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I generally BBQ/smoke St. Louis cut spare ribs rather than Baby Backs, and the cuts I get always include the part above the bones that includes those little pieces of gristle. I was recently asked if I would mind trimming that part off so the rack is a nice rectangle without the gristle.
My question is not how to trim them. My question is: Is there a good way to still cook those trimmings? I hate to throw away perfectly good rib meat just because some people don't care to suck it off of those pieces of gristle.
LoL. When I have "extra" pieces of meat like this I'll season them up and wrap in foil and hang over the top of the rebar. This cooks faster and we consider this a chefs treat.
Your question makes sense to me! I do pretty much the same thing as Hawker. I leave the tips unwrapped, but put them on the upper rack of my Hasty Bake charcoal grill. They don't need to be cooked as long -- when they look nicely smoky and cooked through, I declare they're done. They're a nice treat about halfway through the cook.
If you don't care to eat the tips as a treat or have too much to enjoy right then, you could pick off the meat and freeze for making soup or BBQ sandwiches -- any recipe where you'd use pulled pork.
Some taverns and small restaurants around here sometimes offer rib tips as a special. There are folks who don't mind getting messy eating them, cuz tips are so tender and good.
I love cooking St. Louis spares. But my wife won’t eat them because of those end parts or tips with the cartilage. She always insisted on baby backs as a result. Then I started trimming the tips off and didn’t even tell her. She is none the wiser and raves about my ribs. The tips are a mid cook snack for me. 👍
I generally BBQ/smoke St. Louis cut spare ribs rather than Baby Backs, and the cuts I get always include the part above the bones that includes those little pieces of gristle. I was recently asked if I would mind trimming that part off so the rack is a nice rectangle without the gristle.
My question is not how to trim them. My question is: Is there a good way to still cook those trimmings? I hate to throw away perfectly good rib meat just because some people don't care to suck it off of those pieces of gristle.
Does this question make sense to anyone?
If the part with the cartilage is still there, then those are not Saint Louis cut - they are just spare ribs. Lately, I just buy spares, and trim them down to Saint Louis cut myself. And yes - I smoke that part that is cut off - the rib tips - and eat that myself.
I suggest browsing Youtube to find one of many videos. The basic sequence is:
Cut off the flap on the back.
Pull off the membrane.
Feel for the gap between the rib bones and that long peice of cartilage, and then cut through that area, for the full length of the rack of ribs.
Cut off the flap at the end that has the last little bone or two in it.
Trimming a full rack of spare ribs into a St. Louis-style rack takes only two cuts and results in ribs without any chewy cartilage that can make them hard to eat.
Jfrosty27 It's been a long time since I bought them at Costco - Sam's Club is closer, and their spare rib pricing is super cheap, so I usually just get those and trim myself. Sounds like Costco is doing that to add some weight to the ribs maybe?
Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt 40.2" 1200W Electric Smoker
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:​​​​​​
Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
Fireboard 1st Generation
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
2 Maverick 733
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
I've thrown them in the smoker like others have said. My dad used to season with salt and pepper, put them in a glass baking dish, cover with BBQ sauce cut with water or apple juice to thin it, cover with tin foil, then put in the oven on low heat for a few hours. Tender and delicious.
Another tasty little tidbit on spare ribs is the boneless flap on some spare ribs -- not sure enough of bovine anatomy to know what it's called. I trim that flap off and season and smoke it along with the tips. It makes a nice nibble. I've cooked it flat but I've tried rolling it up and cooking it that way.
22” Blue Weber Kettle with SnS insert
Kamado Joe Jr with Kick Ash Basket
Char-Broil Smartchef Tru Infrared Gasser
Anovo Hot Tub Time Machine with Custom Hot Tub
Echoing what everyone else said about cooking them off. I love them so much. I actually buy the whole rack and trim off the tips. Hoard them until I have several pounds, then cook them all off. Serve with all kinds of fixin’s. Big hit at super bowl, when I used to throw parties.
I usually get St Louis (or semi St Louis) and recently picked up some Spare Ribs. I cooked em whole and then cut that section of before I cut them into individual ribs. The cartilage portion went to me as I love picking at bones and have been known to actually chew up cartilage (though I have been trained by women-folk not to do that in polite company).
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