Source of Pork ribs in Scotland?

[RickRS]

Not looking for a specific shop, but a general question:

I have a friend in Scotland that decided to get into the smokers. He actually got a Weber Smokey Mountain almost a year before I did. I started with WSM 18 last year and had an opportunity to cook for him during a couple of extended stays (most of his visits are business trips of 4-5 days that don't include time over the weekend). He's super impressed with my rib cooks, which I owe to the information found here.

Talking I find he has never done ribs on his WSM back home. My Scottish friend tells me he can't find ribs or baby backs in his area, and he's never seen anything like the three pack full ribs package I get from Sams Club. Supposely, the meat cutters are all setting the ribs aside for the local restaurants and they don't sell them over the counter.

So, within the Edinburgh area (he live southeast of Edinburgh, but I don't recall the name of his town), is this the situation? Or does anyone know of a readily available source of ribs in Scotland?

 

[Michael G. (Canada Mike)]

Perhaps he should ask the local butchers for spares rather than BBs? They might no be in such high demand.

 

[Len Dennis]

Just did a quick google for "buy ribs in Scotland". All it came up with are boats

Apparently, a rib is a "rigid inflatable boat". Go figger. It sure would take a long time to smoke that one tender

 

[RickRS]

Yeah, this is a puzzler for me. I would think finding a actual butcher shop in the UK would be easier than in the US of A, and you could just tell the butcher what you were looking for. But some things that you would think are a no-brainer just don't translate over in Scotland.

 

[KevinJ]

I did a searcha nd found a few things. It is about asking for the right cut in the right country.

Cutting Guide

GO to "Pork (Major Primals")"Leg & Chump"

Hope this helps

 

[James M-B]

Baby backs are hard to get here. I used to be able to get them when I lived near Ludlow (England), but only from one of the seven butchers in that (small) town!
I think the problem is the way the carcass is divided up, from memory I think it was the way bacon was made.
Spares are another matter - I even see them in Tesco these days, just cut individually which is a bit of a bind, and even see mainstream recipes calling for spares, usually Asian flavour take this month's Waitrose magazine for example - I guess that means they are available in Waitrose (?) I know they are committed to taking the whole carcass.
The best bet is to find a butcher that actually takes the whole carcass, not varty easy these days, and ask in advance. The meat charts on tvwb have been useful for me in the past.
Good luck!