Ribs too thick for comp?

Heven't had that happen with spares, but that's the reason we don't use baby-backs for comps.. becasue we get too many with huge straps of meat on them. OK for a backyard Q, but difficult to cook consistantly and they will look a little odd in the box.
I've never tried trimming the meat down when they have a huge strap on top.. may work fine, or you may ruin the rib because you've just effectively cut a muscle in half and exposed the inner muscle. I just don't know. For comps, I'd say that's why we usually start out with 6 slabs... to make sure we have at least 2 or 3 we like the muscle formation on.
You don't get to see the bottom 2 racks if you buy a 3 pack, so you might also buy your ribs in singles.

Yeah not sure if I've seen that on spares only babybacks/loinbacks. I've never tried trimming it off but should be able too with a good knife without cutting too close to the bones.

I just love the idea of mutant ribchops!
If they're in a garnished box, can you close the top?

Like you, I would have erred on the side of prettiness and uniformity.
Lavish portions are appealing, mutant portions are not.

I've had very thick ribs that had a layer of meat about 1/4" then a layer of fat about the same and then the regular rib meat under that. I cut that entire layer off the top. To make a standard rib. Does that sound like what you had?

Must be nice !!Ribs here are mostly shiners or trimmed to withing 2mm of the bone. I swear the pigs here are on some sort of diet.

I have seen where they will leave what looks to be a piece of "loin" on the last rib or two. I have trimmed that off when I felt it necessary without affecting anything - it definitely makes the whole slab cook more consistently. Personally, I would not use it because I always try to six (or however many) consistent bones, pieces, etc.

One potential problem with the ultra-thick ribs is they may prevent the judge from getting that clean bite they are looking for merely because they are so meaty. I'd save those racks for yourself and use a more "normal" rack for comps if it were me.

Babyback Ribs

I cook babybacks in pro competitions. This is what I do. Some may agree and some may not. The babybacks you buy at Sams or in the store are normally in a 3-pack or individually wrapped. I purchase a whole bone in pork loin 9 to 10lbs. Then I separate the pork loin from the loin back ribs. Normally on a 9-10lb whole pork loin you will have a 12 to 13 bone set of babyback ribs. Pick out the ones that have a lot of fat on the top side with little to no lean muscle strap along the top. Don't worry the fat will render out during the cooking process and make a very tender rib. Also, removing the ribs from the pork loin you can trim as much as you want. These ribs will be smaller and straighter than those you purchase. Your turn in box will look much better. I've found that most judges perfer a smaller tender rib.

Dan, I trim that fat cap off of the wide ened of the ribs before cooking. if you cook it, it is usually rubbery as heck anyway... i certainly wouldn't tun it in...