Herr’s Baby Back Ribs Potato Chips

Today’s little gem comes from a young lady in Indiana. I’m not sure if she loves me or hates me, based on this “gift” she shipped to my mailbox. Herr’s doesn’t distribute in my neck of the woods, so I never would have had the chance to…experience these chips without outside help. I wouldn’t have even known they existed. According to my source, she spotted these in the vending machine at her work, and thought I might “enjoy” them. First of all, I want to see where someone works when they have Baby Back Ribs potato chips in their vending machines. Out of all the places I’ve worked, I’ve never seen anything that interesting in a vending machine. I’d be lucky to spot some Chili Cheese Fritos or Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles. Most of the rest was all blandsville, all the time. I probably would have had an autistic freakout if I’d ever seen Baby Back Ribs in a machine. My fingers wouldn’t have been able to fumble a dollar bill into the slot fast enough.

As if the flavor itself wasn’t enough, look at that package! Crazy font! Barbeque sauce splurts everywhere! Wait, that doesn’t look like barbeque sauce, that looks like…BLOOD! And what’s this now…

Finger Lickin’ Rib Flavor Apron! As my friend/chip donor commented, this is quickly turning from an innocent little bag of chips into some sort of serial killer crime scene. I imagine Dexter Morgan putting up plastic tarp all around a dark shack in the middle of nowhere, wearing this apron as he does his dirty work. Blood spatters everywhere as he hacks up his latest victim. Those ribs on the package look sort of ominous, too. More sickly than inviting. If Dexter were a cannibal, I think he’d be disappointed with this rack of human.

My cat and I have differing levels of desire to eat these chips.

After my last adventure with things that should not be meat, in addition to my previous experience with rib chips, I’m more than a little trepidatious about Herr’s Baby Back Rib Potato Chips. But, there’s nothing left to do but dive in. Let’s see if I need to take a little trip east to visit my friend, armed with an apron, a butcher knife, and a copy of How to Serve Man.

Upon opening the bag, the smell is encouraging. And by that I mean, it doesn’t smell at all like an animal died and was sealed in a foil pouch. It smells mostly like pretty much any other barbecue-flavored chip on the market. The chips are ridged, a little less tightly than Ruffles, with a light coating of red flavor powder. I noticed that these seem to be much less intensely powdered than a typical Frito-Lay chip.

I took a quick break (one might call it a stalling mechanism, but hey) to visit Herr’s website. From the looks of it, all, or at least most, of Herr’s chips are ridged. That’s a boring fact. Here’s a less boring fact: Herr’s is just as awesomely batshit with their flavors as Frito-Lay is. Creamy Dill Pickle! (Really? Creamy dill pickle?) Kansas City Prime Steak! Old Bay! An entire line of “Snack Friez”! That’s it, I’m moving to Indiana. I’m uprooting my entire life to move somewhere that sells Herr’s potato chips. The actions of a responsible adult, to be sure.

While I’d love to get my greasy little hands on all those flavors, what I have in my possession are Baby Back Rib potato chips. Which, oddly, are not listed on Herr’s website as a flavor they produce. The logical conclusion is that my friend has a magical vending machine at her work that is producing its own flavors of Herr’s chips. More updates as events warrant.

Enough stalling, let’s eat these chips.

I have to say, I can’t decide if I’m disappointed or relieved that I could not detect any creepy meat flavor in these chips. A little bit of both? I guess Herr’s hasn’t discovered whatever dark secret Doritos has that has given them the ability to make chips taste like meat. That said, Herr’s Baby Back Ribs didn’t exactly taste like a typical barbeque chip, either. They did have properties of a typical barbeque chip, including that little bit of sweetness they all seem to have, but they also had an extra depth of flavor. They seemed a little more smoky than your typical BBQ chip, and they also had a garlicky undertone that was quite tasty. They were also super salty, which I loved. The chips themselves were the perfect thickness and texture.

What started as dread quickly turned into enjoyment while I was eating Herr’s Baby Back Ribs Potato Chips. While Herr’s failed to actually make their chips taste like ribs, they totally succeeded in creating a barbecue-flavored chip that stands out in a world already stuffed with chips of that flavor. The smokey undertone, the garlic, the extra salt and the texture of the chip all worked together to make this one of the best BBQ chips I’ve had so far. If you’re going have a cartoon apron telling the world your chips taste like ribs, and they actually don’t, that’s a marketing fail. That said, the taste of these chips is a total win. I guess my serial killing spree through Indiana will have to wait.

  • Score: 4 out of 5 bloody aprons
  • Price: Free, or probably about 75 cents from your local vending machine that makes its own flavors
  • Size: 1 oz. bag
  • Purchased at: My mailbox via someone’s work vending machine
  • Nutritional Quirks: The first ingredient listed is “choice” potatoes. To think of all the un-choice potato chips I’ve eaten…

19 thoughts on “Herr’s Baby Back Ribs Potato Chips”

  1. I to Have seen these chips in the vending machine at my work place at the Evansville Indiana J.C. Penneys.

  2. I am salivating all over my keyboard. I also can never find Herr’s anywhere. These are right up my alley. I also would like some creamy dill pickle. I am not a fan of the Old Bay chips. Picked up a bag in Philly. Still waiting to review them. Awesome review. +1 for Dexter reference.

  3. @Nicholas Indiana is full of magical vending machines, apparently!

    @Steve Thanks for the compliment! I’ve never even had Old Bay, but I find the idea of it on a chip intriguing. And I too would like some creamy dill pickle, despite the idea being rather unsettling.

  4. So Kelley, I just saw Herr’s chips at the Fry’s by Extension/University. There were on a shelf at the end of the frozen food isle. Don’t remember what flavors were there, but there were two of them. Just figured I’d let you know.

  5. Really? That’s awesome! That’s not to far from my boy’s work, I should check it out tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

  6. They sell those chips at our local Meijer store. They also make a Heinz ketchup flavored chip. However the rib ones are better.

  7. OMGNESS! THESE CHIPS TASTE JUST LIKE BBQ RIBS THAT WERE COOKED ON A CHARCOAL GRILL! Every person that I shared these chips with couldn’t believe it! I’m sending a bag to my cousin who is a vegetarian – LOLOL!

  8. They just started putting these baby back rib flavored chips in the vending machine at my job too. Mind you I live in Texas. I have searched several different stores in my area to see if they have them on the shelves and in BIGGER bags. I tend to put alot of money into my vending machine to buy them all up. They cost 80 cents at my job. I got my mom to try them and she has been asking me to find a store that sells them. Even my cats love them. Heck I may just have to get them from the Herr’s site. (which I did see them and they cost like 14.70 for a big case of the small bags.)

    I love how you spoke of these chips. You made me smile.

  9. Tried thses chips, My husband fell i love with them.Store no carrying them anymore. Where can we purchase them. Live in APPLE VALLEY,CA.

  10. they stopped carrying them now, but for the last 3 months the local walmart in el cajon ca was carrying a big bag of them for like $2.50

  11. the baby back bbq chips are to die for i don’t buy any chips anymore because of the baby back bbq chip nothing else can match them. thet need to sell them out west.

  12. I just tried Baby Back Ribs Potato Chips for the super bowl. They were so good. The problem is that
    I forgot where I bought them. I tried all the major stores and they were nowhere to be found. Where can I find them in the Andrews Air Force Base area (right outside of Washington, D.C.) I have Walmart,
    Giant Food Grocery stores, Shoppers Food Warehouse, Safeway near by.
    Thank You

  13. Hi
    i found them in a vending machine in Union SC. I am not a big chips eater but they taste awesome!!!!! You can get them at Herr’s website. What i like on Herr,s they let you mix and match there chips whatever you want. You can order 30 of the same or all mixed up.

  14. TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE WHO DON’T WHERE TO BUY HERR’S CHIPS, WALMART’S SELLS JUST ABOUT EVERY
    FLAVOR THAT THEY MAKE. THEY ARE THE MEDIUM SIZE BAG AND THEY COST JUST $1.00 PER BAG.

  15. all herrs chips were sold at walmart now they are no longer in the store ,terry pryor okla what happened.

  16. Eating some now that I got from Dollar General in Alabama. I seriously can’t think of ANY chip that I like more than these, and their New York Strip chips are pretty good as well. Bag is a 3.75 OZ for $1.25, when they have them (Hadn’t seen any for a couple months)

    Now if I can just find a Coffee Crisp…

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