Help with baby back ribs.

[a-baum]

Hey folks, weapon of choice is an XL Big Green Egg. Not to toot my own horn but I can do a mean rack of St. Louis spare ribs. Always a crowd pleaser. But I struggle with baby backs. Part of my issue is tenderness but the bulk of my issue is the 1" or so chunk of meat on top of the ribs seems bland and flavorless and I can't fix it. Is it fixable? It just seems like a big bite of ham. I can create a decent bark and good smoke flavor but that chunk isn't all that enjoyable. I follow Meathead's method of salting the night before and then applying rub before the cook. Would love to improve my baby backs...any help appreciated. Thanks!

[Bob's BBQ]

I'm with you. The "meaty" ribs don't appeal to me as much. That thick end has an under seasoned pork roast quality. I always look for "skinny" baby backs as I call them, as thin as I can find. Typically they are just smaller over all. I like the flavor much better. I am starting to prefer the St. Louis cut just because they are thinner and I think more flavorful. Just my two cents.

[Max Good]

I also look for skinny baby backs. If you get slabs with one heavy side, trim the excess to make the thickness uniform from end to end. Season and smoke the trimmings, which I label rib jerky.

[Huskee]

Amen to the above. I try to find baby backs no larger than say 2.5 - 2.75lbs/ rack max . 3lb+ baby backs have too much loin meat for me. Like Max, I too fillet mine to make them uniform across. I make stir-fry with the trimmings.

[rat88]

I cook up the trimmings for dog treats. They get as excited as I do when I fire up a smoker.

[martybartram]

My dog believes she has earned pit master privilege and she is right She loves following me to and from the Weber.

[EdF]

I pretty much just stick to spares/SLC, unless what's around is back ribs.

[a-baum]

Probably stick with spare/SLC. They are usually cheaper around here anyway. Good tips on trimming the loin though...rib jerky/candy sounds fun.

[Advantage49]

I also trim my baby backs, and smoke for 5.5 hours. I'm starting to prefer the bbr due to low fat content

[martybartram]

Nice ring Advantage49 my eldest daughter is a stockholder/owner

[Advantage49]

Thank you! I can't take credit for the ring my brother in law works for the NFL/Packers and he was able to pick up an authentic 2010 ring

[Spinaker]

This is the exact reason I like do SLC ribs. So much less fuss, and I get a nice uniform ribs to eat. Win, win in my book!

[HorseDoctor]

Boneless loin at about $2/#, while baby back ribs are close to $4/#... Can't imagine why they leave so much loin meat on the baby backs... Spares for me please...