I recently received a question from a reader about the differences between the various kinds of ribs for sale, such those labeled "St. Louis style" or "country style."
This summer I did a story on ribs and how best to prepare them (here's a five-word summary: cook them slow and low), but I didn't get into too much detail about the half-dozen or so varieties you can find at the market.
For help, I turned to Gary Stake, the owner of Tillman's Meat & Produce in Mandarin.
Stake - yes, that's his real last name - has been in the meat business for 16 years, and ribs consistently sell well at his meat market. Although people throughout the world eat ribs from a variety of animals, such as gators, bison and goats, when most Americans think of ribs, they likely have in mind the bones from pigs or cows.
I'll start with pork ribs, which are the most popular and do well cooked quickly on the grill at high temperatures or more slowly in a smoker at lower temperatures.
Stake said there are three basic cuts. Spare ribs, sometimes called St. Louis style ribs, come from the side and back of a pig and are thought of as a traditional rib. They are the least meaty pork rib but are cheaper than baby backs and the most commonly used rib in restaurants. When spare ribs have been trimmed of a flap of meat to give them a uniform look, they're called St. Louis ribs. That flap, incidentally, is usually what's used to make rib tips.
"We will cut them like that, but we don't advise it," Stake said of St. Louis ribs. "You pay more for them and get less meat."
Baby back ribs are what's left leading to the spine after the spare ribs have been cut. These ribs are the most expensive and tend to be the most tender and least fatty.
Country style ribs are meaty ribs and often come from the sirloin or butt of the pig. These are the cheapest pork ribs you'll find, and Stake thinks they are the best bargain for ribs out there. "People just don't know about them, but when prepared properly, they're excellent."
There are also three basic kinds of beef ribs.
Beef back ribs, like pork spare ribs, are bony and not very meaty. Like all beef ribs, they do well in a smoker but can be tough if cooked at high temperatures on the grill. They also do well cooked at low temperatures in the oven.
Beef chuck short ribs come from the front quarter of the cow, near where chuck roasts are cut from. These ribs are very tough and must be cooked slowly and are often used in stews.
Beef rib short ribs are cut from the portion of the cow that also holds prime rib and rib-eye steaks. This is the most expensive beef rib, and the most tender and succulent. If you want to barbecue beef ribs, this is Stake's recommendation.
When cut thin, beef short ribs are often used to make Korean beef ribs.
When selecting pork ribs, look for color. You want a pink to rosy pink color. As the ribs age, they will turn grayish. Also, use pork ribs right away as they spoil more quickly than beef ribs.
When looking at beef ribs, examine the bone where the ribs have been cut. As it ages, the tips will darken and turn blackish.
Finally, those riblets that have been marketed lately at restaurants such as Applebee's are what's left after pork ribs have been trimmed to have a uniform shape. They might or might not have bones.
