Newbie question about ribs

[Ti-Nick]

Hello! I bought two racks of SLC ribs to smoke in my new kettle and SNS. This is my first time cooking ribs and I'm not familiar with these things. I've read a lot on this site and in Meathead's book, but I still have a basic question.

Each slab came with a piece of meat that, if I read right, surrounds the sternum. Is there anything to do with this piece full of hard bones ? Do I cook it next to the ribs? Do I do something else with it?

Thanks in advance!

[cmiller0711]

Must have been a pre cut pack. I cook that with the ribs then snack on it cause its usually done before the ribs are.

[dshaffes]

That piece can be cooked with the ribs. What I do sometimes is to use that meat in beans or as the previous post suggests to snack on.

[Dadof3Illinois]

Same here, l trim it off and cook it with the ribs. Then cut it up and put in some baked beans, salad or just call it the cooks snack and eat it yourself.

[Henrik]

What the others said. Just to explain a bit what you bought: those two pieces together form a full rack of ribs. When the sternum part is trimmed off like that it's called St Louis style ribs. Most of the time I cook the whole slab and eat it. Sometimes I feel fancy and do the St Louis style ribs. Either way is fine. The St Louis style 'look' better in a competition box, and on the plate, due to the equal length/width of each rib. Cook them all together, and like the others said, eat the trimmings like snack or add it to your beans.

[LA Pork Butt]

Generally I would cook them together, but another option is to throw that extra piece into a crockpot if you don't want to be bothered. I have never bought them that way. The only time I get that piece is when I buy spare ribs and trim them down to St. Louis. I try to buy St. Louis when they are at a competitive with baby back sale prices. What you bought should have been competitive with the sale price of spare ribs.

[HouseHomey]

What they all said and Henrik summed it up. You can buy the whole "wide" rack or the smaller squared off, rectangular rack which is called is the "St Louis" cut.

I cook them seperately meaning unattched. They are boney, cartilage-ee, fatty, meaty, flavorful pork bombs of life. Finger licking great. I like to make those a little spicey.

[EdF]

Right, I usually cook them separately, when there're no guest around, and consider them "Chef's perqs". Yum!

[HorseDoctor]

Can't see from that side if the sternum (breast bone) is still there. Usually, in large processing facilities it is cut off leaving behind the costal-cartilages (cartilage pieces that attach rib bones to sternum. That would be a full rack of "spareribs". Once the cartilage pieces have been trimmed off they are then a St. Louis cut. Looks like the butcher cut off the sternum & cartilages (or just the cartilages) and sold it to you as part of your St.Louis cut racks. Hope you got a good price for them. Either way, it's all good pig parts and will cook up delicious just not as pretty and takes a little more gnawing to eat. Enjoy!

[jlhilden]

I trim a full rack into St Louis cut because as mentioned, some pieces go in the cooker to be snacked on during the cook. For the big sternum piece in the above picture, I find it wonderful in my homemade tomato gravy (Tomato sauce for those outside Philly or NYC). Pork bone contributes to an excellent flavor profile and the rib meat is scrumptious.