Why cut spare ribs down to St. Louis?

[jbauch357]

I'm seeing that most people cut the brisket off of their spare ribs, turning the ribs into St. Louis cut and the brisket into rib tips.  Is this only doing for visual and serving regularity, or is there something else going on here that would make this a common practice? 

Personally I'd think having more meat per serving portion would be ideal, so leave that brisket on...  Why is the opposite so common?

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[SuperDave]

Strictly presentation imo.  What does it look like in a judging box or on a plate for $20.

[Barrel99]

Because the tips are thinner, they have a tendency to dry out more, be tougher and also have less fat. Some folks love them and cut them off to be used in crock pot or other recipes. I prefer them St. Louis style and buy them pre-cut, or trim them myself. I either freeze the trimmings for later or throw them in the smoker by themselves along with the cut ribs.

[jbauch357]

I either freeze the trimmings for later or throw them in the smoker by themselves along with the cut ribs.

In the latter case of cutting them off but still smoking them with the SLC, do you just check and pull out the trimmings earlier before they can get overdone?

[DivotMaker]

I'm with you, Josh!  I keep the tips on the spares!  That's how all the BBQ joints around here have always done it, what I'm used to, and what I like best about spares.  The tips are where the best meat is!

[Barrel99]

See there, Tony likes the whole thing. I think he likes baby backs too.

I take the trimmings, load them up, double or more the amount on the ribs, with a sweet, sugary, spicy, rub and cook them as long as the ribs. The trimmings become dark and tasty with almost a jerky consistency. We usually finish them while the ribs are resting. They are good. Just my way of doing things.

[DivotMaker]

See there, Tony likes the whole thing. I think he likes baby backs too.

I take the trimmings, load them up, double or more the amount on the ribs, with a sweet, sugary, spicy, rub and cook them as long as the ribs. The trimmings become dark and tasty with almost a jerky consistency. We usually finish them while the ribs are resting. They are good. Just my way of doing things.

You got it going on, Arnie!  There are NO "right or wrong" answers in BBQ!  That's what makes it great!  Yeah, I like baby backs, too.  I grew up on spares, but have converted to baby backs pretty much full-time.  Guess it has to do with a lifetime of spares, and only a recent (last couple of years) exposure to back ribs.  I still do spares occasionally, though!

[Barrel99]

There are NO "right or wrong" answers in BBQ! 

+1 Tony

[jbauch357]

OK, I'll probably leave them whole the first time through and see how things go.  Thanks for the responses guys.

[DivotMaker]

Whether whole, or cut to St Louis, just remember to remove the silver skin on the bone side!

[jbauch357]

OK, going to give ribs a try tomorrow. 

The plan is to bring a rack of spares home after work, remove the membrane, use a bit of mustard for binder, then dust up with bone suckin sauce.  It'll get wrapped then placed in the fridge overnight, then I'll toss it on the smoker bone down in the morning with 3-4 oz of hickory and maple plus a couple beer can boats of water next to the fire box.  With a couple hour delay the smoker will kick on around 11am at 175 for 0.5hrs then up to 235 for the remainder.  I'll check them about 5hrs later at 4PM when I get home from work.

Sound like a workable plan?

[Barrel99]

Sounds like a great plan Josh.

[DivotMaker]

OK, going to give ribs a try tomorrow. 

The plan is to bring a rack of spares home after work, remove the membrane, use a bit of mustard for binder, then dust up with bone suckin sauce.  It'll get wrapped then placed in the fridge overnight, then I'll toss it on the smoker bone down in the morning with 3-4 oz of hickory and maple plus a couple beer can boats of water next to the fire box.  With a couple hour delay the smoker will kick on around 11am at 175 for 0.5hrs then up to 235 for the remainder.  I'll check them about 5hrs later at 4PM when I get home from work.

Sound like a workable plan?

Very workable plan, Josh - just 2 questions/suggestions:  I assume you meant "rub" instead of "sauce?"  Rub is definitely the right choice for bark.  Also, the "beer can boats" may work, but a much better solution is a disposable aluminum mini-loaf pan (Wally world sells them).  The main reason I like these pans much better than a beer can is surface area.  I find you get more consistent moisture with large surface area, plus, you can tuck that pan right up against the smoke box so it gets maximum heat from the element.  I'd go with what you have on hand, but you might try the larger pans next time.

Good luck!

[Pork Belly]

This is a video by Franklin BBQ, in it they discuss how and somewhat why they trim their spare ribs. The last spares I bought were $1.19 a pound (case price), at that rate he likely threw away $1.00 worth of meat and bone. I don't think that is a bad expense for a presentable even cooking rack of ribs. I like the tips and at least in this video they leave a good bit of the cartilage on the ribs.

[DivotMaker]

Can you attach the link, Brian?  Thanks in advance!