Restaurant Depot Ribs

I've been using Restaurant Depot ribs for contests for the last few years and it is getting harder and harder to get bones that are anywhere near straight. I gotta find a new source for ribs for next year.

bajatom4934

Maybe I'm missing your concerns. In my experience with St Louis style ribs the ribs are not curved. They are all pretty straight. I've not bought ribs from RD but do cook a lot of St Louis style ribs. Just my 2 cents worth. St Louis style ribs where I come from are spares with the rib tips removed.

Yes I had the same problem with RD ribs. I had to switch to a new source. I only get briskets from RD now

FWIW I use Kroger ribs now and like them alot.

For non-competition it doesn't matter to me what the bones really look like. Are you saying you don't like this for home? Some racks definitely are not as straight as others, but I notice this everywhere. IBP and Prarie Fresh (which mine carry) are also carried by many other distributers.

For comps I still get them at RD as straight bones are one of my last criteria for choosing ribs I can still make straight cuts at an angle that look fine when they are lay next to each other in a box.

Judges and team cooks do talk about bone straightness, but I've never heard anyone that has eaten them at a normal cookout make comments about "bone straightness" :-D

just a tip I learned if you flip the ribs meat side down you can see the curve of the bone better for even cutting .

I usually stand my ribs up tilted slightly towards me so once cut they fall meat side up so my glaze doesn't get mushed.

I do it because I'm also not great at guessing

SmokinMark said:

I agree it is not a huge concern Jason, but I was trying to make a nice looking rib with meat on both sides of the bone. About half way through the cut I hit bone, so the rest of the cut doesn't leave much meat on that side. I like to produce good tasting and good looking Q for guests. I probably need to get better at recognizing which bones are curved before I cut and compensate. It was my first cook with RD ribs and I haven't had the problem to that extent with Costco ribs, but the Costco ribs I've used weren't real meaty so I decided to give RD a whirl.

Click to expand...

I can understand wanting to have good looking stuff. Check out this thread. Post 26 is mine and I visually demonstrate bones that start straight and then turn full at an angle and then ones that start straight and then not only turn, but also curve (or "J" bone as I call it). I just cut them upside down and you can still get in the middle of them. It might involve going from the top right corner of one bone to the bottom left of another, but it does work.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186829&page=2

For home, ribs can also still look good, but worrying about straight bones and having a few sides with less meat I'm just saying folks probably don't notice. And stressing about finding all straight racks might be more trouble than the theoretical payoff actually gives.

Here's an example of not straight bones on the top left 2. They definitely angle out and away, but you can still cut in between with the angle.

Not sure if any of this helps, but sometimes pictures make more sense.

These are RD Smithfield ribs I used in a comp in April. Meaty but crooked.

bajatom4934

I got it. I agree with the below post. Turn your ribs with the bone side up and you can cut your ribs evenly so there is meat on both sides of the ribs. I have had the same problem with cutting St Louis style ribs with the different angles of the bones. Sorry I did not understand the original post.