Costco is selling Big Shoulders Smokehouse Baby Back Ribs with a Sweet and Smokey BBQ Sauce and I had to give them a try. These baby back ribs are fully cooked and are ready to be heated and served.
While the pre-cooked ribs are convenient, the big question is, “Are they any good?”
My opinion is that, while these ribs are certainly not bad, they do not qualify as good barbecue. I will not be buying these again but they might be just perfect for you!
How to Heat
The packaging provides heating instructions for:
- Oven
- Grill
- Microwave
The ribs are already fully cooked so there is not an exact target internal temperature you need to achieve.
To reheat these ribs in the oven or grill you should set the temperature to 375 and heat the ribs for about 25 minutes. If you are doing this in the oven you will want to place some aluminum foil onto a baking sheet before you add the ribs to make clean up easier.
To reheat the ribs in the microwave you can cut the ribs into the desired serving size and then heat for five minutes on High. Make sure you cover the ribs with paper towels to keep the sauce from spattering.
I used the microwave reheating instructions and the ribs came out great in five minutes.
Things I Enjoyed
There were three things that I really appreciated.
The first thing I enjoyed was that these ribs were already cooked. When I cook ribs on my smoker it takes my about six hours to get them tender and I just don’t have much time to dedicate to cooking ribs these days.
It was nice to be able to get these ribs home and be eating in under thirty minutes.
The second thing I enjoyed was that the bibs were extremely meaty. Baby back ribs can be hit or miss when it comes to how much meat is on the bone but these guys had plenty. These ribs had so much meat that I suspect they were loin backs instead of true baby backs.
The third thing I enjoyed was that the ribs were extremely tender. The ribs were not so tender that they fell apart during reheating but they were tender enough to give you a clean bite with meat you could pull off the bone. There was absolutely nothing tough or chewy about the ribs.
Things I Didn’t Like
There were two items that I didn’t like about the ribs that, for me, outweighed the positives.
The first thing I didn’t like was that the meat did not have much flavor. I could not pick up any hint of smoke flavor or taste anything that resembled a dry rub.
The packaging says that the ribs were smoked over hickory embers. And when they say “embers” I suspect they are talking about exactly two embers the size of a couple of matchsticks.
The second thing I didn’t like was the sauce. The flavor of the sauce was fine but the sheer volume of sauce was ridiculous. These ribs are absolutely drowning in sauce and it is pretty much the only flavor in the bag.
- After I took the ribs out of the bag I had to wash my hands because they were literally dripping in bbq sauce.
- After I sliced the ribs into individual serving to microwave I had to wash my hands to get all of the sauce off.
- After I ate the ribs I had to wash my hands and face to get off all of the sauce.
- Just typing about these ribs makes me want to go wash my hands.
Basically these ribs are tender, meaty and flavorless. In order to cover up the blandness of the ribs these poor guys are swimming in an insane amount of barbecue sauce.
Overall Review
The Big Shoulder Smokehouse Baby Back Ribs currently cost $17.99 at Costco which is an extremely reasonable price.
On the plus side, these ribs are meatier and more affordable than you will find at any restaurant.
On the negative side the ribs themselves lack any meaningful flavor and having to deal with the comical amount of barbecue sauce is annoying.
Should the baby back ribs be brought up to room temp before heating in the oven or on the grill?
No, the go go in the oven/grill cold.
When preparing to make dinner, can half pf the ribs be froze, prior to cooking the other half if a smaller portion is needed that the entire package.
How long after expiration date can the ribs still be used?
Tried these for the first time tonight for dinner. Baked at 350 degrees for about a hour and half. (Bypassed the package directions because we like our ribs fall off the bone edible). Sprayed-down my foiled covered cookie sheet, put the ribs on bone side up, and covered loosely with another sheet of foil. Baked for about and hour.. Uncovered and flipped the ribs over the last fifteen minutes and lathered with the sauce.
THEY WERE AMAZING!!! BEST PACKAGED RIBS WE HAVE EVER HAD!!!!! THEY BEAT COSTCO RIBS HANDS DOWN!
(Purchased from Costco but glad to see Meijers carry them too. )
I will purchase them again! We are hooked!
I can’t find an expiration date on my ribs package. What is the usual length of time from purchase until expiration?
Also, can they be frozen?
Thanks!