Useful Tips for Cooking
over the Grill or Smoker

Enjoy!

While each tip can mostly stand alone, it is best to read them all and incorporate them into an overall assault on the grill. Be sure to have your assault well fortified with your favorite beverage! Today's tip is: What's your favorite type of rib?

WHAT'S YOUR
FAVORITE TYPE
OF RIB?

It's really has been a long, hot summer  just about everywhere.  We know some of you were almost washed away with the rains.  We hope everyone found time to enjoy the summer before school begins.

We know many of you will be barbecuing ribs over Labor Day.  They take only 4-6 hours which is easy to do and they are a party favorite.  That having been said, which type of rib are you going to be barbecuing? 

First, you need to decide if you are going to be doing beef ribs or pork ribs.  While some people like the beef ribs because there's lots of meat on 'em, almost folks prefer the smoky, sweet flavor from the pork ribs.  That having been said, we will focus on the pork ribs.

Now that it is pork, which one are you going to be cooking?  Will it be the larger, less expensive and unwieldy spare rib? The time tested famous Baby back Rib? Or will you try something beautiful, like the St. Louis Style cut rIbs?

	Spareribs are from the belly/lower side of the hog and ironically due to the size of the ribs, proportionately have the least about of actual good meat.  There's a lot of fat and gristle associated with each rib.  When serving ribs, be sure to allow approximately one (1) pound of ribs per person.
	Baby back Ribs, more properly called Loin back ribs, are actually smaller than the spareribs but have more meat on each rib. They are less fatty also.  They are cut from the upper portion of the hog's ribs, near the tenderloin, and are thus more tender also. This is a crowd pleasing favorite!
	St. Louis Style Cut RIbs are sort of a hybrid of pork ribs.  If you can't find them at the butcher's shop, then with some effort, you can make them yourself.  They actually start with as a nice slab of spare ribs and are then trimmed into a uniform set of ribs after the skirt meat (which cooks too quickly) and brisket (rib tips) meat have been removed. What you end up with are St. Louis Style Cut Ribs which are of a more uniform width and thickness so that they cook more evenly. Can't find anyone who has St Louis Style Ribs and want to prepare your own?  Check this web article.

Final Comment:  Remember to always remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs.  This makes for a more tender rib and allows more flavor from smoke and rub to penetrate the meat because smoke and flavor enter the rib from both sides.  The membrane prevents this on one side if not first removed.

To read more about championship ribs, CLICK HERE

Why should I use mustard on my ribs? FIND OUT HERE