What to Look for When Buying Ribs

When buying a rack of ribs there are a few things that you need to look for. Always buy the freshest ribs possible. So, skip the frozen ribs. Fresh ribs will always give you better flavor. When looking at a rack of ribs make sure that the edges are not dry. 

Another thing to avoid is yellowing fat. This is another sign that the rack of ribs are not the freshest. To make great ribs, you need fresh ribs, so make sure you always check out the ribs closely.

What are St. Louis Style Ribs

What is a Shiner?

The exposed bone on a rack of ribs is referred to as a shiner. This happens when the butcher trims too close to the bone on a rack of ribs. Normally they should have meat all around. When buying a rack of ribs whether it be baby back or spare ribs make sure that there are no shiners, otherwise look for a different rack.

Baby Back Ribs vs. Spare Ribs

What are Baby Back Ribs?

Baby back ribs sometime referred to back ribs or loin ribs are cut from tops of the pig's rib cage between the spine and spare ribs. These type of ribs are cut from the loin section of the hog making them really tender in comparison to your spare ribs.

A typical rack of baby back ribs will have between 10-13 ribs. The ribs get short toward one end do to the tapering of the pig's rib cage. Being that these ribs are shorter and more tender they are the most popular choice when it comes to ribs.

People often wonder why they call them baby back ribs. The reason they get the name baby is because they ribs are cut from market weight hogs which usually fall between 240-270 lbs, instead of adult hogs which are usually 500-650 lbs.

If you are looking to barbecue up a rack of ribs, baby back ribs are an excellent choice. For more information on baby back ribs visit >> Baby Back Ribs vs. Spare Ribs

What are Spare Ribs?

Spare ribs or spareribs are a cut of pork ribs from the bottom section of the pigs ribs. They are basically cut from the belly side of the pigs rib cage. Spare ribs are a large cut of rib that is more meatier than your baby back ribs. However this cut of ribs is also a lot tougher.

The slabs of spareribs being larger usually need to be cut to a more manageable size for ease of cooking and handling. When it comes to cooking these ribs you will want to barbecue them a lot longer. This is because they are a tougher rack of ribs compared to baby backs. The longer cooking session will help make these spare ribs more tender and delicious.

For more information on spare ribs visit >> Baby Back Ribs vs. Spare Ribs

St. Louis Style Ribs

St. Louis style ribs are actually a cutting style from a rack of spare ribs. The spare ribs are cut to make it more of a rectangular rack. Trimming up the spare ribs in to St. Louis Style ribs will make the rack of ribs a lot more easier to cook and also serve. If you have ever looked at a rack of spare ribs you can see how awkward the shape is for cooking; cutting them up St. Louis Style help to get the rack more uniform.

To cut St. Louis Style ribs form spare ribs you need to cut the cartilage at the ends of the ribs. What you get when you do this trimming is what is called rib tips. You will want to keep those as they can be cooked up too. They are delicious. You will also notice some loose meat that runs along the slab of ribs, this is called the skirt and should also be removed.

The final step in trimming spare ribs into St. Louis Style ribs is removing the membrane. This is a tough membrane and to remove it you will want to slide a knife under it and pry it up. Once you get is pried up a bit you can grab the membrane and peel it off.

The finished ribs are now cut St. Louis Style and are ready to hit the barbecue. If you would like more information check out >> What are St. Louis Style Ribs?