# Fabricating the St. Louis Rib Rack, a pictorial tutorial



## bbally (Jan 17, 2010)

Lots of questions on fabrication St. Louis Style ribs. Thought I would 
put a pictorial together on the fabrication of a St. Louis rack out of spares.


One of the first things I want to go over is the selection of the ribs 
themselves. St. Louis can not have bone creep (pull back) in the 
professional catering world. And since most the cutters we have right now 
in the butcher houses are rarely trained, and those in a chain grocery store and 
never trained, you have to know how to select the proper ribs to get a good 
finished product. You need to use your fingers and kneed the meat to the 
bone to see the cover. You need at least 3/8 inch of meat cover to keep 
bone creep out of the presentation on the final product.


We are going to start with a decent set of spare ribs. I have selected 
these out of 20 in the case (I bought these at the store instead of ordering 
from IBP so I could go through the same process as a home smoking enthusiast.) 
because they have about 1/2 inch cover on the end of the rib bones.











Now the first thing that has to go is the damn flap of muscle and silver skin 
on the rib. This always needs to be trimmed off. Save it for Chile 
Verde.










With the flap removed we start seeing the back of the ribs to take a more 
professional look in their clean cut appearence.










With the flap removed we then slip a boning knife or a fillet knife under the 
membrane and remove it. Some don't remove this membrane. Your ribs 
will have a much better mouth feel if you remove this non-digestible membrane. 
You have the option of doing the cartilage cut prior to removing the membrane, 
just don't forget to do it.


I have left the knife in the cartilage cut so the line of the cut becomes 
evident to those who are not familiar with fabrication cuts.










After we remove the meat and bone along the cartilage cut we have finally 
arrived at the basic St. Louis. The end where the cartilage was removed 
should have the cartilage round ends showing through. This indicates you 
cut along the proper line. To find this line it is sometimes helpful in 
the beginning to fold the rib up, the fold point that takes place naturally is 
the area for the cut. I am using a breaking knife at this point. A 
heavy backed knife with a steep cut angle for cutting the tough stuff.










Now we want to count the rib bones. I like 10 to 12 ribs per St. Louis 
Rack. Don't go to nine, this is called a cheater in the industry, stay 
with 10 to 12 and you will always have full consistent sized ribs. I have 
left my boning knife in the gap between the three I removed and the St. Louis 
fabrication so everyone can see the line that is cut. Remember to cut out 
closest to the bone on the removal side so you have plenty of meat cover on the 
end of the rack.










Now that the basic St. Louis is fabricated we still have some cleaning up to 
do. Because there are damn few butchers actually cutting meat anymore, you 
will have to remove excess meat, fat, and silver skin to create a St. Louis rib 
worth presenting to guests.










I remove silver skin with a boning or fillet knife. It allows me to slip 
along between the protein and the nasty membrane tissue and fillet it off. 
Depending on who the cutter was, you can have a lot of nastiness to remove. 
Barbarians are in charge of cutting anymore at the packing houses, so all manner 
of crap that should be thrown out is still hooked to the cut. The better 
the cleaning the better the final product.


















Of course they leave it on cause you are going to pay $1.99 per pound for it. 
And they would rather you take the loss, because they know most people don't 
really know it is wrong. I cut my own St. Louis for this same reason, I 
will not pay more per pound to have someone cut off parts of the spare that have 
less training in butchery than I do.


In the end if you fabricate your own, or know what to look for when selecting 
already fabricated St. Louis you will end up with a nice clean, squared off 
product that should produce an excellent smoking experience and final product.










Now the section on top of the cartilage is excellent for a smoking testing. 
That is to say, you already have the fire going, might at well use the riblet 
section to do your testing and experiments.










Of course I have already seasoned these with the experiment. And the 
next pic is of those St. Louis waiting to have the magic of oak and hickory 
added to them to produce that wonderful product we so all enjoy!










And while they are in the charbroil offset, the wife and I enjoy our new 
cement patio deck. Wine in the finally above freezing weather.


























I hope this helps a few of you to start to take spares and fabricate your own 
St. Louis Style rib racks. I think you will find your product improving 
greatly if you start taking control of the fabrication.


Yours in good smoking, bbally


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## brohnson (Jan 17, 2010)

Looks great, nice work!


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## deltadude (Jan 17, 2010)

Nice instructions and pics.  Thanks for taking the time and effort.

I wish I could buy already trimmed spares to st.louis style.  Costco or Sams sells BBacks for about $1.5 more per lb, and each package has 3 racks.  The spares have only 2 racks.  For our family of 5 three racks will feed everyone with seconds and still have 1+ rack for left overs.  But to get an extra rack of spares I have to buy 2 packages, and that is a lot of extra trimming and half of that trim is useless and goes to the dog.  So I would prefer paying the same price for per lb for either trimmed spares or bback and avoid the waste, and extra work.


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## b8h8r (Jan 17, 2010)

nice tutorial...points for you.


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## nwdave (Jan 17, 2010)

And I just happen to have one in the freezer to practice on.  And the best thing is, I get to eat the mistakes and have to buy more to practice on.  The best of both worlds.  Thanks for the step by step.


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## hamrhdz (Jan 17, 2010)

Great pics!
I'm about to pull mine.  They are at 167 now.  What is that white stuff on the ground?


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## DanMcG (Jan 17, 2010)

Bob can you expand on this a bit? why not and what is it you look for?


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## lambertsteeth (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks for the lesson.  Nice job.


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## bbally (Jan 18, 2010)

No bone sticking out like some kind of compound fracture.

I want to see no bone sticking out, only the end of the bone covered properly by meat.

Swift packing is the worse for this, Excel is damn close to swift, IBP cuts the best spares there is!


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## mulepackin (Jan 18, 2010)

Interesting that IBP (formerly Iowa beef processors, now a part of Tyson Foods, the chicken people) turn out the best pork. Great photo essay!


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## ronp (Jan 18, 2010)

Nice job Bob. I thought about you today when at Sam's. They had IBP ribs there today.


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## bbally (Jan 18, 2010)

Here is the finished product.







This is the rib from the side.  Smoke almost made it all the way through to the heaviest spot.







This is an example of mechanically induced bone creep.  The packing house sliced the end of this one and that cause just the one bone to come through.







The tasted great.  Hickory has no equal!


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## ronp (Jan 18, 2010)

Looks great!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I use hickory exclusively. I got some shrimp scampi on now with hickory. I have a bag that is almost gone of mesquite, and I will not be buying again, too strong, and I like smokey.


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## rickw (Jan 18, 2010)

Very nice tutorial. I always do my ribs St. Louis style, luv em.

This is one that should be made a sticky imo. It's a very good piece of reference material.


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## pignit (Jan 18, 2010)

*Shweeeeeet!*
*




*


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## pops6927 (Jan 18, 2010)

This is the *skirt*, or part of the diaphram muscle, of the hog; it's also the same from the *plate *on a steer, the equivalent cut from beef. Skirt steak on beef became widely known in the 70's as KMart featured it on their Tuesday Night Blue Light Special Steak Dinner (for $3.99 if I remember correctly) in their Kmart restaurants.
If you julienne it across the grain, it is very good for stir-fry as it's loose connective tissue breaks down with the acids used. Of course, it adds to sausage meat too, or is great for nibbling while waiting for the ribs (it's thinner, will cook thru faster - snack time!).


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## bbally (Jan 18, 2010)

This one is destine for my grinder and then to a chefs pan to make the transition to Green Chile!


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## fired up (Jan 18, 2010)

Nice post Bob, this deserves a sticky.


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## richoso1 (Jan 18, 2010)

Thank you Bob for the great pics and time to develop this tutorial. I know many a rack will benefit from your interest in ribbing. Points to you my friend.


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## dirt guy (Jan 18, 2010)

If you can get Seaboard spares (marketed as "Prarie Fresh" around here) give them a try. They are comparable (IMO, most times better) than the IBP. On one of our purchases, Seaboard had accidently packaged some St. Louis styles in a box labeled as regular spares. They were some of the best looking ribs we've ever bought. Tasted great, too.


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## eaglewing (Jan 18, 2010)

*THANKS TONS BOB!!!!*

I am going to have to try this on my next set of ribs 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






*1 Question BOB:

what were your TIMES and TEMP on those ribs you displayed, and did you foil or not??

Alot of that has to do with pullback also right??*


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## 3montes (Jan 18, 2010)

Excellent post and very informative. Thanks for posting this Bob. I agree it should be a sticky.


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## jak757 (Jan 18, 2010)

Great post.  As a newbie, I find this very helpful.  I have been a little intimidated about trimming spares -- but you show clearly how to do it.  Thanks!


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## fireangel (Jan 18, 2010)

Excellent tutorial!!


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## eaglewing (Jan 18, 2010)

*I made a PDF of this thread if you want it on your computer just download it from this link, choose 'Free User' unless you have a Rapidshare account...*

http://rapidshare.com/files/33726573...Louis_R....pdf

IT IS PERFECTLY SAFE AND FREE, there is no risk of virus or anything like that.... I guarantee it


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## bbally (Jan 18, 2010)

I do 2.5 hours on the initial cook.  Then I go to 100 percent humidity for 2 hours, then I finish for 1.5 hours by killing the humidity.  I use a tea kettle for humidity.   I cook cases and cases of ribs, don't have time to do foiling.

Truth be told I need to go to 3.5 hours on the initial stage.


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## pit 4 brains (Jan 18, 2010)

Great post Bob, i may have to get over to Havasu and try some of those..


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## the dude abides (Jan 18, 2010)

Awesome tutorial.  +1 for sticky status!







for taking the time to do this.


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## fireangel (Jan 18, 2010)

Another vote for Sticky!!


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## pit 4 brains (Jan 18, 2010)

Yeah, sticky it up! I searched high and low for this info a while ago..


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## Dutch (Jan 18, 2010)

Great tutorial Bob. As has be suggested, this thread is now a sticky.

 Last fall when I was picking out some spares to do my first smoke on the Lang, a guy had pick up a pack of ribs that I discarded because of the weird way that the loin was cut from the plate. He approached the "cutter" wanting to know if he could get the spare ribs cut St. Louis style. The "cutter" shook his head and told the guy that he didn't have a clue how to do ribs.

I spoke to the guy when he returned to the were the spares ribs were at in the meat case-I showed him why I discarded the ribs that he had in his hand and then showed him what to look for. I then took out a sharpie pen and diagrammed how to cut the ribs into St. Louis style right there on the cryovac. I gave him my phone number so he could call me if he had any questions.  The "cutter" then came up to me and was curious as to how I knew how to do ribs like the other guy wanted.  I smiled and told him "4 years as an apprentice and 10 years working as a journeyman cutter. 

I walked away smiling, knowing that learning my father's trade has stood me well even though I no longer cut for a living.


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## eaglewing (Jan 18, 2010)

Thnx Dutch


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## bbally (Jan 18, 2010)

I too have never regretted being sent to help out in the butcher and sausage houses in Dairy Country Penna of my youth. While at the time I thought it was a just being loaned out as a slave. It has paid me well at the meat counters and butcher shops over the years.


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## marty catka (Jan 19, 2010)

Great post.  Learn something here everyday.


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## tlzimmerman (Jan 19, 2010)

Great post, and a beautiful set of ribs at the end.  Will keep this one ready for the next time I want to try spares.


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## ismoke (Jan 29, 2010)

Nice read, but the pics don't seem to be working...


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## bbally (Jan 29, 2010)

They are up and working.  Just checked?  Might be your browser?


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## sweet chops bbq (Jan 29, 2010)

where are the pics??


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## bbally (Jan 29, 2010)

First post.


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## voldaddy (Feb 6, 2010)

Great job! I have 3 slabs I'm going to smoke for the Super Bowl tomorrow.

I'll try to trim them up like the pictures show, they look great.


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## rdknb (Feb 6, 2010)

Thank you for the great info, very helpful


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## bbally (Feb 6, 2010)

You are most welcome. Found a nice twin pack of spares at Sams club about an hour ago. Will be fabricating them up a little later for tomorrows game.

Was a little weird... they are on sale... so I am going through them like I always do feeling them and massaging them to see what the cover is.... flipping them over and around and trying to see what is actually in the packages.  People start asking questions, I just answer and keep on feeling up ribs.... more people asking questions.  Then I remembered I have on the catering jacket... its all guys wanting to know stuff.  I ended up putting on a 30 minute seminar must to my wifes shagrin!


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## jaso (Feb 12, 2010)

that is an awesome tutorial


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## loneleigh (Mar 23, 2010)

Good job, glad it's a sticky for the newbies. That's exactly how I do my spares.


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## smoke 2 geaux (Mar 23, 2010)

Thanks for doing this!  I always struggle with that riblet part.


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## lu1847 (Apr 24, 2010)

just want to say thanks for taking the time on that tutorial, full of great pics and advice.


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## bbally (Apr 24, 2010)

You are most welcome, we are here to help you with the addiction!!!!!  Make it worse of course


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## south jersey bbq tim (May 3, 2010)

great pics..thanks


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## squirrel (May 12, 2010)

I cannot tell you how helpful this is for a newbie! I smoked my first ribs today and the ONLY thing I did that you said was remove the membrane. Man, I wish I had read this yesterday! Live and learn and the saying goes.


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## caveman (May 13, 2010)

You can always go buy another batch & practice on those.  It is a learning curve.  I am still at the bottom.


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## billm75 (May 13, 2010)

Great tutorial.  Makes me need to rethink my methods a bit.  I normally don't trim my own spares, but then, I've not seen a good enough step by step tutorial to even attempt it the right way before.

With that said, I do have a question...you say in the "professional catering world" st. louis ribs cannot have bone creep.  Why is that? Is it merely a presentation thing?

I have to be honest, my last few ribs were pre-trimmed in the cryovac, and honestly I bought 'em because they were too good of a price to pass up at the time.  I get about 1/2" of bone sticking out of the meat when mine are done, and they're still always juicy, tender and delicious. 

I'm just curious, always looking to improve!  Thanks for your tutorial!


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## mythmaster (May 13, 2010)

Here's a good video on the subject, too:


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## bbally (May 13, 2010)

It has to do with quality of the meat, and of course meat quality affects presentation.  The amount of cover on the ribs has a large factor in bone creep or pull back.

As I have said before, there is no problem with bone creep and less cover on ribs will still make great ribs, but by knowing how to select the best ribs out of the case when they are on sale..... you will get a better product than just randomly grabbing up a few packages.

Education is the only focus.


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## billm75 (May 13, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation.  I had never heard this before, but it helps alot knowing these things.


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