That’s where your local chain restaurants come inand frankly, many do a pretty good job.
But which one serves the best ribs?
What makes the best ribs?
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
“you might experiment with different flavors and find the one that appeals most to you.”
While you absolutely cancook fabulous ribs at home, the low-and-slow approach will give you the best results.
But that takes time!
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
And if you don’t have it, dining out is your answer.
For consistency, we tried a half-rack order of each chain’s most popular sauced rib.
Here’s what we thought, from our least favorite to the absolute best.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
We Tried McDonald’s, Burger King, & Wendy’s Signature Burgersand This One Is Still the Winner!
We went with the half-rack of the classic BBQ and had them delivered.
The look:Chili’s ribs just look different from the other ones.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
The sauce is significantly redder and the ribs themselves look drier.
They don’t have pleasing dips in between each rib that suggest a softness to the meat.
They do, however, have visible spices and look hearty.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
The half rack costs just under $18.
The BBQ sauce doesn’t help the situationit borders on sour instead of smoky and sweet.
In fact, compared to LongHorn’s half rack, these have 100 fewer calories.
They were definitely not dry but needed a bit more fat to reach the pro-level tenderness.
Overall, while the sauce added much-needed moisture, it was too sweet.
The char and spices were overpowered by the honey-sweet sauce which competed with the meat rather than enhancing it.
Outback Steakhouse
Outback’s ribsare smoked and then grilled with BBQ sauce, according to the menu.
We had them delivered.
They looked charred without being burned and the sauce clung to the ribs as though it was caramelized.
A half rack set us back $17.99.
Full disclosure: These were the only ribs we ate at the restaurant since Texas Roadhouse doesn’t deliver.
The look:We loved the way the meat pulled away from the bone slightly, suggesting tenderness.
The dark and shiny sauce enrobed the ribs just as it did at Outback.
The taste:What can we say, these were great!
This added a wonderful crunch in places.
While advertised as fall-off-the-bone, the ribs were not too mushy and they were fully seasoned throughout.
At $17.99 versus $22.99, Texas Roadhouse wins by being both delicious and affordable.
It seems the ribs are another reason this is currently the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America.
And we already know that thesteak is top-notch.
