Local Market Baby Spare Ribs????

[woodruff]

A local market here in SC has baby spare ribs???? on sale for $1.38 LB. ive bought ribs from there before but was just spare ribs, are there realy a difference in these ribs???, ill go pick up a few racks anyways for the big 4th smokeoff, same place has legquarters for $ .38 lbs. for a 10 lbs bag , getting some of them too.

 

[13spicerub]

i'm pretty sure they are talking about Baby Backs, unless its some strange center cut of ribs thats half baby backs and half spare. $1.38 per/lb is an ridiculously low price. buy em all, send some my way.

 

[lcruzen]

Could be what is referred to sometimes as Danish Baby Back Ribs. I've never bought any but popular opinion is they are a waste of time, effort and cash.

 

[woodruff]

13spice rub, ill definately buy in bulk, the last ribs ( spare ) that i bought there turned out great, and the chicken that i paid $ .59 lbs for is now $ .38 lbs , ill buy at least 3 -10 lb bags of these. smokers paradise, ill wind up feeding the neighbors this 4th of july

 

[geek with fire]

Are you sure they aren't st louis trimmed spares? I only ask because I tried a new roadside BBQ guy here in Sedalia today. Before I ordered, I asked if his ribs were baby backs or spares. He said they were "Baby backs, but they're square cut, st louis style". They were spares; which was fine, that's my preference anyhow, but I was suprised he didn't know the difference.

Take a look at the curve of the bones. If they are mostly flat, they are probably spares. If they have a big curve to them with smaller bones, they are most likely BB's.

 

[woodruff]

Geekwithfire, i went and purchased 3 racks of these on my lunch break, ( store is only 3 miles away) they are definetly spare ribs ( i asked the market guy) , but the racks arent quiet as big as the racks i bought last time, but for $5 a rack average i dont think i could pass it up, have a great day friend

 

[bassman]

I purchased a box of frozen spares a long time ago. They were cheap and when I opened the box, I found out why. There wasn't enough meat to scrape off the bone. Saw them advertised again last week, but I'll spend the extra for good spares or BBs.

 

[capt dan]

Yep, baby spares are usually that, shorter racks/less bones. Resturaunts use them alot. When yo go to a place that sells full racks, they are usually about 2-4 bones short of what you would smoke yourself.

And as Bassman said, They sometimes run a lil thin on the meat(shiners).
but for the right price, ya might pick through em and see what they look like, If it was closed and frozen boxes, I'd stear clear!

 

[raypeel]

I've been getting spares for about 1.59 a pound for about the last month. They are cut St. Louis with the cut off meat in the pack. Makes it really handy.

 

[geek with fire]

The only problem with that, as I've recently found: that stuff from the spares that I used to pitch to the dog, is some of the best eats in the world. I've been throwing it in a pan with beer and apple juice and letting it cook to 190 while the ribs are Q'ing. When it's done, chop it and mix with Q sauce. Serve like pulled pork. Bueno!

 

[ronp]

The general public probably doesn't know this. In the wholsale business restaurants have a choice as do retailers. The packers grade their ribs by weight. They are rated like this for Baby Backs. 1 1/2 and down, 1 3/4 and down, 2 and down and I can't remember where it stopped. The more they weigh the cheaper the price and the less quality. The smaller the bones the better the rib to meat ratio. In the rerstaurant I used exclusivley 1 3/4 and down a very good quality rib, only one better was the 1 1/2 and down, they may have had 1 1/4 and down also, can't remember.

The joints that cut corners and use 2 and up and cook the crap out of them or even worse boil the Pi$$ out of them.

So, when buying Baby Back ribs for quality check the weight.

Things may have changed now, but I doubt it.

Hope this helps.

Ron