The most popular types of ribs for smoking are:
(Click a Rib to Learn More)
- Baby Back Ribs
- Spare Ribs
- St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs
- Short Plate Ribs
- Chuck Short Ribs
- Beef Back Ribs
- Country Style Ribs
Baby Back Ribs
- Other Names: Back ribs, Loin ribs, Loin back
- From the back of the pig
- They are loin meat
- Typically take 4-6 hours to smoke
- Look for a rack with even thickness and good marbling
- A full rack contains 10-13 curved rib bones
Baby back ribs are sourced from the upper portion of the pig’s rib cage – where the ribs and the spine meet.
“Baby back” both refers to their smaller size as well as their location on the pig (the back/spine).
Baby back ribs contain less meat and fat, however they are more tender than spare ribs (which are belly meat).
Typical preparation involves removing the membrane and using a sweet dry for flavoring.
Due to being leaner, they will almost always finish faster than spare ribs.
Whole Spare Ribs
- Other Names: Spares, Spare ribs
- From the belly of the pig – they’re belly meat
- Typically take 5-7 hours to smoke
Spare ribs are taken from the bottom of the ribs or the underbelly of the pig after the bacon is removed.
Most people would say that spare ribs are more meaty but less tender than baby back ribs.
Due to the extensive collagen, spare ribs also take longer to smoke.
Most of the “meat” for these ribs comes from the rib tips because of how they’re butchered. The more meat left on top of the bones means less bacon yield for the butcher.
For a Butcher, bacon is where they make a lot of their money as it’s a value added product.
Spare ribs will typically feed more people than baby back ribs, simply because they weigh more.
Often they’re paired with either a sweet or a savory rub – depending on where you’re from.
Spare ribs are also cheaper than St. Louis cut ribs (discussed below) which require additional trimming by the butcher – which means added cost to the customer.
In terms of ribs, they’re one of the cheaper varieties you can smoke.
St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs
- Other Names: Center Cut Spare Ribs
- From the belly of the pig
- Typically take 5-7 hours to smoke
- Namesake stems from a style of trimming by St. Louis meatpackers
- Removes the rib tip, flap, and small bones
St. Louis style ribs are trimmed versions of whole spare ribs with the sternum, rib tip, and flap removed.
Preparation is similar to regular spareribs with additional emphasis placed on trimming the cartilage and removing the silver skin.
The trim looks like this:
This means the trimmed rack has the ends removed, the bone off the side, and rarely has a flap; This trim results in a rack of ribs weighing 3 1/2 lbs or less.
Country-Style Ribs
Country style ribs come from the pork loin.
If the butcher is specifically removing country style ribs, they’re likely taking the first four ribs from the loin that are closest to the shoulder.
The butcher then removes a small piece of the blade bone and havles the meat. The result are 4 bone-in and 4 boneless country style ribs.
The remaining ribs on the pork loin are then made into a smaller rack of baby back ribs.
Country style ribs come from the same place as loin back ribs. However, in this case, they’re a chunk of loin meat.
Beef Ribs: Defining the Different Types of “Short Ribs”
At a grocery store you’re apt to find two types of beef “short ribs”:
- Beef Short Plate Ribs
- Beef Chuck Short Ribs
These cuts are distinct from one another and are often cooked and prepared much differently.
Short Plate Ribs
- Other Names: Dino Ribs, Brontosaurus Ribs, Plate Ribs, Brisket on a stick
- Specifically ribs 6, 7, and 8
- Extension of the brisket
- One of the easiest cuts of meat to smoke
- One of the most expensive cuts of meat to smoke
- Typically take 8-10 hours to smoke
The short plate is found in the forequarter of the cow – behind the brisket and below the rib primal.
The reason the short plate ribs are prized is due to the serratus ventralis muscle.
When plate short ribs are trimmed, they are cut into 4-5″ slabs and typically have the latissimus dorsi muscle removed (also called the Lifter) from the serratus ventralis.
This muscle is one of the most tender on the entire cow.
Short Plate ribs taste and are smoked in a similar vein to brisket – hence why they’re called “Brisket on a stick.”
Unlike brisket though, short plate ribs are really hard to mess up and are great for beginners. The only issue with them is that they’re hard to find depending on where you live and they’re rather expensive.
Short plate ribs are typically seasoned like brisket – often pepper and salt heavy.
Chuck Short Ribs
- Other Names: Dino Ribs, Short Ribs, Chuck Ribs, Braising Beef Ribs, English Cut Beef Ribs
- Specifically ribs 1 – 5
- They are chuck meat
- Often sold as English Cut (between the bone) or Flanken cut (across the bones)
- Typically takes 8-10 hours to smoke
The reason these bones are left in the chuck is because the bones are short and do not work well for steaks.
Meaning, the name chuck “short” ribs is because they are quite literally short rib bones found in the chuck.
Chuck short ribs can be sold as 4 bone slabs, however, at a grocery store, you’ll typically find them sliced up into singular bones and sold as “English Cut.”
When not sold as an English Cut, you may also see them sold as “Flanken” or “crosscut.” When cut that way though, they’re often grilled, not smoked.
Chuck short ribs have great marbling that’s often associated with rib steaks and also have super forward beefy flavors that you’ll find with chuck roast.
Chuck short ribs aren’t typically smoked (they can be though) rather they’re often braised; You may even see them labeled as “braising beef” ribs.
Beef Back Ribs
- Other Names: Finger ribs
- Rib meat that remains after ribeye steaks are removed
- Features very little meat
- Usually super cheap
- Typically take 3-5 hours to smoke
Back ribs are different from short ribs in that the meat is found between the bones (intercostal), rather than on top of the bones.
This is in a similar vein to spare ribs above – ribeye steaks and/or prime rib roasts are more desirable and make more money.
Meaning, any meat left on top of the bones means less money for a Butcher.
While beef back ribs don’t really offer much meat but make for an easy smoke. They’re also typically quite cheap, which is uncharacteristic of ribeye meat.
