Quarter, Half & Full Racks of spares

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chachahut

Guest
So got to talking with some folks this week & the discussion turned to rib portions - specifically from St. Louis cut spares. Everyone agreed on what a full rack is - that's every bone on the rack.

There was also general agreement on a quarter rack being 3 bones.

That lead to a debate on Half racks. If a quarter is 3 then a half should be 6. Problem is - not all spares have 12 decent size bones. The issue here is in serving a consistent number of ribs to customers or guests so people do not feel they are getting cheated or short changed.

So - what are you thoughts on the number of bones in 1/4 & 1/2 racks?
 
Not an answer to your question, but the fairest method is to sell them by the pound like they do in the best Texas Hill Country joints. Let them order the number of ribs they want and then weigh them. Perfect portion control.
 
I've considered "by the pound" for ribs but given my location - rural upstate NY - I'd be willing to bet that would be even more problematic than trying to determine a set rack cut. By the pound would definitely help the margin control - just don't think most in the area would go for it.

Though thinking I might float the idea & see what folks think...

So back to the question - when you go to a Q joint & see "1/2 rack" on the menu - how many bones are you expecting?
 
I usually expect 6, but I wouldn't complain if they were 5 good sized ribs.
 
That's a timely question - I went to a Q joint that I'd never tried before this past Sunday. Ordered the chicken/rib combo, described as a 1/4 chicken and a half rack of BB ribs. That half rack consisted of 4 bones. I might have complained, but they weren't very tasty anyway, so I just made a mental note to cross that place off of my "list"...
 
Thing is - they might have had a small rack of BB so 1/2 if simply cutting the rack in half COULD be 4 bones (though not in my book).

For me, the issue I'm having is in the 5 or 6 count. My menu currently states 5 - 6 bones but I usually give 6 (& often kick in an end nibble bone). That inevitably leads to an 11 bone rack now only having 4 or 5 solid ribs. So next 6 rib 1/2 has to take 2 ribs from the next rack & so on. Often leads to having only a 1/4 (3 ribs) by end of service. Upside is I ake a larger margin on 1/4 & 1/2, downside is when someone wants a 1/2 & all I have is 5.

They are large spares so I'm thinking of just running with the 5 or 6 count...
 
Are you differentiating between the long end and the short end? The best places around here charge an extra $1 for the short end 1/2 racks...
 
For spares I would cut into single ribs...cut 3-4 off the narrow end and 2-3 off the big end. One customer down. The next half rack order gets the 6 from right in the middle. There you go.
 
That's where I'm heading, Cook. Actually thinking of just going with a straight 5 bone order.
 
Chasing Ribs...

chachahut said:
So got to talking with some folks this week & the discussion turned to rib portions... Problem is - not all spares have 12 decent size bones. The issue here is in serving a consistent number of ribs to customers or guests so people do not feel they are getting cheated or short changed. So - what are you thoughts on the number of bones in 1/4 & 1/2 racks?
Click to expand...

My expectations would definitely be 6 ribs per 1/2 rack. And if I was running a rib joint, it would be seven. That would set me apart from the competition. I may run out of ribs now and then, but customers Ill never be short on.
 
3-6-SLAB is what first popped into my head. By the lb would be OK for a takeout joint, but if you were doing a fair/festival type event I would say fixed bone count.
 
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