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I am ready to take the plunge and do some ribs this weekend in my Smokette. I've heard alot of talk about ribs, Baby Backs, St. Louis, and Spares. I've done baby backs on my weber in the past. I even did some on a Brinkman barrel type cooker with an offset firebox. I bought them at the local Safeway and I think they were smithfield and they were cryopacked. When I finished cooking them they were pretty tender, but they were quite smoky and the meat was a definite Pink...not white as I expected. Does anyone have an idea what I did wrong there? Also most of the stores only sell either the spare ribs or the baby backs or the country style ribs. Can someone give me a quick course on how to tell a St. Louis from a spare or a baby back. Is it only size? I guess they all "eat" pretty good when they are cooked properly.
Original Post
Hey Popajack!

First..the pink on your ribs is the smokering. A natural occurence when you cook with charcoal or wood logs. Mine come out pink all the way thru most times. Keep in mind, you are cooking your ribs to around 180-200� so they are in no way raw or underdone.

As to the smoke, a personal preference. I have met a few who do not like that much smoke on their meat.

OK, below is a link to a great rib website.....gives you everything you need to know about ribs.
http://www.ribman.com/abtribs.html

Technically, there are really only 2 true ribs...baby backs and spares. They are cut from different areas of the hog.

In short....a St. Louis rib is a spare rib that has been trimmed to a more uniform "rack" appearance. Below is a link that explains how this is done.....
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ribselect1.html

Country ribs are a whole 'nother beast! Not a true rib at all. They can be the fatty ones, cut from the butt OR they can be very lean, cut from the loin. It is different in every region of the country. You really have to look closely or ask the butcher which they are. You need this info to properly cook them.

Hope this helps!

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