Drawn in by the lure of Montana’s 15-minute Express Lunch, I decided to try out the rib tips. First, a word of warning: I’ve been somewhat spoiled when it comes to barbecued meat. Having traveled extensively in the American South and Midwest, I’ve had some of the best ribs on the planet. Realistically, I didn’t expect these to stack up, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The first thing I noticed was the portion size; two generous lengths of rib tips were piled on my plate, and the bones were small, leaving plenty of meat. So it passed the first test. Next, I wondered if they would taste like they’d been pre-cooked and left sitting in a tray to dry out for the past several hours.
They didn’t. The meat fell off the bone easily and was nice and moist. I’m taking a wild guess, but they tasted as though they had been oven-baked until they were nearly done, then finished on the grill. The sauce was tangy; nothing special, nothing overpowering, but a nice complement to the surprisingly juicy meat.
Don’t get me wrong – if you’ve ever had authentic barbecued ribs, these will not be the best ribs you’ve ever had. But for $10.99 with one side and fresh-baked cornbread (which was also surprisingly good), these make a great choice if you find yourself at Montana’s during lunchtime. I can totally understand why the menu says these are “back by popular demand.”
Rating: 7 out of 10
