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?