Those Wierd Little Buger King Rib Thingies

OK, so I'm coming home from La Grange today...it's 3pm and I realize I haven't stopped moving long enough to eat all day. Soooooo, at the next light I whip into Burger King, thinking I'll get a road burger and save some time. That's when I remembered that Rib Thingie they've got going on.

Soooooo I order a 3 piece sampler of the things and....<sigh>...this REALLY hurts...They really aren't THAT bad. To be accurate what they are selling are rib "tips" and they seem to have at least a light "smokiness" to them. They are not at all grisly and fat and actually have a lot of meat to them, I don't know that I'd go to the extreme of calling it "BBQ" but they are certainly worth trying if you find yourself at the drive through.

That is some pretty high praise from a "bbq guy".

YES!

I had some (on a whim) and was pretty impressed. I have actually had worse ribs at bbq places.

NO! no way is this happening. Steve P? Dude WTF? OK... Anne just walked in and asked "whats wrong? you looked shocked..." I tell what I just read and she says "maybe he went mad...or maybe its BAD Steve posting".

Is it just me, or does the pig guy give anyone else nightmares?

Is it just me, or does the pig guy give anyone else nightmares?

I gives me the fricking willies no doubt about that.

Unfortunately, Steve, I agree with you! They were not terrible!

They didn't seem to me like rib tips, rather I thought they were standard "St. Louis" style ribs but with the bones cut into thirds (eg: six pieces = two "normal" ribs). The texture seemed steamed to me, and there was a lot of liquid smoke in the steaming liquid, but the ribs were extremely meaty with just enough fat for some flavor. My biggest complaint was that the sauce was in a separate packet, which (in the car, where I tried them) I couldn't use and didn't taste. And, the ribs were not rubbed, and really needed the sauce.

They are likely a HUGE profit maker for BK. Getting a 6-pack of just ribs (which I ordered) was $5.99. Figuring a normal St. Louis rack is 13-14 ribs, and 6 BK ribs = two "normal" ribs, you multiply the $5.99 by 6.75 and BK is getting $40.43 for a rack of ribs!

So I take it they are better than the McRib sandwich which tasted like some sort of flesh grown in a petrie dish.

So I take it they are better than the McRib sandwich which tasted like some sort of flesh grown in a petrie dish.

Well, it IS real meat on a bone. But, you miss the McRib's pickles, onions, and sauce - I"ve been known to ask for extra pickles & onions, toss the McRib meat, and eat the rest.

Don't ask me for first-hand reporting, but they are spare ribs, St. Louis Style, cut in half. They are pre-cooked, frozen, then slid under the BK broiler which apparently imparts some char and smoke flavor. They are then sauced and served. The latest report that I read is that Burger King ordered ten MILLION (pinkie in mouth) servings and will run out prior to their June 20 closing date. MILLION. eew.

Don't ask me for first-hand reporting, but they are spare ribs, St. Louis Style, cut in half. They are pre-cooked, frozen, then slid under the BK broiler which apparently imparts some char and smoke flavor. They are then sauced and served. The latest report that I read is that Burger King ordered ten MILLION (pinkie in mouth) servings and will run out prior to their June 20 closing date. MILLION. eew.

More like cut in fourths...and no sauce. First hand report.

Tried them today on a 'food dare', and this is what I reported back (on traditional 1 to 10 scale):

Consistency of cooking : 1
I bought the 6 pack, and 4 of the 6 were charred to the point of 'briquette' and the other 2 (the ones with real meat on them) were spongy and undercooked by 'rib standards'.

Flavor : if you like salt, they are a 12, if not, a 3 at best.
(As a first time poster, its probably in my best interest to note that I cook with minimal salt and consider it a condiment vs an ingredient)
These things were what I imagine a cattle salt lick to be like. The only other flavor that stood out was 'char'.

Value : 1 or less
Of the 6 'ribs', 2 had what I would consider to be 'viable' amounts of meat on them. The other 4 were charred and dry. The 6 'ribs' may have had the same amount of meat that 1 good rib from a rack would offer,

Aftertaste : 10+. The artificial smoke flavor mutated into something beyond foul after about 10 minutes and lasted for almost an hour before a Dogfish Head 90 Minute was called in to kill it once and for all.

The fact that BK has sold 10 million of these just reinforces my belief that mass marketing beats good food 90% of the time. Viva la 10%!

It looks like you won't have Burger King ribs to kick around much longer, because they're running out:

"Amid brisk demand, some Burger King outlets have already exhausted their supply of the relatively pricey new pork ribs, and the company expects to use up its entire rib order in the next week or so..."

So I take it they are better than the McRib sandwich which tasted like some sort of flesh grown in a petrie dish.

Thanks, Carla--NOW you have me hungry for McRibs...