Type of Ribs

[sandyut]

About a decade ago I bought some ribs that were either St Louis or Spares. They were super fatty and the wife said never make these again. I have made baby backs ever since. Now the BBs normally have the thick loin which is also not prefered either. We like the thin end of the BB rack much more than the thick meaty end.

SO, I need help between spares and st louis which would be leaner. I think the answer is st louis but Im not sure.

Thoughts and advice appreciated???

 

[Brokenhandle]

I could be wrong but I was under the belief spare ribs and st louis ribs are the same thing. You can get a full slab of spare ribs or the trimmed down version which is called st. Louis ribs

 

[fxsales1959]

While I "could" buy spares, which are typically cheaper and cut them down, I almost exclusively buy St Louis. I don't have a butcher saw and St Louis typically look less fatty and there's no waste. My biggest issue is finding racks that have straight bones for prettier slicing. I got a rack from Publix last weekend but couldn't feel them up as they were frozen. Slicing was a B&*ch, but they still ate good. not picture worthy but still dinner.

 

[DRKsmoking]

I could be wrong but I was under the belief spare ribs and st louis ribs are the same thing. You can get a full slab of spare ribs or the trimmed down version which is called st. Louis ribs

What Ryan said

Yes, St. Louis style ribs are regular spare ribs that have been trimmed down. [1, 2]

How They Differ From Full Spare Ribs

• The Trim: To make a St. Louis cut, the butcher or cook removes the hard breastbone (sternum), the chewy rib tips, the cartilaginous sections, and the loose skirt/flap meat from a full spare rib slab. [1, 2, 3]
  
  The Shape: This trimming process transforms an irregular, jagged spare rib into a neat, uniform, and even rectangular shape. [1,
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• David

 

[Smoking Allowed]

As has been said, spare ribs and St. Louis ribs are the same. The difference is the breast bone has been removed on the spares which makes them St. Louis and this can be done with a knife, no saw needed. Simply cut down through the cartilage with a knife. The piece removed is good for a lot of things such as beans, rib tips, etc

 

[forktender]

About a decade ago I bought some ribs that were either St Louis or Spares. They were super fatty and the wife said never make these again. I have made baby backs ever since. Now the BBs normally have the thick loin which is also not prefered either. We like the thin end of the BB rack much more than the thick meaty end.

SO, I need help between spares and st louis which would be leaner. I think the answer is st louis but Im not sure.

Thoughts and advice appreciated???

Dave, buy ST Louis, and trim as much of the fat and flap meat as you can off of them.
Smoke them at 250 to 275* unwrapped. If they look fatty when they get their color wrap them with pink paper rubbed down with a stick of butter, or real Lard. Then cook them wrapped for 20 to 30 minutes more to render down the fat. Personally if I wrap, I always unwrap when they are just under done, and toss them onto a hot grill to firm up the bark that the wrapping screwed up.

When I don't wrap them, and I normally don't, I just lay a piece of pink paper or foil over the ribs to keep them from getting to dark in color.

We hate fatty meat in our house, so I messed around until I landed on this method.
They turn out great!!!

 

[Compulsive Smoker]

While I "could" buy spares, which are typically cheaper and cut them down, I almost exclusively buy St Louis. I don't have a butcher saw and St Louis typically look less fatty and there's no waste. My biggest issue is finding racks that have straight bones for prettier slicing. I got a rack from Publix last weekend but couldn't feel them up as they were frozen. Slicing was a B&*ch, but they still ate good. not picture worthy but still dinner.

View attachment 742775

@fxsales1959 just a comment on the slicing issues you are having...and maybe you tried this already...but I have found that if you hold your rack of ribs up on edge and slice through along the curve of the bone instead of laying them flat and cutting down from the top it often works much better...you'll need a set of heavy rubber kitchen gloves to keep from burning your fingers...

 

[sandyut]

Ok then, st louis it is. I suspect way back I got an extra fatty rack and that put off my wife. I'll try some more and see how it goes. thanks for all the input and direction

 

[chopsaw]

thanks for all the input and direction

Here's some more ,,, Lol .

Now the BBs normally have the thick loin which is also not prefered either.

Right , but it seems some have gone back to cutting legit baby backs .
Like these . Look at the cross cut end on the short rack .

This is how those cook up .
Little to no loin meat .

Back ribs are attached to the loin section .
Spare ribs are lower and overlap the belly .
Not a great example of a full spare , but I picked it , and pulled the seam apart some . You can see the separation point for cutting St. Louis style . No bone saw needed if you hit that seam .


This is how I cut them down . That knife is all I used .

I buy the 3 packs . Trim into St. louis style , then the rest gets ground into sausage .
I like full spares better , but I get a couple pounds of sausage from the 3 packs .
No waste for me .

 

[sandyut]

Here's some more ,,, Lol .

Right , but it seems some have gone back to cutting legit baby backs .
Like these . Look at the cross cut end on the short rack .
View attachment 742784
This is how those cook up .
Little to no loin meat .
View attachment 742785
Back ribs are attached to the loin section .
Spare ribs are lower and overlap the belly .
Not a great example of a full spare , but I picked it , and pulled the seam apart some . You can see the separation point for cutting St. Louis style . No bone saw needed if you hit that seam .
View attachment 742786

This is how I cut them down . That knife is all I used .
View attachment 742787
I buy the 3 packs . Trim into St. louis style , then the rest gets ground into sausage .
I like full spares better , but I get a couple pounds of sausage from the 3 packs .
No waste for me .
View attachment 742788

I havent see legit BBs in a long time.

Gonna se of I can get the wife on board with some st louis. I made them for a while, then the one super fatty one turned her off. you know how it can go.

 

[Compulsive Smoker]

you know how it can go.

Yeah, and once they are turned off of something it can be tough to get them onto it again!

Good luck Dave! I wanna hear how it goes for you!

 

[sandyut]

Yeah, and once they are turned off of something it can be tough to get them onto it again!

Good luck Dave! I wanna hear how it goes for you!

I'll try to do a write up. Its literally been over a decade since I made the st louis.

 

[jcam222]

I greatly prefer spares to babyback especially since they started leaving the thick loin meat on them. It always turns out dry as loin should not be cooked higher than 145 yet the ribs need far higher temp. One thing I done is trim that thick piece of loin off and use it for something else. You are left with a rack of backribs like they used to be.

 

[KonaRich]

I'll try to do a write up. Its literally been over a decade since I made the st louis.

We just started making st. louis ribs towards the beginning of this year. We bought the Costco 2-pack, applied rub, and smoked them both at 225 until done. No wrap, no sauce, no grilling at the end.

They turned out beautifully! No excessive fat anywhere, firm to the bite and very smokey. BBQ sauce at the table. We ate ribs on the bone for 2 nights, then trimmed the rest off the bones and bagged in meal-for-2 quantities for freezing.

We still have 2 left! Then, it's back to Costco to do it all over again.

 

[sandyut]

We just started making st. louis ribs towards the beginning of this year. We bought the Costco 2-pack, applied rub, and smoked them both at 225 until done. No wrap, no sauce, no grilling at the end.

They turned out beautifully! No excessive fat anywhere, firm to the bite and very smokey. BBQ sauce at the table. We ate ribs on the bone for 2 nights, then trimmed the rest off the bones and bagged in meal-for-2 quantities for freezing.

We still have 2 left! Then, it's back to Costco to do it all over again.

Thanks Rich, I was thinking of exactly that plan! How long did they cook? I be at Costco some time in the next couple weeks

 

[KonaRich]

Thanks Rich, I was thinking of exactly that plan! How long did they cook? I be at Costco some time in the next couple weeks

Since I did them so long ago, I don't rightly remember. It seems like it was around 4 hours at 225 the whole time in my MES40, which has a temp swing of +/- 15-20 degrees. I don't worry about that, since my electric oven in the kitchen does the same thing.

 

[Count Porcula]

My personal take is that if spare ribs cost the same as St. Louis ribs, you're getting extra meat free.

 

[KonaRich]

My personal take is that if spare ribs cost the same as St. Louis ribs, you're getting extra meat free.

You have a good point there.