If short ribs and rib chops / rib roasts are part of the equation than obviously beef. If we are talking about traditional bbq bone-based ribs, pork (baby back).
The greatest traditional cut of meat is the rib chop or rib roast. But choosing between beef, veal, and lamb on that is hard for me and too dependent on a variety of other factors. (Although veal doesn’t work as well as a roast and lamb maybe isn’t *quite* as successful as a chop.)