Butchery Koen van Vught in Drunen makes the tastiest spare ribs in the Netherlands. That is what the jury of the Spareribs Trophy 2025 determined. With the barbecue season in full swing, butcher Arjan opens a recipe book about the secret of the tastiest sparerib. “There must be something to chew.”
The butcher shop has been participating in the competition for the tastiest spare ribs in the country for years. In 2009, the Spareribs from Drunen also won prizes. A second trophy was added on Tuesday.
The owner of the butcher shop and caterer, Koen van Vught, is on holiday this week. Butcher Arjen Maas is therefore a day after the prize -giving ceremony in the butcher’s shop.
“The boss is on vacation in America. They don’t have as nice spare ribs there as here,” laughs Arjen. “He has seen the award ceremony live via Facetime and I am guessing that he and his wife have drunk a drink.”
The team has no time for drinks on Wednesday, because the tastiest spare ribs in the country do not bake and do not sell themselves. “Steaming spareribs,” says Arjan when he pulls the oven open. “They go in the oven for about an hour and a half, which we set at a certain temperature and humidity because that is important.”
“It’s all about the balance.”
The secret for the tastiest sparerib prefers to keep Arjan for himself, but he does light a tip of the veil. “It’s all about the balance between the taste, tenderness and the appearance,” says the butcher. “The meat must be super tender, but not immediately falling off the bone because there is still something to chew.”
In addition to the taste and the structure, the appearance of the spare ribs the butcher shop in Drunen has yielded a price. “The taste and tenderness of all spareribs in the final was sublime this time. The color and shape of our spare ribs were the deciding factor in the jury report.”
Arjan shines with pride when he tells about his ribs. “This is the gold for us. I am proud of the whole team. We all do it together. The butchers who are at work at the back, but it must also be sold for the store,” says Arjan.
“They are top presses.”
The Sparribs will certainly be sold on Wednesday, because the store is full of customers who want to taste the prize -winning spare ribs. “We already knew it was the best, but it turns out to be really true,” laughs a woman. “The butcher shop is proud and rightly so, because they are really top pieces.”
Another customer is also there as the chickens to get the best in the country. “I saw on Facebook that they had won and I am coming to get them right now. The taste is fantastic. There is a lot of fat in the supermarket, but that is not here.”