If you want to smoke or grill for a lot of people, one of the most important things to figure out is how much BBQ each person will need. It’s not good when people start putting food on their plates and you quickly realize there isn’t enough for everyone. And, alternatively, you don’t want to waste money by overbuying and having too much leftover.
But it can be hard to figure out how much to cook quickly, especially if you’re cooking more than one kind of meat and sides.
To make things easier, we’ve put together this quick guide on how to figure out how much BBQ to cook for each person.
Pork ribs are a beloved cut of meat that is a staple for barbecue lovers. When prepping for a cookout or ribs night, one of the most common questions is “how many pork ribs are in a pound?” The answer depends on the cut and size of the ribs. This guide will provide you with the key details on rib quantities so you can perfectly plan your next ribs feast!
Overview of Pork Rib Cuts
There are a few main cuts of pork ribs to know
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Baby back ribs – Also called loin back ribs or back ribs. These ribs are cut from the top of the ribcage near the spine. They are shorter and more tender than spare ribs.
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St. Louis Style spare ribs – Cut from the belly side of the ribcage. The brisket bone and cartilage are trimmed off for a rectangular shape.
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Spare ribs – Cut from the belly side like St Louis ribs, but the brisket bone and cartilage are left on, giving an irregular shape
The cut of rib affects how many are in a pound. Baby back ribs are smaller and therefore you get more per pound compared to larger spare ribs.
Average Number of Ribs Per Pound
As a general guideline, here is the average rib count per pound for different cuts:
- Baby back ribs – 7 to 8 ribs per pound
- St. Louis style spare ribs – 4 to 5 ribs per pound
- Spare ribs – 3 to 4 ribs per pound
So in one pound of baby back ribs, you can expect approximately 7 to 8 individual ribs. Spare ribs and St. Louis ribs are larger, so there will be fewer ribs in a pound.
There can be some variability in the exact count based on the size and thickness of the specific rack of ribs.
Factors Affecting Ribs Per Pound
A few factors impact the number of ribs you get in a pound:
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Butcher trimming – More trim on a rack means less edible meat and rib bones per pound.
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Rack size – Larger rib racks with longer bones generally mean you get fewer ribs in a pound compared to shorter racks.
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Bone weight – The density and thickness of the bones impacts the weight. Meatier ribs with less bone proportionally will increase the ribs per pound.
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Cooking method – Grilled and smoked ribs can lose weight during cooking which concentrates the meat and changes the raw weight per rib ratio.
Example Ribs Per Pound Calculations
Let’s look at some examples to illustrate ribs per pound calculations:
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If you buy a 3 pound rack of baby back ribs, trimmed with about 12 ribs on the rack, you would have approximately 8 ribs per pound (12 ribs ÷ 3 lbs = 4 ribs/lb).
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For a 5 pound rack of spare ribs with 17 ribs on the untrimmed rack, you’d have roughly 3.4 ribs per pound (17 ribs ÷ 5 lbs = 3.4 ribs/lb).
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If you are serving 6 people and estimate 4 ribs per person, you would need about 6 pounds of St. Louis style ribs (6 people x 4 ribs = 24 ribs ÷ 5 ribs/lb = 6 lbs).
Tips for Buying and Serving Ribs
- Allow 6-9 ribs per person for a hearty ribs meal
- For large gatherings, buy a mix of rib cuts to satisfy preferences
- Request racks with uniform trim and meat distribution
- Weigh ribs before and after cooking to determine cooked weight
- Cook extra ribs – they make great leftovers!
Knowing approximately how many pork ribs come in a pound for different cuts helps ensure you buy the right quantity. With this handy guide, you can perfectly plan and serve the ideal ribs spread!
When Cooking a BBQ Seafood Boil
You can smoke or grill meat in your cooker, but a seafood boil is also a fun and tasty way to feed a lot of people. For example, if you are having a traditional shrimp boil, you would plan for each person you are serving:
- 1/3 lb jumbo shell-on shrimp (21-25/per pound)
- 1/4 pound smoked sausage
- 1/2 ear of shucked sweet corn
- 2 small red potatoes, about the size of a golf ball
When Cooking Pork Shoulder or Butt (For Pulled Pork)
To the same extent as brisket, pork shoulder or butt will lose about half of its weight when it is cooked. And, again, most adults will eat about 1/3 lb of pulled pork. Smaller amounts of pork can go a long way when made into a pulled pork sandwich with a bun and served with other pretty heavy sides. In this case, you could safely plan for 1/4 lb of cooked pork per person.
That means a 6-pound pork shoulder will make 9 to 10 servings of pulled pork.
Since ribs come in different sizes, it’s better to plan by the number of ribs rather than the weight. For reference, a full rack of ribs is 12 ribs. But remember, some types of ribs are bigger than others. For example, beef back ribs are larger than pork spare ribs.
So, if ribs are going to be the main meat you are cooking, you can usually plan for:
- 6 ribs per person when serving baby back pork ribs.
- When you serve pork spare ribs, 4 to 5 ribs for each person.
- When cooking beef back ribs, each person should get two to three ribs.
As with these suggestions for the types of meat, you should also think about your guests’ age, gender (men tend to eat more than women), and any other information you have about their appetite to change the amounts you serve as needed.
These Ribs Are BETTER than 3-2-1 method (Easy Smoked Ribs Recipe)
FAQ
How many ribs is a pound?
How much is a rack of ribs per pound?
How many ribs are in a rack of pork ribs?
How many pork ribs for 8 adults?
How many pounds of ribs to buy per person?
You’ll want to consider the average serving size when planning how many pounds of ribs to buy per person for your BBQ. The average serving size for ribs is about 1/2 to 1 pound per person. However, this can vary depending on the appetite of your guests and what other dishes you’ll be serving.
How many ribs per person?
In general, 3/4th to 1 pound of ribs is recommended per person. However, the standard portion size or the pounds of ribs per person will depend on the kind of meat or cut, the cooking method used, and who your guests are. Prior planning about the portion size will help in controlling the cost and reduce food waste.
Are pork ribs tender?
Usually, this area has less muscle movement and therefore the meat is tender. Beef back ribs relatively have more fat compared to pork ribs. A full rack of pork ribs has 13 ribs and weighs around 3 to 4 pounds. Assuming a standard trim, each pound may contain as many as 2-3 ribs.
How much does a rack of beef ribs weigh?
A full rack of beef ribs has about 7 to 9 ribs and weighs around 3 to 4 pounds. However, entire slabs are rarely available commercially. You can choose to buy either beef back ribs or short plate or chuck ribs. Short plate ribs are considered one the best types of meats for barbecuing as it has loads of meat and fat.