Grizzly'sBBQ

The two most common pork rib cuts used in BBQ are:

• Baby Back - (a.k.a. loin ribs, back ribs, or Canadian back ribs) are taken from the top of the rib cage between the spine and the Spare Ribs. A typical rack of Back Ribs contain between 10-13 ribs. These racks are usually shorter more curved and more uniform in size then spare ribs. They also contain less fat proportionally then Spare Ribs.

• Spare Ribs - (a.k.a Side Ribs) are taken from the belly side of the rib cage, below the section of back ribs and above the sternum (breast bone). These ribs tend to have more fat which in turn tends to make them more tender. This also makes them perfect for long slow smoking.

Spare ribs are often cut "St. Louis Style" whereby the rib tips and skin flap are removed creating a more uniform rack of ribs. Although the rib tips and skin flap are removed they still contain a large amount of meat and are cooked along with the St. Louis racks.
To see a video on how to prepare St. Louis style ribs, click here.

When preparing either style ribs always remove the membrane on the bone side of the rib. This is a think "skin" which runs over all the bones and can be easily removed by lifting up one corner with a knife or fingernail, then grabbing it with a dry paper towl and pealing it off in one piece.