MickHLR
TVWBB Fan
Mickey Im very intrigued: how can you distinguish eating them ???
Enrico, normally the plate ribs, NAMP 123A, are a little longer (ribs 6-8) than the chuck ribs, NAMP 130, (ribs 2-5) because the carcass opens up more and the ribs are longer toward the plate area, as compared to the chuck area. An average plate rib will be approx. 9" long, and 1 1/2 to 2 lbs each. An average chuck rib will be approx. 6" - 7", and weigh around 1 lb. A plate rib will also normally have more meat, less of the tough connective tissue, but more collagen, which renders and gives them more of a buttery, silky texture that makes them almost melt in your mouth. That's not to say that the NAMP 130 chuck ribs are not delicious...they are. I just find them harder to cook, as well as a little tougher to eat.
A perfect example is looking at some of the Texas barbecue joints that do beef ribs. Louie Mueller's Barbecue in Taylor used to use the NAMP 130 chuck ribs, but changed about 5 years ago to the NAMP 123A plate ribs. Louie Mueller's Barbecue has been doing this for almost 70 years. When I asked Wayne Mueller about it, he said, "We use the 123A beef plate ribs. I switched from the 130 chuck ribs about 5 years ago because the protein to bone ratio is greater in the 123A, which means greater value for the guest but more importantly, it's a better cut of rib...The fat distribution and muscle flavor I find to be superior in the 123A." And, I must say that Wayne's are always spot-on...every time. Then, there's another famous Texas barbecue joint, called Black's...they've been in business for over 80 years in Lockhart. I'm not sure which ones they use the most, but I'm pretty sure they use both. Sometimes they are larger, very tender, and just great...most definitely plate ribs. Other times, I've gotten much smaller, tougher ribs, with so much connective tissue that I could hardly eat them...most definitely chuck ribs. Of course, Franklin's Barbecue uses the 123A plate ribs, as does La Barbecue and Stiles Switch...all in Austin. And, all three of those places are always great. There's another famous Texas barbecue joint that doesn't say what type beef ribs they cook, but I know they're using the chuck ribs, because of the smaller size, and the amount of connective tissue that is not rendered.