4th of july celebration
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I need some help/recommendations on amount of ribs to buy for family gathering. How many does one rack feed? What ribs do you prefer to feed people? Thanks all. About 12 adults and 3 kids, will be other side dishes as well.
twilliams
Back in the day. We used to figure 8oz of meat per serving. But that probably doesn’t hold true with ribs. Most of us can do more than that even with sides. That said, I’d definitely do at least 10% more. Better safe than sorry. -
If it’s baby backs, at least 4 ribs per person. I like the regular pork back ribs and then I cut them to make St. Louise style. In my opinion if you cook them right they are just as tender and there is a heck of a lot more meat on them. With those you can do 3 ribs per person and that’s a generous portion. My problem is I’m a HUGE meat eater and I can eat a full rack no problem and still pig out on sides. I’m not normal so I don’t think like a “normal” person would. If someone only gave me 4 little baby back ribs I would think it was the appetizer.
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I almost always estimate 1/2 lb. per person for every main dish. Never left anyone hungry.
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twilliams I always estimate about 1/3 pound per person (minus any bone) per person. Some will be heavy eaters, but some are light eaters. If you feed a group, just put the sides first in the food line, and people will load up on a bit of everything and only over-do the meat if they are truly really really hungry. If you think you have a group of extra heavy carnivores, go up to 1/2 pound per person.
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Ribs are tricky, as the bone-to-meat ratio varies from rack to rack. You should be able to feed 2 from a rack of loin back ribs. A rack of St. Louis trimmed spare ribs should feed 3, and a rack of untrimmed spares should feed 4 (maybe 5, but that’s spreading it pretty thinly). A pretty good rule of thumb for spare ribs is 1 pound per person, but you need to know your audience. If these folks eat a lot, then plan for more. If you have a couple of legendary eaters in the group, either account for them or let them know that they need to take one for the team.
Personally, unless your group is dead against rib tips, I would go with untrimmed spare ribs. They are the least expensive per pound, they are the least likely to dry out on you (group cooking can get a little weird), and they give you a lot of meat. There is a lot of meat in those rib tips. If you want to do St. Louis ribs, go ahead and trim off the tips, but also keep and cook them. I actually prefer tips. You also can put some in beans or potatoes or some other side.
If you get untrimmed spares, note whether the brisket flap still is attached. It’s tasty, but it also tends to stay pretty tough (not as tough if you get the membrane off the flap, but that can be difficult). I always trim it off when I’m removing the membrane from spares (and please do remove the membrane). It usually is my cook’s treat, but it’s also good in beans or another side.
Speaking of sides, Austin is absolutely correct about putting the sides in the front. If you really are concerned, you or someone else can serve the meat so someone doesn’t come through and pile 'em on without considering the rest of the group. I’m going to dig up a hot potato side that knocks the socks off just about anyone that tries it (yours truly included). It fills folks up, and they are happy about it.
You also can cook up some sausage to have along with the ribs. Folks love sausage, it’s easy to cook and serve, and it’s fairly inexpensive when you figure that there’s no loss to bone or cooking. It’s just another way to please folks.
Are you on a budget, or are you figuring one out? Since this is a family gathering, is everyone chipping in? For something like a gathering where everyone is chipping in, I tend to spend a bit more to get a bit more and make sure you don’t run out. Folks are always happy to take something home (unless you have a family that fights about that sort of thing).
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Ribs are tricky, as the bone-to-meat ratio varies from rack to rack. You should be able to feed 2 from a rack of loin back ribs. A rack of St. Louis trimmed spare ribs should feed 3, and a rack of untrimmed spares should feed 4 (maybe 5, but that’s spreading it pretty thinly). A pretty good rule of thumb for spare ribs is 1 pound per person, but you need to know your audience. If these folks eat a lot, then plan for more. If you have a couple of legendary eaters in the group, either account for them or let them know that they need to take one for the team.
Personally, unless your group is dead against rib tips, I would go with untrimmed spare ribs. They are the least expensive per pound, they are the least likely to dry out on you (group cooking can get a little weird), and they give you a lot of meat. There is a lot of meat in those rib tips. If you want to do St. Louis ribs, go ahead and trim off the tips, but also keep and cook them. I actually prefer tips. You also can put some in beans or potatoes or some other side.
If you get untrimmed spares, note whether the brisket flap still is attached. It’s tasty, but it also tends to stay pretty tough (not as tough if you get the membrane off the flap, but that can be difficult). I always trim it off when I’m removing the membrane from spares (and please do remove the membrane). It usually is my cook’s treat, but it’s also good in beans or another side.
Speaking of sides, Austin is absolutely correct about putting the sides in the front. If you really are concerned, you or someone else can serve the meat so someone doesn’t come through and pile 'em on without considering the rest of the group. I’m going to dig up a hot potato side that knocks the socks off just about anyone that tries it (yours truly included). It fills folks up, and they are happy about it.
You also can cook up some sausage to have along with the ribs. Folks love sausage, it’s easy to cook and serve, and it’s fairly inexpensive when you figure that there’s no loss to bone or cooking. It’s just another way to please folks.
Are you on a budget, or are you figuring one out? Since this is a family gathering, is everyone chipping in? For something like a gathering where everyone is chipping in, I tend to spend a bit more to get a bit more and make sure you don’t run out. Folks are always happy to take something home (unless you have a family that fights about that sort of thing).
TexLaw im not on a budget, and as far as i know i buying all the meat
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twilliams Here’s that hot potato side dish. It’s a humdinger.
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twilliams Here’s that hot potato side dish. It’s a humdinger.
TexLaw Pretty hard to beat a good German potato salad.
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TexLaw 4th of july at 5 pm…lol
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