I have used it many times for many different meats (and even poultry--duck and goose breasts, split poussins, game hens). It forms an acidic marinade (much like other acids, though, mostly, milder). Personally, I think it is overkill for ribs as far as tenderizing goes (they do not need 'tenderizing' whatsoever), but it can be useful in a marinade or brine-marinade when one wishes to impart other flavors effectively.
Note: The vast majority of acidic marinades (like their counterparts, enzymatic marinades) do not actually 'tenderize'. They denature proteins. There is no gradation. In other words, there is no point where the proteins become somewhat or slightly or partially denatured. They are or they are not. If they are not, nothing much has occured; if they are, then the meat is veering toward mushiness. Though you can time it so that just, say, the outer portions of the meat's protein are denatured and the acids have not gotten in further, still, then, the outer becomes mushy, the inner does not. There is no point where the entire hunk of meat becomes 'tender'. The exterior goes from its beginning state to denatured/mushy--and then this works its way in.
That said, there is a place for acidic marinades in terms of flavor and flavor development. There are also numerous ways to mask the destruction that acids can cause--to a point. If you keep the acid ratio relatively benign and watch the timing, protein integrity can be better maintained. It is imperative to understand the structure of the meat you are marinating and to design the marinade for that structure (a marinade for a rib-eye is not the same as a marinade for a chicken breast, in other words). If you keep the acids in check, you can design marinades that both flavor and add moisture to whatever it is you are marinating (like brining). Tenderizing, such as it is, is a product, then, of proper cooking (also like brining); it is not something that occurs to the meat ahead of time. (Does this make sense?)
