selecting competition ribs

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

What do you look for when selecting spare ribs for your competition cook. Do you try to purchase a certain brand or a particular weight? Do you look for a heavy amount of fat? I know not to buy "enhanced" ribs, is there anything else to stay away from. What should you be looking for? Any pointers would be great!!

Thanks,Sal

[ClayHill]

well Sal I'll tell you what I look for.....and I'm in no way the authroity and I cooked loin backs at the last comp :rolleyes:.

When I'm looking at spares (whole) I look for long bones, this can be tricky but you can see some differences in fat and meat right where the bone turns in to cartilage.

I also try to avoid packs of three.....you never know what the middle one looks like, but when I do I buy three packs, I make sure the top and bottom ones look good.

I also try to look at bone diameter, Im not sure if this is true or not but I feel it gives me a good indication of the age of the pig, I'll let you determine which is better.

Thickness, obviously more meat and fat.........but can also take longer to cook

[JD McGee]

Straight bones, no shiners (bone showing through on the rib side), consistent thickness, nice marbeling (meat fat ratio), little to no sinews (stringy stuff). :cool:

[Munkee's Pit]

Strait bones and no shiners. I like enhanced ribs around the three pound mark. Yes I said it, chemically enhanced ribs. And I have many first place trophys and a 180 pin to prove it. It doesn't matter what you cook as long as you know how to cook it.

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

kinda surprised that with all the looks I only got help from 2..here is what I found today.

I looked for ribs that didnt have too much juice in the cryo. I think they call it purdge or something like that.

I was able too see ribs in packs of 2 vs. 3 much better (of course).

I looked for ribs that did have a nice marbleing.

The ones I found that were in a butchers case looked over trimed, but would probably do well in the back yard.

I didnt find bright white fat like I see in butts, but none of the 4 places I stoped had any different color.

price didnt seem to matter. I found some really nice looking (as far as I can tell) ribs that I paid $2.99 for and later found ones for $1.99 a pound both were ICP (I think that right) at a warehouse club.

I just wasnt sure if anyone would throw out any more tips on what to look for. I know there are some really good rib cooks out there and was hoping for a pointer or 2...

thanks for the help!!!!!!!!

Sal

[Cigarbque]

Sal,

Good question. I struggle with rib selection. I buy my meat at RD. The ONLY cut of meat that is frozen like a rock are their ribs. It makes it very difficult to sort through and find some good ones. I do try to look for straight bones and a good marbling. I wish I had a good butcher shop around here.

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

Sal,

Good question. I struggle with rib selection. I buy my meat at RD. The ONLY cut of meat that is frozen like a rock are their ribs. It makes it very difficult to sort through and find some good ones. I do try to look for straight bones and a good marbling. I wish I had a good butcher shop around here.


the good high dollar butcher shop ( I drove an hour to get too) didnt have any that I liked, they seemed over trimed. I got mine a Karns (local store) but found as nice as ones (cheaper) at a warehouse club called B.J.'s in Mechanicsburg Pa.

[Vince RnQ]

Straight bones are good to have but since many spareribs are packaged two to a cryo and bone side to bone side its hard to tell for sure. One thing you definitely want to avoid is buying ribs in a 3-pack. The middle rack will almost always be lousy, way lousy.

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

I cooked up a rack for practice and when the meat pulled back the bones were huge...might have been from an old hog...still tastey but not sure I would want to put dino bones in the box..

[White Dog BBQ]

I have read that you want racks that are "3 1/2 and down", but that may be a Midwestern thing. People look at you funny out here when you ask for that. :-)