Spare Rib Questions


 
J

j. pavone

TVWBB Super Fan
I was at my local wegman's market and saw 3 different packages ribs. Spare ribs - untrimmed , st.louis cut spares and center cut spare ribs with brisket bone removed. What is the difference between the st.louis and center cut? I couldn't tell the difference between the two. They were selling them in a 2 pack for around 17 dollars.
 
were the single packs st louis, and the club packs center cut?

I'm guessing its the same, just a different way to market.
 
I'd just buy 'em untrimmed. It only takes a minute to trim them and you pay less per pound, and you get extra meat to sample while you cook/save for making beans/grind into sausage!
 
They had both in double packs. I am going back to wegmans on tuesday so i will take a better look. I do such a crappy job on trimming i just buy the st.louis cut. Remove the membrane and they are ready to go.
 
Originally posted by j. pavone:
I do such a crappy job on trimming i just buy the st.louis cut. Remove the membrane and they are ready to go.
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If you are interested J, somebody, I don't remember if it was on this board or elsewhere, gave the following tip when trimming. Try to fold the bones the long way back over the breast bone area. Where the rack bends, (bones don't bend) is where you cut. I found that to be very helpful.
 
Where the rack bends, (bones don't bend) is where you cut. I found that to be very helpful.
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I can usually find the cut with my thumb.

They had both in double packs. I am going back to wegmans on tuesday so i will take a better look. I do such a crappy job on trimming i just buy the st.louis cut. Remove the membrane and they are ready to go
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sometimes I wonder how much I'm really saving when I but huge slabs of spares for 1.99/lb and I end up trimming off 40% of the meat.

It's one of the many reasons why I switched to backs. I can get some monster backs for 2.99 that work out great for me.
 
Look carefully at the bottom rack. If it doesn't say St. Louis is might be about one third of the bottom rack that includes all those tiny breast bones. For some reason, even if they say breast bone removed you're liable to get those little buggers, and i won't serve them to company.

Cheers,
Michael
 
Originally posted by j. pavone:
wegman's....selling them in a 2 pack for around 17 dollars.
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Skip's is a lot less. Like $2.5/lb for BBs. Joe's meat market out in Webster has good deals, too, if you don't mind the ride.
 
I see center cut and figure it means more money for the same thing. Local store here sells center cut ribeys for $5 more a lb than reg ribeyes.
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J,

You getting those back ribs at Sloan? I was about to buy a case of spares from them at $1.39/lb, but I hate trimming, especially when I'm out camping and/or away from home base (which I will be).

You got me thinking about just getting a case of backs now since we can get them for $2.99/lb case price.

Long time, no talk (to everybody on the board), but I'm still reading and lurking from time to time.

Todd
 
You getting those back ribs at Sloan?
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nope, got a new source for backs...dash's.

I'm done with sloan. All long while back I got some spoiled butts from them and they seemed cool about it so I stuck with them. Plus they were one of the few places I found that carried packers. Anyways, I ordered some trimmed spares for a contest. I never bother checking them (since I had them trim them)and when I took them out to skin them and rub them they were slightly funky. I don't want to take that chance ever again.

I have since stopped into redlinski's looking for packers and they dissed sloan big time. They said people rave about their prices but don't realize they're are selling older meat. I took her words with a grain of salt, however my own evidence seems to back it up.
 
Maybe it's a good time to try them. I've driven by their hertel and colvin locations, just never stopped in.

I remember your bad butt thread.

I never got meat from sloan that ever had me wonder about it being 'ok' or not. But I did have them trim a whole case of spares for me last summer, and I just wasn't very impressed with their attention to the meat. They band sawed off the breast bone and were done with it. Maybe that's all I should have expected, I don't know.

Thanks for the new source, I may try them for next weeks meat. I have no allegiance to sloan, they are just cheap and convenient to where I live.

Todd
 
I always look but am wary of supermarket ribs. Last summer some guests insisted on providing ribs for a cook so I relented and they brought what they thought were 2 racks of spares @ $2.49. What the two packages contained, however, was slightly less than 3/4 rack & 2 breast bones tucked underneath in each package! So I stick to my butcher and pay a bit more for a sure thing. If I had no other recourse I would shop carefully and not buy too much to start. I would still like to see a whole rack and not something wrapped in a styrofoam package.
 
Thanks for the new source, I may try them for next weeks meat. I have no allegiance to sloan, they are just cheap and convenient to where I live.
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in the meat case they sell vacuum packed backs under some brand name. I avoid them as I wasn't to keen on them because the big brand label disguised the fact that the same four bones on all three racks were exposed.

at the butcher, they have super meaty backs (almost too meaty at the one end) for 3.99/lb, and occasionally 2.99/lb. they aren't fresh (frozen then thawed) but they are still pretty good.

while you're there be sure to pick up a dry aged prime delmonico.

let me know if you need a brisket (email me via 5centsmoker@gmail.com), I got a new source that I'm really liking.
 
I've been doing St. Louis exclusively lately. The fold method mentioned is perfect for identifying where to cut. Chris has a great video on the support section of this site that tells you exactly what to do. Take the time to view it and you be an expert.

I always trim my own. I want all the cut offs. I'm confused when people that do St. Louis cut talk about "waste" there is none! It all gets cooked the same time and same way.

There's no waste in St. Louis cutting your ribs. Think of it as parting out a chicken, you don't throw away the wings, legs, and thighs do you?

Just did 3 racks Tuesday - the ribs went on the top shelf all the cuttings went on the second shelf. And they all came off at once.
 
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