Baby backs or good old spareribs

[binnesman]

I know this as probably been asked a million times but, what do you all like better? My wife asked me to smoke some baby backs but I have always done spareribs. What’s the difference between the two? I see them at the butcher but personally have never smoked them. I always get the spareribs and cut them up st. Louis style. They seem to have more meat and less fat then spares. Do they cook up different? I think I read once they take a little longer then the spareribs. Would love to hear all your opinions on this since I may do them Tuesday for dinner.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Baby back ribs are leaner. Not as fatty as the spare ribs. Do they take longer to cook? I don’t think so. I prefer baby backs over spare ribs.
Try them. Smoke them to an internal temperature of 195 degrees.

 

[smokerjim]

I prefer spare ribs, they do take a little longer than baby backs, the problem with baby backs anymore is they leave to much loin meat on them for profit and they will dry out if cooked to long in my opinion.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I like spare ribs cuz they have more fat. And I like whole spares over St Louis cut. I like a big, good eatin rib.

 

[chopsaw]

the problem with baby backs anymore is they leave to much loin meat on them

Spares for my taste too . For the reason Jim states above .

 

[gmc2003]

For me it's comes down to whichever is on sale when I go shopping, but in an ideal world I would choose BBs w/o the big hunk of loin meat.

Chris

 

[binnesman]

Yeah I really like the the spareribs as well. I do the st. Louis trim only because they fit on my smaller pellet smoker better. But the little ribs I cut off don’t go to waist, I cook those babies off and there my favorite bite

 

[HalfSmoked]

Agree I like the spares but then again it can be what ever is on sale.

Warren

 

[gmc2003]

BBs seem more readily available around here. Full spares that haven't been pre-marinated are getting tougher to find in the local grocers.

Chris

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thanks for the like Chris.

Yup some meats are getting hard to find even chicken and the price has gone through the roof.

Warren

 

[binnesman]

I live in Fl and have several butchers and Cosco and both still have plenty of both. I find that the butchers are way more expensive they are averaging around 5.99 to 7.99 a pound but Coscao is still .3.99.

 

[chilerelleno]

St. Louis!

 

[kilo charlie]

I prefer the spare ribs myself since they clean up nicely and done have the curved bone as much as at baby backs do... sounds weird I know !

 

[civilsmoker]

I like them both. BB are a shorter cook so its nice when time is short. If the loin section is too thick I will even trim some of it so they cook more even. They are more "meaty" than spars so I usually do them with a sauce or thick glaze.

 

[SmokinAl]

I was a big BB guy, but since they started adding a big chunk of loin meat to the top of them, I switched to either full spares or STL’s. It’s almost impossible to get bb’s with the extra loin meat on them moist & tender. The loin part needs to be c.ooked to 140-145, but the rest of the rib needs to go to 195-205, depending on how you like your ribs. At that point the loin part is dried out.
Al

 

[912smoker]

Another vote for full spares(usually cheaper) !
I do the St Louis trim and try different flavors/rubs on the trimmed meat.

 

[tm3308]

I used to be a baby back guy, but once I started smoking spares, I've never wanted to go back. Better flavor because of the higher fat content, and I like the flatter bones. And they give me the flexibility to either do a full rack, or do a STL cut and make rib tips with the trimmings.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Count me in with the St. Louis crowd....

 

[noboundaries]

Spare rib guy here, too (cheaper and less fussy). My wife used to prefer BBs, but once I started smoking her rack of spare ribs to FOTB, she prefers spares. She likes St Louis cut. I like untrimmed. How the heck have we stayed married for more than 40 years?

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thanks for the like 912smoker it is appreciated.

Warren