Snake River Farms Babyback Ribs

I finally decided to try the Snake River Farms Ribs to judge their legendary status for myself. Here are my thoughts:

SRF customer service is second to none....very organized, helpful and they offer to fully stand behind their products. The Kurobuta pork is top quality and butchered meticulously.  

They say clearly on the website that the ribs are smaller than typical BB ribs. They suggest that you not use them for competition and to adjust your cooking time accordingly. However, I was still not ready for how small they actually were. If you are entertaining you should plan on a rack per person.....at least....most guys could easily eat more. 

You can choose well ahead of time what day you would like the ribs delivered and they take care of the rest. They arrive mostly frozen but thaw out easily overnight in the refrigerator. I removed them from they're heavy duty cryovac and spent the next 20 minutes removing the membrane. I dusted them with my "go to" RunninWild Peach Rub and let them rest while I dialed the BGE into 225*.

I typically run a 1-2-1 cook on my ribs because I find a 2-2-1 a bit overcooked for my taste. I figured with the size of these I would run a 1-1-.30 --- totaling 2 1/2 hours.

Too much. I was shocked at how much these ribs cooked in the last 30 minutes. I did not ruin them at all....but I certainly overcooked them. Both ends were a bit dry. The BGE did creep up to 250* - but I was still very surprised by the results. 

Final opinion: They were good.....but not good enough to merit the price tag. I could feed twice as many people for half as much money with the BB ribs I get at my local grocery....and they're 90% as good.

Now, because I'm a sucker and they were so good to do business with I will still try their whole shoulder sometime this year....fingers crossed. I'll post on that another day! 

This is how they arrive......notice the size and imagine losing another 10% of that in the cook. They are small! 


Membrane Removed:


Lightly Rubbed:


On the BGE at 225*:


Removed at 2 1/2 hours.....


The Center:


Dust to Dust!