Smoking pork short ribs

[Raymon]

Hello folks, how is everyone today?

I purchased 2 packages of pork short ribs from SRF. They each weigh 2.5 lbs, with (2) slabs of 4 ribs and meat in each package.

I have smoked hundreds of batches of pork back ribs, spare ribs, St Louis style ribs, rib tips, whole plate beef short ribs, and flanken cut beef short ribs, but never pork short ribs.

I am thinking that they should cook about the same as baby backs, they seem a similar thickness. I will be using my trusty Slow-N-Sear (that I learned about on this website years ago)

Has anyone here ever smoked pork short ribs? Any tips, clues, observations or advice would be much appreciated.

Hopefully, I will remember to take a couple photos of the finished product before I chow down on them!

Thank You all in advance-

-Ray

[LA Pork Butt]

I have never heard of pork short ribs, and I am wondering if they really are loin country ribs.

[Raymon]

I researched them extensively before buying. They are the same cut from the pig as the short ribs from the cow, only of course smaller. They come from close to the belly, and are very well marbled. The "short ribs" I have smoked from cows are not actually short when uncut, but about 10-14 inches long.

[jfmorris]

I researched them extensively before buying. They are the same cut from the pig as the short ribs from the cow, only of course smaller. They come from close to the belly, and are very well marbled. The "short ribs" I have smoked from cows are not actually short when uncut, but about 10-14 inches long.

The ribs closer to the belly are the spare ribs.... with the rib tips being the part closest to the belly. On every diagram of a pig and the cuts you make from it that I've seen before. Baby back or loin back ribs are the part closer up to the spine.

It sure sounds to me like someone is pulling a fast one here, and just calling spare ribs something fancier...

[Bkhuna]

Sounds like their marketing people have been working overtime.

[Mosca]

It sure sounds to me like someone is pulling a fast one here, and just calling spare ribs something fancier...

From SRF: “Pork short ribs are a product unique to Snake River Farms. These are not the pork equivalent of beef short ribs, but are the continuation of the baby back rib section as it extends into the shoulder. Each 3-bone section has a meat to bone ratio more than twice of regular ribs.”

I have to admit I’m having a hard time visualizing this, but I’ve never carved up a pig.

[jfmorris]

Ok, so it's the OPPOSITE end from the belly sounds like. The belly part is what threw me off from the original post.

[randy.56]

New to me, but researching them, looks like you remove membrane as usual and cook as any other rib. Low and slow, until 200. The pictures looks mouth watering awesome. Lots of meat on them.

[DaveD]

I have in fact done these one time, during Xmas break of 2021, with my Pit Boss pellet rig (only slow cooker I had at the time). They were really good! Treated them just like I would any other ribs, low and slow, took about 8 hours according to my notes. Here are some photos.

Dry brined them overnight, then Memphis Dust before going on.

[bbqLuv]

I was wondering if pork short ribs are spare ribs with pork belly attached.
Ask and you will receive, per Snake River Farms website'

Purebred Kurobuta Short Ribs — 2-Pack (snakeriverfarms.com)


WHAT ARE PORK SHORT RIBS?


Pork short ribs are the continuation of the baby back rib section as it extends into the shoulder. Each 3-bone section has a meat to bone ratio more than twice of regular ribs.


DESCRIPTION
There’s something truly special about our Kurobuta pork bone-in short ribs. These 100% Berkshire short ribs are meaty, juicy and extremely flavorful. Each 3-bone short rib is hand-cut, hand-trimmed and weighs in about a pound. Each package comes with two delicious ribs. You can prepare these any number of ways. They're the perfect star for any ribs recipe. We’ve had great results using the barbecue, smoker, slow cooker or braising on the stove top.

[jfmorris]

So, I am trying to visualize this still. Does this mean they come from the tip of the baby back ribs, as it extends towards the shoulder/leg area? Or it's just the last few ribs that we normally never see, short because they are up between the shoulders, that get trimmed off the baby back ribs that we do buy? The fact that it is a 3 bone section, 2 per hog, kinda implies that might be the case...

[Troutman]

Look on a cow there 13 ribs on each side, the first 4 are in the chuck section forward and part of the shoulder anatomy. That's where we get are chuck ribs. On a pig they have several more that extend into the shoulder. Depending on the variety of pig they can have up to 15-16 each. I too have never heard of this cut, my guess is it's part of the ribs in the shoulder section of the pig as he describes above.

[Mosca]

So does that mean they are these, but trimmed more? Because these are what we call country style ribs here in NEPA.

(Edit): I figure we’re all asking each other, and nobody knows, so I sent a request to SRF asking the difference among pork short ribs, spares, baby backs, and bone in country style, and where each is on the pig.

[jfmorris]

I am thinking so, for the bone in style of "country style ribs", which my reading indicates are made by splitting the shoulder end of the loin (with bones) in two.

Around here, I've never seen bone-in "country ribs". All I see are boneless, which are the other type, and are essentially strips cut from the pork shoulder.

I saw a second type of bone-in described on one site, where they cut it from the shoulder but leave pieces of the scapula bone in there, but that isn't what your picture shows.

[Mosca]

I sent a request to SRF, let’s see what they say.

Here in NEPA, boneless country style depends on where you get them. Some groceries have the shoulder steaks, some have like above but with the bone removed, and some have them mixed in the same package!

[bbqLuv]

By the looks of the bones, I think they would be cut lower, as the pork short ribs have less of a curve.

[Mosca]

jfmorris I get these whenever they go on sale, they’re the part from above the bone. The shoulder steaks are displayed differently, laid out side by side and not as one piece. I cube these, grill them, then braise them in sauce and serve them with toothpicks as “rib bites”. Not quite meat candy/pork belly burnt ends, but pretty damn good. For the longest time the sale price was $1.29, but those days are gone!

[Murdy]

"Pork short ribs are the continuation of the baby back rib section as it extends into the shoulder."

This sounds to me like they are talking about Country Style Ribs, like Mosca is saying, probably trimmed up a bit differently so they can rename them and maybe charge a bit more:

[Mosca]

They’re probably those 3 ribs right under the shoulder; SRF makes reference to a three rib section.

I have always felt that country style ribs don’t get enough respect from bbqers.

[Troutman]

That's what I'm saying. Country ribs are cut closer to the shoulder muscles and actually contain a portion of the scapula. These above are cut lower in those first few bones, similar to chuck ribs in a cow. Probably taste the same as spare ribs for the most part.

[Murdy]

I love CS ribs (and pork steaks). Growing up in an eastern European family (Czech), I ate a lot of them with kraut and dumplings in my life.

[Mosca]

Well the first reply from SRF is bs; the agent just quoted back the information from the website:

”Thank you for reaching out! Pork short ribs are a product unique to Snake River Farms. These are not the pork equivalent of beef short ribs, but are the continuation of the baby back rib section as it extends into the shoulder. Each 3-bone section has a meat-to-bone ratio more than twice that of regular ribs. They are cut from the belly portion of ribs where they extend closer to the shoulder.

“Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with!“



Honestly this reply seems evasive to me. So I replied with the direct question again,

“Yes, that is what it says on the website. Also, Porter Road offers pork short ribs; anyone can. My question is how are they different from bone-in country style ribs. Are the three bones at the top of country style ribs the same three bones in the three bone section of your pork short ribs?”


We will see what they answer.

[DaveD]

If it even was an agent, and not an AI chatbot...