2 and half down?

[Jeff Davidson]

A person I was with asked a vendor if his spares were "2 and 1/2 down". I later found out he meant under 2.5 lbs. He told me that the bigger, meatier ribs (ie 4 down) were not as tasty and were less expensive per pound. In fact, he was hesitant to pay $20 for a rack of 4 and half down.

I've never heard this term or this idea before. Are the smaller racks of spares more desirable?

 

[Jeff Davidson]

Dave,

good steer, but I didn't see a discussion of why 2 and half down is more desirable than 4 down...

 

[Doug D]

From "Pork Rib Selection":
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The size and weight of a slab is based on several factors, including the age and size of the hog (larger, heavier slabs tend to come from older hogs)... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
From this, one might infer that ribs from a younger animal would be more tender and therefore more desirable.