to cook. They aren't as impressive, but they're tasty and who doesn't love meat of the bone?

I don't get to make them that often because my partner would prefer I make pork ribs.

1

u/MidCenturyDog 1h ago

get the plate ribs if you want meat. These are for using the bones for other things, like broth or carving into shivs.

1

u/Aware-Bet-1082 1h ago

Whoever trimmed these cut waayyy down into theeat between ribs Too bad because those look really nice otherwise.

1

u/Aware-Bet-1082 1h ago

I wouldn't even pay 12 or 15$ for that. Half of them have theeat gouged out between the bones. Say something and hopefully it can be corrected so you aren't paying for just a pile of bones and fat.

1

u/HeWasaLonelyGhost 1h ago

All the naysayers in here make me sad. There is great meat on back ribs; they're usually a fairly small investment; and they don't take much time. Yes, there is less meat here than short ribs, but the meat that is there is extremely flavorful, and rich. While I can and have eaten a rack of these, most people I know have a couple, and are satisfied. I always get really great feedback and praise on these when I do them (in candor, at least when I've done my part. I did overcook them on one occasion and they were not good).

I love short ribs, but they are an investment. I think they are absolutely "worth the effort," which is to say, virtually no effort.

1

u/RollingBlue27 21h ago

Yeah, I just made them last weekend cause Costco doesn’t sell short rib roasts. They were decent. I chopped the leftovers up and added to ramen which was fire. Probably wouldn’t go for them again. Beef ribs, wings, and beef kielbasas

1

u/CheeseheadRottweiler 21h ago

Yes do these often. Dont have to wrap on the smoker insanely easy and good. These bones come from the same place as the ribeye so very tender

1

u/herefishyfishy10 16h ago

Do not buy this for smoking. I made the mistake and didn’t look closely enough.

0

u/aqwn 20h ago

Back ribs. I made them once. Not worth the effort.

1

u/JEharley152 20h ago

Depends on who cut them—I’ve had some so “meaty”, it was tough to find the bone—and some with seemingly NO meat on them—

0

u/ts355231 20h ago

I've made beef back ribs twice and I don't think it's even worth the time. The meat that is there is pretty tasty but there's just not enough of it. The meat off of one rack was not even satisfying enough for me and I'm a small dude.

0

u/Icy_Custard_8410 20h ago

Waste of time imho