Applebee's Baby Back Ribs Secret Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Are Applebee's baby back ribs beef or pork? ›

Your first order features 12-ounces of riblets expertly cut from the most tender pork for a delicious bone-in flavor, then slow cooked and served dripping in either Honey BBQ or Spicy Texas BBQ sauce, with Classic Fries and cole slaw.

A Few Words on The 2-2-1 Method

The initial 2 hour step is where the smoke flavor gets into the meat, the middle 2 hour step is where the super tenderizing takes place. The last 1 hour step is where the crust develops on the outside.

"Riblets" is Applebee's branded name for button ribs or rib tips (as they are called at Walmart), which is a short cut trimmed from the back end of pork spareribs, packed with lots of connective tissue.

Chef's Tip: Beef ribs benefit from marinating and smoking and require less intense spices to acquire flavor. Pork ribs offer a better profit margin because of their lower initial cost and are easier and faster to cook, requiring less labor as well.

Baby back ribs are also sometimes called pork loin back ribs, back ribs, or loin ribs. Underside of a rack of baby back ribs. Each baby back rib rack averages 10 to 13 curved ribs that are 3 to 6 inches long and weigh about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, which feeds about 2 people.

Place ribs bone-side down in smoker at 225 F /110 C and cook for three hours. Remove ribs from the smoker and wrap tightly in aluminum foil to form an airtight seal. Return to the smoker bone-side up and smoke for two hours. Unwrap the ribs and return to the smoker bone-side down for one more hour.

321 Rib Method

This technique calls for 3 hours of smoking, 2 hours of wrapping, and 1 hour of cooking. The ribs are first smoked at a low temperature to give them the smoky flavor that many people love. Then they are wrapped in foil with some liquid such as apple juice or beer, and cooked for two hours.

There's a good chance that you've heard mention of using a Texas crutch (sometimes just called a crutch) when grilling pork ribs, butt, or brisket. To put it simply, this is the method of wrapping the meat in foil for a short time while grilling in order to help it cook faster and more evenly.

They are smoked in-house over pecan wood

The next reason that Chili's baby back ribs are so delicious has to do with one of the oldest cooking methods in human history: smoking (via Britannica). According to Chili's, their ribs are smoked in-house over pecan wood. Using pecan wood has lots of advantages.

However, what Applebees refers to as “riblets” are actually “button ribs,” which are actually not ribs at all.

What are Flintstone ribs? ›

| By Alejandro Benes | From Gambling Guide, May/June 2022. They're the ribs Fred Flintstone would order. You can call them giant short ribs or dinosaur bones, the correct name is beef plate short rib.

Baby back rib cooking temperature

We want to keep the smoker at about 250°F (121°C) for the duration of the cook.

If your ribs are dry, you likely cooked them too hot and fast.

Cook the ribs at 225°F (107°C) for 2 hours in the wrapped configuration. At the 4 hour mark, remove the ribs from the foil and place them back onto the grate to continue cooking for an additional 1 hour to firm up the bark and finish them off. This is also a great time to sauce them if that is how you like them.

There are a few types of beef ribs that you might find at the grocery store or your favorite barbecue restaurant. The most common types are baby back ribs, spare ribs, and St. Louis-style ribs.

Next time you want your baby back ribs, take matters into your own hands with this copycat recipe for Chili's famously succulent pork ribs.

Whether you're a rib connoisseur or not, you may not know the real answer to the question, "what are baby back ribs?" Baby back ribs are cut from where the rib meets the spine after the loin is removed from the pig.

Cut: The back ribs are cut from the upper back of the cow. Short ribs are cut from the lower portion of the rib cage in the front section of the cow. Short ribs are directly beneath the back ribs. Meat: The little meat on beef back ribs is between the bones, and beef short ribs have meat atop the bones.