... When I got home I read that beef back ribs are actually tough, unlike pork ribs which are tender.
I'm not sure where you read that, but think about it this way: Would you call a Prime Rib roast tough? Neither would I.
Beef Back ribs are cut off of the Prime and Second cut rib roasts, and provided you get that super thick, tough membrane off, they are great. Just like pork ribs they require enough cooking time to make them tender. It may require a little longer to render the fat off, but they can turn out very tender and succulent. Like terry said, they are worth trying!
Given my choice, I'll pick beef ribs over pork ribs any day of the week.
Beef ribs are more bone than meat.
Yep, the cryovacced beef ribs you get now-a-days are a sad sight to even look at, let alone cook. The major packers are trimming them so closely, to leave as much meat attached to the higher priced rib roasts, that it leaves very little meat on the ribs.
Every now and then my butcher will have really nice meaty beef ribs like I used to get all the time.
I posted this in another thread: When I get a standing rib roast, I like to ask the butcher to saw off the chine bone, then when I get home I'll cut the ribs off myself and stick them in the freezer. That way I can control how much meat is on them.