Although smoking does not always affect scores on smell-tests, it is widely believed to reduce sensitivity. A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that, contrary to popular belief, blind people do not necessarily have a keener sense of smell than sighted people.
In American cuisine, ribs usually refers to barbecue pork ribs, or sometimes beef ribs, which are served with various barbecue sauces. They are served as a rack of meat which diners customarily tear apart by hand, then eat the meat from the bone.
Beef ribs and brisket from The Brisket House restaurant. There's no reference to what kind or cut of beef it is. In fact, this is usually beef brisket of a lesser grade, carved into thin, uniform slices from the flat or lean part of the brisket, and then smothered in barbecue sauce. The beef is mostly a vehicle for the barbecue sauce, so it doesn't matter that it's devoid of flavor.