I don’t know about you, but I love ribs off the smoker. That can be baby back, St. Louis-cut spares, or even beef ribs. Regardless of which cut (or even which animal), they are all are quintessential parts of barbecue. I love serving them not just for my family but for having friends over, and I needed to figure out how many ribs per person I should have for my guests.
The problem is that there isn’t a cut-and-dried number due to the differences in these types. But I’ve still got answers for you.
If you’re serving this baby back rib recipe as the main course, you’ll want to prepare six per adult and three per child. That’s roughly half a rack per adult and a quarter of a rack per child.
If you like St Louis-style spare ribs (like me), you’ll want to serve four per adult and two per child. Finally, if you’re bringing the beef to the party with dino ribs, you’ll want to prepare two per person and one per child.
Now those numbers may seem high, but that’s okay. The number one rule for backyard barbecue is always to err on the side of having leftovers. It is very easy to reheat them to enjoy the next day. The best way to reheat? Right back on the same smoker where they were originally smoked.
Ribs Calculator
Now, if you’re planning on going heavy with the side dishes or preparing multiple types of meat for the party, you’ll want to drop those estimations down a bit. But you can decide based on the other menu items that will be available. We also have other meat calculators. Try our pulled pork calculator, beef brisket calculator and our turkey calculator.
Why Are The Numbers So Different For Each Type?
Figuring out how much pork, brisket, or turkey you need per person is straightforward. It all comes down to weight which is always simple. It gets a little more complicated when we discuss ribs simply because there are multiple types. You can get them from different animals unlike a pork butt or brisket.
So when I’m talking about how many ribs I need for my summer BBQ get-together, I first need to decide on what type I’m talking about. There are plenty of differences between the pork and beef versions before we even get to discussing the difference between the types from each animal.
How Many Baby Back Ribs Per Person?
Baby back ribs are one of the most iconic cuts of meat in all of barbecue. Heck, you’ll even find them in some chain restaurants (albeit not smoked and only tasty because they’re smothered in bbq sauce). But when you’re serving them in your backyard or around the table, you will want six per adult and three per child. That works out to roughly one rack per two adults and one rack per four children.
Baby back ribs typically have less meat than their fellow pork cut, the spare rib. So you’ll need to serve more per person.
How Many Pork Spare Ribs Per Person?
Spare ribs, trimmed to be St Louis-style or not, are naturally meatier because they come from further down the rib cage on the hog, closer to the belly. That means you need fewer per person, four per adult and two per child.
For a more in-depth look at the differences between these two cuts (along with an explanation of just what the heck country-style spare ribs are), check out our overview of the different types of pork ribs.
How Many Beef Short Ribs Per Person
I remember the first time I saw someone post a video of dino ribs on Instagram. Soon after, I got to try one of these mammoth beef hunks and immediately understood why it’s also known as brisket on a stick. It’s like a handheld hunk of brisket, and it’s amazing.
Due to the amount of meat and marbling in beef short ribs, you want to prepare two per adult and one per child. And the reality is that number will almost assuredly give you leftovers. That’s not a bad thing, either. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy tender, smoky beef the next day?
How To Make Your Ribs Stretch Further
The reality is that ribs are a pretty expensive cut of meat. It can be cost-prohibitive to have them as the main entree for a big party. So how can you stretch your dollars while still enjoying them and ensuring enough food for everyone?
Pair Them With Another Meat
It’s quite common when you go to a BBQ restaurant to get a couple of types of meat at the same time. You can follow that same idea at home by smoking another, more cost-effective, cut of meat like pork butt or pork shoulder. Who doesn’t love pulled pork? Plus, it’s easy to smoke and gives you a lot of meat.
And if you’re looking for something a bit more beefy, consider a reverse seared smoked tri tip. It’s one of my favorite substitutes for brisket without having to plan an all-day (or overnight) smoking session.
Serve Plenty Of Side Dishes
A BBQ meal isn’t complete without some great side dishes. You can get plenty of potato salad or mac salad at the grocery store to help supplement your meal. You can also make some great homemade sides, and we have plenty of options here at Angry BBQ. Some of my personal favorites? The smoked mac and cheese or the BBQ cheesy smashed potatoes. Can’t go wrong with either (or both!).
FAQs:
Question: How Many Ribs Are In A Rack?
Answer: Just like how many ribs you want to serve people differs by type, each type has a different number in a rack. Baby backs usually have 12 to 13 bones. Spares will typically have 13 bones unless they are trimmed down. A rack of beef short ribs will generally have three to four bones, depending on if they’re from the chuck or further down the ribcage.
Question: Is A Full Rack Too Much For One Person?
Answer: Is it possible for one person to eat an entire rack by themself? Absolutely. I wouldn’t bank on eating any sides, though. It’s obviously easier to eat a full rack of baby backs than spares or beef short ribs. That being said, most people at your summer BBQ won’t likely want a full rack to themselves.
Question: Why Didn’t You Cover Country-Style Spare Or Beef Back Ribs?
Answer: Well, to be honest, those aren’t the first types of ribs I think of. How often do you see either of those cuts served at a restaurant? That being said, I’ve smoked and enjoyed country-style spare ribs. Just remember, they aren’t actually ribs but instead cut from the shoulder of the hog.
As for the beef back ribs, they don’t have a ton of meat on them due to most of the meat being cut from the bone for prime rib. What meat is left on the bone is tasty, so it is an option, but I’d still go with beef short ribs hands down.
Final Thoughts
If you want to serve ribs at your summer party, just make sure you’ve got plenty of meat (and sides) for everyone. If you bank on six baby back ribs, four spare ribs, and two beef short plate ribs per adult, you’ll be fine.
If you need to stretch that out, smoke some pork shoulder (or even some whole chickens) to give your guests more food or in case some unexpected guests show up.
What’s your favorite way to prepare ribs? Have a killer rub or sauce you love? Let us know in the comments!