"(1) You can use bone or beef rib instead of pork rib. (2) Since rib or bone always comes in more than 1 lb. you can cut them & boil them all and save the unused portion in the refrigerator for future use. (3) The bean in the soup has to be very soft to have a yummy taste, and canned white beans are not as soft as I prefer them to be so I cook the canned beans with the ribs for 5 minutes to let the rib juice penetrate into the beans. (4) I enjoy the beans in the soup than the rib...."