Baby back Vs Spare - You decide...

[TWQQ]

Ok, I gotta say I'm all for the baby backs - less fat, but all the flavour. What about everyone else? Baby backs or spare ribs? What's your preference, and why?

[chad]

Spares. I like the size and around here they are less fatty than the over priced loin back ribs. Besides, I trim them to St. Louis cut and have "riblets" for the cook.

[deguerre]

Spares. Trimmed as above now but sometimes still cook them whole. Love the fat.

[AUradar]

derail a bit. Aren't baby backs less fattier which means the smoking is not needed as much. Better for grilling than spares.

so:
baby back you grill
spares you bbq (smoke)

??????

[bover]

Think you're going to find an overwhelming preference for spares here. Primary reasons will be better flavor and much more reasonable price.

[Lake Dogs]

derail a bit. Aren't baby backs less fattier which means the smoking is not needed as much. Better for grilling than spares.

so:
baby back you grill
spares you bbq (smoke)

??????


Aren't baby backs less fatty? Yes, kinda.

... which means the smoking is not needed as much. No, they're still fatty. To render the fat from ribs properly they should be smoked, low n slow, until done properly. I've judged many a grilled baby back in competitions; they all were pretty much D.A.L.

Better for grilling than spares. <--- guess that depends on whether you like your ribs grilled or not. To me, the results are ghastly bad whether BB's or spares.

[Dave Russell]

I prefer spares since they have more flavor.

However, back ribs are quicker, and a nice change of pace. If I'm ready to smoke ribs (again) and the Missus says, "We just HAD ribs", I'm quick to remind her, "Those were SPARES, these are BACKRIBS!"...or vice versa. :thumb:

[TWQQ]

Hahaha, good points from everyone. So, I have a rack of spares in the freezer...to set them up nicely should I cut the 'extra' meat from them? I'm new to this gig, so any help is appreciated...

All I can say is that the last time I had spares, the fat content made them way to rich for my taste...

[Lake Dogs]

Spares, done really really well, are tough to beat. I actually still prefer BB's, but that's a flavor preference thing. You can do a St Louis cut on those (see plenty of bbq-brethren tutorials on this). This will cut down on the fat rendering need somewhat and give you a much cleaner rib. It does bring the cost up comparable to most BB's though, when it's all said and done. Then, cook them low n slow until done to your preference. The longer they're cooked this way the more fat will be rendered (ergo. less rich for your tastes). For me, we'll cook BB's 3.75 hours+- and St. Louis Spares about 5 hours.

[Warthog]

I find spares to have much more meat on the bones. I trim mine St Louis style and pull the membrane. Flavor is good on both. My personal preference would be spares and not baby backs.

[NorCal Q Man]

What's this in my pocket? ...oh, it's $.02!!
This may be a broken record, I prefer spares either way...st louis or not. Usually I trim them and cook them both. The tips make for good snackings or shredded for pseudo-pulled pork sammies.

[martyleach]

It's spares for me, hands down. I take the trimming and put them in chile verde. Yum!

[TWQQ]

OK, I'm seeing a lotta love for the spares, so I'm gonna look into trimming them, and then getting back to you...St. Louis style.

[bigabyte]

Both. I love spares. I've mostly said they are my favorite every time in the past. But BB's are really good too, just different. To me it's like asking if a Pork Chop or a Pork Steak is better.

[bigabyte]

Since Spares are so in the lead, I'll give BB's the love this time.

[smokeyw]

I like BB ribs but really prefer spares. I like having more meat on the bones. I trim my spares St Louis style and smoke low and slow.

[Carbon]

I love them both but buy loin backs only when they're on sale. Spares, I buy them any time.

[Untraceable]

I dont understand the whole more meat arguement. all the BB's I get are friggin huge and have just as much meat if not more than spares. all the spares Ive ever done are thin and everyone perfers the BB's

[shanemach]

Although rib tips have always been a family favorite along with St. Louis style ribs, I love baby backs. Just prefer to pick those bones clean, without the fat or little cartliage nodes. But hey I guess it's all good :thumb:

[Pappy]

Less filling!
Taste great! .... No that's beer.

Spares.

[jcpetro97]

I find myself in the middle on this way, leaning towards babybacks... I haven't competed ( yet ), but in my test cooks, I have been having better results with babybacks. So for me the jury is still out

[Mister Bob]

More meat, more fat, more flavor.
Spares for me!

[prudog]

Hahaha, good points from everyone. So, I have a rack of spares in the freezer...to set them up nicely should I cut the 'extra' meat from them? I'm new to this gig, so any help is appreciated...

All I can say is that the last time I had spares, the fat content made them way to rich for my taste...
Here is a link from a brethren blog that should help trim spares:
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/01/pork-spare-ribs-preparing.html

I think you maybe answered your own question here because I tend to find spares more rich too (and fatty IMO). If I am starving, spares. If I am full of appetizers, taters, corn, etc., then maybe bb's set better. I tend to suggest that if you like ribeye better than strip steaks, then you are a spare rib kinda guy. I also agree that IF grilling, BB's are best.

I can't validate more fat from nutritional data, but this is from The Virtual Weber Bullet and makes sense, except for the tenderness part:

Spareribs vs. Loin Back Ribs
Spareribs come from the belly of the hog, where bacon comes from. They are large in size (2-4 pounds or more), are very meaty, and are somewhat less tender than loin back ribs. Spareribs tend to have more fat, more flavor, and cost less per pound than loin back ribs.

Loin back ribs come from the loin of the hog, where pork chops come from. You'll sometimes see them called baby back ribs or loin ribs in the grocery store. They are small in size (1-1/4 to 2-1/4 pounds or more) and are less meaty, less fatty, and more tender than spareribs. Because of their smaller size, loin back ribs cook faster than spareribs. They are one of the most expensive cuts of meat from the hog due to high consumer demand.
People often use the terms "baby back ribs" and "back ribs" interchangeably. However, some in the pork industry suggest that only loin back ribs weighing less than 1-3/4 pounds per slab should be called "baby back".

[Dustin D]

Spare!!

[NorCal Q Man]

I dont understand the whole more meat arguement. all the BB's I get are friggin huge and have just as much meat if not more than spares. all the spares Ive ever done are thin and everyone perfers the BB's

I've had meaty BBs, but it seems to me that the extra meat is too lean and lacks the flavor and moistness that the spares have.

[OneHump]

It's spares for me, hands down. I take the trimming and put them in chile verde. Yum!

Marty knows and speaks the truth.

[kcmike]

Spares for me!

Fat = Flavor

(using that logic, I must be VERY flavorful... :becky: )

[The_Kapn]

It is interesting, in an abstract way, to find out what others prefer.

The real question is, "What do you prefer".

Only one way to answer that--cook both and see which rises to the top for you. That is all that matters.
Simple.

For the record, I prefer Baby/Loin Backs because Mrs Kapn does :-D
Once again, simple.

TIM

[Gore]

The last couple times I've gotten BBs at Costco, they'd cut them with nearly half the loin attached. They were the meatiest "ribs" I'd ever gotten. It makes a lot of sense for them, since the BBs were $3.29 per pound and boneless pork loin was $2.29 per pound. I prefer BBs because my family prefers them and don't complain about grizzly bits quite so much. If I'm eating alone, I'd go either way.

[Untraceable]

where your grinding up the rib tips from spares, are you de-cartalaging them or just grinding the whole tip section?

[aquablue22]

But don't you have to boil spares much longer in liquid smoke?

BB's.........

[Jay Bird]

For me, it's spares. I like the BB, but around here haven't been able to find any with a decent amount of meat. The bones look like a series of speed bumps along the rack.

[bluetang]

Although both are ribs, there is a difference between them. I like them both for the differences. A change if you will. 99% of the time I cook spares. The reason is that I like to grind the rib trim into sausage. I ain't gonna turn my nose up at either though.

[NorthwestBBQ]

Congratulations! This is the 7,850th thread asking that very same question. It never gets old. I think we should have a poll on this subject every day. Make it a sticky.

[bigabyte]

Congratulations! This is the 7,850th thread asking that very same question. It never gets old. I think we should have a poll on this subject every day. Make it a sticky.
But then I couldn't choose a different one each time...

[TWQQ]

Here is a link from a brethren blog that should help trim spares:
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/01/pork-spare-ribs-preparing.html

I think you maybe answered your own question here because I tend to find spares more rich too (and fatty IMO). If I am starving, spares. If I am full of appetizers, taters, corn, etc., then maybe bb's set better. I tend to suggest that if you like ribeye better than strip steaks, then you are a spare rib kinda guy. I also agree that IF grilling, BB's are best.

I can't validate more fat from nutritional data, but this is from The Virtual Weber Bullet and makes sense, except for the tenderness part:

Spareribs vs. Loin Back Ribs
Spareribs come from the belly of the hog, where bacon comes from. They are large in size (2-4 pounds or more), are very meaty, and are somewhat less tender than loin back ribs. Spareribs tend to have more fat, more flavor, and cost less per pound than loin back ribs.

Loin back ribs come from the loin of the hog, where pork chops come from. You'll sometimes see them called baby back ribs or loin ribs in the grocery store. They are small in size (1-1/4 to 2-1/4 pounds or more) and are less meaty, less fatty, and more tender than spareribs. Because of their smaller size, loin back ribs cook faster than spareribs. They are one of the most expensive cuts of meat from the hog due to high consumer demand.
People often use the terms "baby back ribs" and "back ribs" interchangeably. However, some in the pork industry suggest that only loin back ribs weighing less than 1-3/4 pounds per slab should be called "baby back".

Interesting. Another reason why it's BBs for me is that I don't like those weird tubes of cartilage running through spares. They look weird, and it feels a little wrong eating them...

Congratulations! This is the 7,850th thread asking that very same question. It never gets old. I think we should have a poll on this subject every day. Make it a sticky.

Haha, thanks! There are no original thoughts...

[El Lobo]

Love me a nice trimmed set of spares. Something nice about that symmetrical cut.