Places like Chili’s and other chain restaurants offer ribs by the half rack or a rack.
But if you go to a BBQ joint and order the rib plate, they just give you a pittance of ribs.Why is that?!
And what the heck ever happened to all you can eat rib night?
PS. I want ribs.
You’re in Dallas, what about Sonny Bryan’s? Make you wanna lick your fingers and rub your belly.
At most all of the BBQ places I go to you can order ribs (or any other meat) by the pound and have however much you want.
If you’re at a BBQ joint that doesn’t offer slabs of ribs, you should go to a different BBQ joint.
I’m pretty sure that at all of my favorite places (Cooper’s, Smitty’s, Kreuz’s, Zimmerhanzel’s) you can buy a rack of ribs.
Mmmmmmm, barbeque…
Here in Chicago, every good rib place I can think of offers ribs by the rack and half-rack.
I went to 3 Stacks up in Frisco last week. They’re very tasty but very expensive for BBQ. I got the beef ribs and was going to get a rack but they wanted approximately $15.00 / rib! Now granted - there was a ton of meat on each rib and it was very good so half a rib was more than enough for me especially considering we had some other meats and sides too. In any case, if you like BBQ I recommend them.
Yeah, you must go to some pretty shitty BBQ joints if they don’t have a rack of ribs.
That’s the point of this thread, there aren’t any around here. They got places that sell by the pound, but that’s not really the same thing.
Nope, this is Texas, we have plenty of good joints around here. They do sell ribs. They just don’t sell their ribs by the rack.
Ribs aren’t really a Texas BBQ thing; I think they’re here to appease the out-of-staters who want ribs and pulled pork.
That’s why ribs are doled out 5-6 at a time, I suspect.
A great deal of BBQ joints are crap as restaurants - even if they have good BBQ. Weird hours. Weird entree availability. Logistics are a huge part of any good restaurant, and with the huge prep time required for low-and-slow BBQ, I think the logistics are too much for most BBQ joints to offer service and availability on par with a regular restaurant. Though their BBQ is far from the best, I kind of marvel at the service of Famous Dave’s. From open to close, the entire menu is just 15 minutes to your table. Food is only servable for so long though, so I guess the crappier places simply can’t afford to toss the amount of food one needs to in order to have BBQ ready to go at all hours.
I have no idea what the OP is talking about. Slab and half-slab are the typical units of measurement around barbecue joints here. (Slab being about $20, half-slab about $12 ± $3 for both).
ETA: Ah, that’s specific to TX. No idea. And the unpredictability of BBQ joints I think is part of their mystique and more a plus than a minus to their business.
My place of choice has a “rib plate” which has a few ribs and sides for about $9, or you can get a whole rack for $16 ala carte.
When I make ribs at home I generally only have 3 or 4 bones. A whole rack will make me puke, even without mac&cheese and potatoes.
I’m actually a BBQ critic. In Texas. Dallas/Fort Worth. I get paid to eat BBQ.
Texas BBQ absolutely includes ribs. Traditionally it was Beef, but pork ribs have taken over because, well, people like them. However, ribs in BBQ joints usually are cut apart, rather than served in a rack. There are a few reasons for this, but mainly BBQ here is/was more of a to go thing traditionally. You don’t usually get real silverware (or knives) and You cant eat a rack of ribs while driving. Most good 'cue joints should be willing to serve them to you in a rack rather than cut up if you request it.
When I’m in the mood for ribs, (and I don’t want to do them myself) I generally go to a BBQ dispensary and ask for a pound of ribs. When I really really want ribs, I go to Roscoe’s down in Burleson on a Wednesday for all you can eat 'cue day. In three years of BBQ reviews I’ve never found a place with better ribs (haven’t been in a while though…I really need to go back).
In Dallas, give Bakers a try. not only can you get some really good ribs, you can get 'cue stuffed into a fried pie for desert.
All the places I go to are by the slab/half slab as well, except for the odd variety plate where they do 2-3 pieces of several different types.
Cool! Have you been to Pecan Lodge? Does it live up to its hype?
I have not been there yet. Most of my reviews are in Fort Worth, but occasionally I’ll venture out to Dallas. I need to try Pecan Lodge, I hear such good things.
Y’all hiring? 
Yeah, how do I get your job?