Rib tips come from the ventral or "belly" ends of the rib cage. People associate rib tips with pork, but beef, lamb, mutton, chevon, cabrito and venison all have them. Rib tips are what is left after cutting St. Louis Ribs. Many butchers just make stir-fry or sausage from rib tips because they are mostly cartilage, says Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn, author of "Amazing Ribs," the monthly newsletter "Smoke Signals" and owner of AmazingRibs.com.
Pork
One serving of pork rib tips is two full strips, 8 to 12 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide. This is about a pound or a little over 450g of edible meat. The USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference chart for "Pork, fresh, spareribs, separable lean and fat, cooked, roasted" shows that you get 94g of protein and 472mg cholesterol in one sitting, once you multiply by 4.5. This is more than half as much of the daily cholesterol recommended by the United States Food and Drug Administration, so eat only fruits and vegetables the day after you eat rib tips.
Beef
Beef rib tips are called short ribs. They come from the "short plate" section of the animal, near the belly, between the flank steak and the brisket, explains Craig Goldwyn in "The Zen of Beef Ribs." The USDA Nutrient Database chart for "Beef, rib, shortribs, separable lean only, choice, cooked, braised" shows that choosing an equal portion of beef ribs instead of pork reduces cholesterol by 50mg and increases protein content by 44g. Beef ribs provide 32mg less calcium and 16mg more magnesium than pork ribs,
Lamb or Mutton
The USDA chart for "Lamb, domestic, rib, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, cooked, roasted" has 98g of protein, 432mg cholesterol, 99mg calcium and 90mg magnesium. A similar amount of roast mutton provides 150g of protein, but gives you a whopping 490mg cholesterol. While mutton has only 45mg calcium, its 139mg of magnesium seems good, but other foods provide similar amounts without the cholesterol burden.
Cabrito or Chevon
Cabrito is young goat and chevon corresponds to mutton, taken from mature goats. Roast goat is the clear winner in the cholesterol category, according to the USDA database, with just 338mg. It provides 122g of protein and 76mg of calcium, but has no magnesium. If you substitute cabrito or chevon for your pork or beef ribs, you will be healthier in the long term.
Venison
Most hunters discard venison ribs or grind them for sausage. Venison ribs have a very greasy mouth feel unless you eat them while they are piping hot. Venison fat congeals very rapidly. The same amount of pan-broiled ground venison has 119g of protein, 63mg calcium, 108mg magnesium and 441mg cholesterol. While this is less cholesterol than beef or pork, goat is still the better choice.
Member Comments