Trimming Spares to St. Louis

watertowerbbq · Jul 1, 2009

Can anyone offer some friendly advice on trimming spares to st. louis ribs? I've been trying to find a consistent way of trimming them so they look the same each time. I guess I have two main questions,

1. How do you determine where to make the cut along length of the rib to separate the brisket bone from the st. louis rib?

2. After trimming the brisket bone off the spare rib, on the thick end of the st. louis rib, on the meat side, there is a flap of meat that sits on a membrane type seam. Do you remove this or leave it on? I'm not referring to the flap on the bone side of the rib.

I've probably cut up 5 - 3 packs from Sams recently and I'm not very happy with my consistancy. Sometimes I have splitered bones, variable widths, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

cmcadams · Jul 1, 2009

You have to find the top of the bone. Cut along there; if there's a weird hook or pointed top, cut some more, until it's oval.

I don't worry about the end of the rack for competition, as I'm not turning those in. At home, I might trim it.

Also look for racks with bones as straight up and down as you can find instead of slanted.

Frank Sacco · Jul 1, 2009

take a look - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwcWhqsr_A8&feature=related

Fatfrank · Jul 2, 2009

I usually cut the brisket bone off and trim the rest to the width of the turn in box (approx 9"). I don't worry about leaving some cartilage on there, I would rather them not look too short across the box.

Jorge · Jul 2, 2009

Fatfrank said:
I usually cut the brisket bone off and trim the rest to the width of the turn in box (approx 9"). I don't worry about leaving some cartilage on there, I would rather them not look too short across the box.

For IBCA/LSBS events?

TN_BBQ · Jul 2, 2009

Frank Sacco said:
take a look - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwcWhqsr_A8&feature=related

There ya go.

remove the membrane
remove the flap
cut in a rectangular shape

monty3777 · Jul 2, 2009

I find the longest bone then trim in a straight line creating a rectangle. Then I trim off the loose end pieces and viola - you got St. Louis style spares

TN_BBQ · Jul 3, 2009

monty3777 said:
I find the longest bone then trim in a straight line creating a rectangle. Then I trim off the loose end pieces and viola - you got St. Louis style spares

Yep.

I also pull that membrane and remove the skirt meat (chef's samples)

thillin · Jul 3, 2009

monty3777 said:
I find the longest bone then trim in a straight line creating a rectangle. Then I trim off the loose end pieces and viola - you got St. Louis style spares

That's what I do. I've done the trim along all the bones, but you lose too many ribs that are too short for turn in. Most spares I turn in are about 4-5 inches long.

I killed my top 10 finishing streak last month, cause I tried a different brand and they didn't get done after 7.5 hours.

Trimming Spares to St. Louis

watertowerbbq

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cmcadams

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Frank Sacco

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Fatfrank

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Jorge

somebody shut me the fark up.

TN_BBQ

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monty3777

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TN_BBQ

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thillin

somebody shut me the fark up.

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