Tri-tip Roasts & Country Ribs


 
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I went all the way to Billings MT today (300 miles round trip) to buy BBQ meat. Two weeks ago Costco was loaded with Pork Butts and Briskets. Today they did not have any of either. NONE.
So I bought 15 pounds of Tri-Tip Roasts @ $2.99 and 15 pounds of Country Ribs from the shoulder @ $1.69.

Thinkig of putting some Tri-Tips on the bottom rack and loading the top rack of the WSM up with Country Ribs to baste the Tri-Tips. Will this work or does someone have a better idea??
 
Jim and other board members,

You might look in the phone book for restaurant equipment and supplies or grocers - whsle. Specifically in the Western US look for United Grocers Cash and Carry. These are the folks your local restaurants (I own two small franchises) small grocers and some charities go to for their food stock. United and some others also sell to the public for cash. You must generally apply for check privileges. You will generally find pork butts and briskets, sometimes by the case, and other large cuts.

Check your prices though these places can sometimes have even higher prices than your local Albertson's and often charge more per pound if you buy a partial case. Also I doubt they will order unless you have an account. HTH
 
Jim
It's some times cheaper to buy pork butt and cut it yourself into country style ribs, but the pricer aren't ot far out of line for Billings.
I was there in July and could not find Brisket and found the prices a little high across the board on meat.
fjt
I agree make friends with the Cash and Carries, whsl butcher, slaughter hses, where ever you can get a deal.
Jim
 
If your determined to smoke the tri tip, I would put it on top, you will want to take it out at 145 degrees, Personally, I like my tri-tip grilled, but that is me, Country style ribs are one of my favorites... cook to 165 and you will fall in love with them.. Good luck
 
Hey Gary, how's it goin' buddy? How did it go at Paul's Class? Bet that was alot of fun.

I guess there are 2 kinds of country-style ribs. When I used to cut meat at Publix Supermarket in Florida, we would cut the country-style ribs off the big end of the loin. Usually, we would cut two or three 2" slices off the big end of the loin with a bandsaw, then with a knife cut each slice in half and flip them over and put them in a tray. Or put about 10 or 12 in a family pack.

After moving up here to North Carolina, I started seeing some supermarkets selling country-style ribs that were just cut up pieces of pork butt.

Some stores here use the loin for country-style ribs, and others prefer the butts for them.

I'm sure both types are good. The stores around here that sell the country-style ribs cut from Butts never cut the ribs thick enough though, the ones I see from the loin end are always nice, big, fat sized ribs. I wouldn't want country style ribs only 1" x 1" around or smaller. I prefer closer to 2" x 2" around. That way, once they are done smoking and have lost size due to fat rendered, they still have a good size to them.
 
Hey guys, I started them early this morning. Ribs on the top and roast on the bottom. Run the lid temperature at the vent around 260. Took the roasts out at 160 degrees and the Ribs at 170 degrees. They have rested and been sampled. Probably my best effort.

Oh and thanks for the ideas on obtaining meat. I will check with my local butchers.
 
I was checking out this web site that is all about pork ribs, and it says that the country-style pork ribs come from the blade end of the loin. It doesn't mention that they are also cut from Butts. Guess there are different ways of doing them.

Here is the website, it is very informative and has a nice diagram:

http://www.ribman.com/abtribs.html
 
Hi Jim,
Yeah, I've noticed that. But in this case, it is where they have the same name in different places, but the cuts are different. That's why I was wondering about places that cut pork butts into country-style ribs, when usually the blade end of the loin is cut into country-style ribs.

2 totally different cuts, but they are both called "country-style" ribs.

Either way, they both taste good...lol...I just haven't seen any thick-cut country-style ribs yet that have been cut from butts, they seem kind of small compared to the ones I am used to seeing from the blade end of the loin. Guess it all depends on how the butcher feels like cutting them. I haven't bought any country-style ribs in the past couple months around here...not really because they were cut from butts (they were), but because they were so small and skinny. I like thick, meaty country-style ribs for the smoker.

I'll just have to talk to the butcher and have him cut some thick ones, hopefully from the loin.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rocky:
[qb]It doesn't mention that they are also cut from Butts. Guess there are different ways of doing them.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly says that country-style ribs are cut from the blade-end of the loin or from the shoulder closest to the loin. I've seen both types in the store; sometimes they're just labeled "country-style ribs", but sometimes they'll include the loin or shoulder designation on the label.

Regards,
Chris
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fjt:
[qb]You might look in the phone book for restaurant equipment and supplies or grocers - whsle. Specifically in the Western US look for United Grocers Cash and Carry. These are the folks your local restaurants, small grocers and some charities go to for their food stock.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I was driving down San Carlos Ave. in San Jose today and noticed United Grocers Cash & Carry. Would have thought nothing of it had it not been for this thread. I went in to check it out and it's a very cool store, sort of like a larger version of Smart & Final or Gordon Food Service for those familiar with those stores. I didn't see briskets or pork butts in the freezer, but I didn't ask if they had any, either. They did have pork spareribs and baby backs in cryovac.

Thanks for the tip fjt,
Chris
 
Chris
Talk to the Deli or meat manager and you can order, It's like order Tuesday and get the Friday or order Wed and get Sat. Ask when they are going to run a special, they can give you a heads up.
I've ordered 300 or 400 pounds of butt from them, other times break a case and buy only two.
Their looking for customers like everyone else.
Jim
 
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