Buying the best rack of ribs possible?

[ScurvyDog]

I want some beautiful racks of ribs for a BBQ of 200. Money is not an issue? I live in the Houston / Ft. Bend area. I am willing to do what it take to get the best product out there. I want a domestic 2.5 down and I want fresh. How do I find the best product out there and can you give me an idea where to search? All I see at the commercial wholesalers is 4.5 down frozen. I will drive for pork! You input to this newbie is appreciated!

[M38A1]

Hey ScurvyDog - WELCOME!

Most of our rib experts are at the comp in Houston right now so it may be a day or so to get a response.

Are you looking to cook them yourself for the event or catered?

[ScurvyDog]

Hey ScurvyDog - WELCOME!

Most of our rib experts are at the comp in Houston right now so it may be a day or so to get a response.

Are you looking to cook them yourself for the event or catered?

I'm cookin' them myself for a personal party! I just want the best product available! I want a product better than the commercial wholesalers have available?

[Goat]

Google: Speciality Meat Market Houston TX and you will find several meat markets that will be glad to order you what you are seeking.

[rstcso]

Welcome to the forum. Many buy their spares from Sam's, but they are larger than what you're looking for. Sam's spares are not frozen, then thawed. Sometimes I will ask for them to pick out the lightest case they have in back. Three packages per case... nine slabs. Still no guarantees on what you'll get, but it won't be 2.5 down, more like 3.0 - 3.75. Good luck!

[Quart Low Cookers]

Try Perry's Meat Market on Scarsdale. They probably have what you're looking for. They won't be cheap!

[ScurvyDog]

Welcome to the forum. Many buy their spares from Sam's, but they are larger than what you're looking for. Sam's spares are not frozen, then thawed. Sometimes I will ask for them to pick out the lightest case they have in back. Three packages per case... nine slabs. Still no guarantees on what you'll get, but it won't be 2.5 down, more like 3.0 - 3.75. Good luck!

I want to find fresh pork spareribs at 2.5 down. Sam's has back ribs and they are ok, but some of the stuff I have seen out there is far superior. I do have access to fresh whole hogs and I could rob some good looking racks, but nothing in quanity? Somewhere there is a super meaty, 2.5 down (young pig) and I want to find out where.

[wood_is_good]

I feel foolish, but what does 2.5 down refer to ? What are these numbers representing ? I've never heard anyone talk about them before

[DaHorns]

I feel foolish, but what does 2.5 down refer to ? What are these numbers representing ? I've never heard anyone talk about them beforeWhew, I was hoping someone would ask that.....

[bbqwert]

weight I think?

[serialgriller]

way to take one for the team woodisgood :lol: :lol: i have no idea what 2.5 down means.......... :shock:

[ScurvyDog]

way to take one for the team woodisgood :lol: :lol: i have no idea what 2.5 down means.......... :shock:

Pounds per rack! Sorry!

[serialgriller]

thanks for clearing that up, scurvy :lol:

[Goat]

Scurvy, here is a link to Seaboard Foods: http://www.prairiefresh.com/PrairieFresh/Consumer.PorkRibs_n/StLouisTenderSpareribs.06.htm

They have 2 1/2 & down St Louis style ribs.

I am sure that Tyson might have the same thing, but I prefer Seaboard. I get my pork from a supplier in San Angelo but they do not go to the Houston area.

[bigwheel]

Well as far as I know the wholesale meat packers dont even have 3.5 and downs anymore let alone 2.5's and down for full racks of spares. Starts in the low 4's bought by the case. Course if you buy em already St. Louis style aint much telling whut they weighed to start with. Best bet for you would be to get yourself to Super Target and look for the Hormel brand of pumped ribs. Kroger also got good ones call Silver Platter or something like that. Buy the smallest racks they got. Make sure the bones look round like pencils on the the ends and not like tongue depressors..paddle bones is whut the old timers call em. Thats a sign of an old tough hawg. Make sure they aint got a bunch of crosslinked bones. That is a sign of an imbred Arkie Hawg. St. Louisize em yourself. Dont bother debraning..just score lightly through the lung lining with a real sharp knife twixt each bone.

bigwheel

[Freedbaby]

Scurvy.....go to Petes fine meats on Richmond avenue about 1/4 mile west of the Galleria. If money truly is no problem they will cut you whatever you want. They have always taken care of me very well when I had a special request. My wife loves beef ribs and they have cut me racks of beef ribs with 1" of meat on them!! You will speak with the owner when you go there and that is something nice you dont get often anymore.

BTW when you are there, leave yourself enough time to have them fix you a sandwich....slap yo mamma good!!!

Jay

[Oli]

I only buy my comp ribs at costco....... Supersticious???...maybe but I have had good luck, and have come home with some excellent cash.... and will keep buying them there...

[david brace]

Hey Scurvy Dog...I didn't see you sneak in here. I like your avatar. Welcome to the pile-up...

DB

[ScurvyDog]

Hey Scurvy Dog...I didn't see you sneak in here. I like your avatar. Welcome to the pile-up...

DB

Thanks DB and I appreciate all the help. I will try them all!

[BBQ101]

John morrel sold at HEB pre St Louis style ribs. Price is high but maybe they will do you a case price.

[Woodman]

I would recommend getting a clean bandsaw, taking the 3.5 and down, and lopping them to about 4" width. That should do it. Hey, just get the 4.5 and down and halve em! I think these ribs are a myth personally. Cok em right and nobody will know the diff! :wink:

[dilley340]

Welcome aboard ScurvyDog! :wink:

My local Kroger store here in Howell, Michigan sells the BB's and Spares under the "Silver Platter" label too just as bigwheel mentioned. Be careful though if you decide to use them, as they are enhanced with up to a 12% salt water solution. :shock: That will definitely ruin a good day if you don't take that in consideration with your particular rib rub. I've had them many times before because the local Kroger store is within 5 minutes from home and the Sam's Club is 35 miles away. They turned out just fine too BTW.

With that said, I perfer the Sam's Club BB's and Spares. The price is very attractive and they don't enhance the meat.

Sounds like you're going for sort of a gourmet type of cook. I'm the beer drinkin' kinda guy. :roll:

Just my two cents... and good luck with your search and 'Que!

[yakman]

Well, now that someone finally asked the hard question, "What the heck is 2.5 and down", I need to ask the next question. Are smaller ribs really that much better, and if so, why?

I suspect ribs with a lower number come from a younger animal and not some old boar that someone got tired of feeding. Excluding ribs from some old sow or boar, I'd think cooking "low and slow" would result in ribs that are equally tender and tasty regardless of the number. What am I missing?

Thanks.

Yakman

[bigwheel]

Biggest problemo is the big ribs with flat bones come from old hawgs which is lower quality. You also got to watch out and avoid ribs which are sold by sausage making companies. They tend to buy skinny old hawgs and turn the whole thing into sausage..the ribs is just a byproduct of the operation and you can sometimes buy em cheap cheap and they worth every penny. The Owen's Sausage route salesman peddles em up here.

bigwheel

[ScurvyDog]

Welcome aboard ScurvyDog! :wink:

My local Kroger store here in Howell, Michigan sells the BB's and Spares under the "Silver Platter" label too just as bigwheel mentioned. Be careful though if you decide to use them, as they are enhanced with up to a 12% salt water solution. :shock: That will definitely ruin a good day if you don't take that in consideration with your particular rib rub. I've had them many times before because the local Kroger store is within 5 minutes from home and the Sam's Club is 35 miles away. They turned out just fine too BTW.

With that said, I perfer the Sam's Club BB's and Spares. The price is very attractive and they don't enhance the meat.

Sounds like you're going for sort of a gourmet type of cook. I'm the beer drinkin' kinda guy. :roll:

Just my two cents... and good luck with your search and 'Que!

Thanks for the information dilley340. We used to get 2.5 down ribs from Monfort & IBP. Now, like others have mentioned, the 4.5 down ribs are the only product I can find in quantity. I buy those at Freedman Distributors here in Houston. I have seen other cooks using a beautiful fresh, meaty 2.5 down or a younger and smaller product. Keep in mind I understand protecting your edge against the competition. I also know most of the cooks on this site could make an old boot tender and tasty. By the way dilley, I am a Jack Daniel's kind of guy. I drink beer only when I am thirsty :)

[Crpdeth]

Yakman

I think sometimes we split hairs and dissect every little area in our quest for perfection indecorously...Albeit, I'm not debasing the whole idea...I handload ammunition so I'm no stranger to nit picking while tring to achieve a tiny bit better score.

All said I agree with you in part, I trap/hunt a lot of wild hogs and have heard it all, "wild taste this", "old boar taste that"... Yet when you sit down to a big ol' plate of my Habanero Spaghetti I promise that you wont know the age/genger/lb of the razorback...I admit some dishes are different though, ribs do tend to get tougher with age, even the backstrap will as well...Have I ever ate boar meat that was "obvious" in taste though? Never. It's all in how it was prepared, as you say, low and slow will yield a very good tasting chop taken from and older boar, but on the subject of tenderness, in my observations, you will find at least some differences. Which is why I always wonder when I hear someone complaining that their particular dish wasn't as tender as it was the last time that cooked it the same way, if it wasn't just an older animal.

Crpdeth

Crpdeth

[Goat]

Prime slaughter weight on hogs now is 260 lbs. This gives you a 3.5 to a 4.5 lb slab of ribs. 5 or 6 years ago the prime weight was considered to be 220, thus your 2.5 to 3 + slabs. The industry found that they could slaughter a 260 lb pig as efficiently as they could a 220 pounder. The genetics were there to take the pigs up to that weight and still remain a lean product. That is the reason for the increase in slab weights.

As BW said, the heavier slabs with the wide flat rib bones are from older sausage hogs. The industry can market these slabs, bones and all, plus about 12%water, for example at $1.70/lb. Boned out and turned into sausage the product sells for $2.00/lb. Much better profit margin selling slabs & water.

The lighter carcasses are not very numerous and the majority of those ribs go to gourmet meats. I hope this helps explain the rib slab weights.

[yakman]

Goat,

Very interesting. Years back, I grew up on a fairly large hawg farm (800-1000 animals), and at that time 220 was the desired weight for slaughter animals. Over the years I've lost touch with the industry as I left the farm chasing other ambitions. Back then, a 260 pound hawg was on the top end, and may even result in a reduced price for the farmer.

Crpdeth,

Understand your thinking. I also reload ammunition to fine tune the round to my gun. Heck, if we all didn't like tinkering around with BBQ the way we do, it probably wouldn't generate much discussion. At that point, well heck, we can simply boil'em! Yikes, did I just say that!! :shock:

[ScurvyDog]

Prime slaughter weight on hogs now is 260 lbs. This gives you a 3.5 to a 4.5 lb slab of ribs. 5 or 6 years ago the prime weight was considered to be 220, thus your 2.5 to 3 + slabs. The industry found that they could slaughter a 260 lb pig as efficiently as they could a 220 pounder. The genetics were there to take the pigs up to that weight and still remain a lean product. That is the reason for the increase in slab weights.

As BW said, the heavier slabs with the wide flat rib bones are from older sausage hogs. The industry can market these slabs, bones and all, plus about 12%water, for example at $1.70/lb. Boned out and turned into sausage the product sells for $2.00/lb. Much better profit margin selling slabs & water.

The lighter carcasses are not very numerous and the majority of those ribs go to gourmet meats. I hope this helps explain the rib slab weights.

Yea I knew it was a money thing! Why would you slaughter a pig before you could maximize the return. With the feral hogs in our area at record numbers, we are just going to have to round some little piggies up and slaughter our own.

[Goat]

yakman
When I raised them, 180 was a top hog and if they weighed over 200 you almost had to pay the buyer. :x

[bigwheel]

Dang Goat...sounds like you a virtual cornucopia of hawg info. Thanks for the expertise. Thinking maybe you might need a new screen name:)

bigwheel

[Pork-Q-Pine]

The best come from Berkshire Pigs but you better mean it when you say price is not a problem because they run about $10/lb. Loebel's in NY and some others carry Berkshire products but they are expensive.

[bandit05]

With the feral hogs in our area at record numbers, we are just going to have to round some little piggies up and slaughter our own.

And they are better also. Not as much fat and not as forgiving to cook. Have to watch them temps closer.

[ScurvyDog]

Well. this has been my first thread on a BBQ forum and I appreciate the feedback. My read on this thread is the rack of ribs is only as good as the butcher and the product.

[3970010]

Stark Brothers Meat Market on the corner of Freeport St and Corpus Christi in East Houston (Freeport exit on I-10 just a couple of minutes before you hit Channelview.

I buy my ribs for competition there. Always have been $1.99 a pound since I have been buying them there (June 2006 till now). Good luck and nice to meet ya

[CookinOkie]

The best come from Berkshire Pigs but you better mean it when you say price is not a problem because they run about $10/lb. Loebel's in NY and some others carry Berkshire products but they are expensive.

When I raised and showed Berkshires in the late 40's I had Chester Whites, Poland Chinas and Hamps plus some mixed ones and I couldn't tell any difference in the hams bacon or sausage. It must be a New Yawk thing Pork-Q-Pine, LOL.

CookinOkie Ron

[Txngent]

I say go to China Town.... almost every city has one these days.... there you will find tender ribs.... no cats around, but tender ribs! :twisted:

[ScurvyDog]

Looks like I need to spend some time on the streets! This has been very informative. Thanks.

[Goat]

SD, you could go to your local meat wholesaler and order X number of boxes of product #416 in weight range A or B. 416 is the IMPS (Institiutional Meat Purchaser Specifications) number for spare ribs. Weight range A is 2.5 lbs/slab and down. Weight range B is 2.5 to 4 lbs/slab. The product is out there if you know how to get it.

[yakman]

Man, this is getting just about as complicated as ordering coffee at Star Bucks. "Yes Ma'am, I'd like a grande double latte with hazelnut, hold the bean, with legs". I had no idea how much effort people have put into classifying ribs. I used to be happy knowing I could tell the difference between baby back and spare ribs. My bubble has been burst!!

[DaddyDett]

There is a specialty butcher a couple towns over that specializes in pork, and homemade sausage. I bought ribs yesterday, 6 racks of 3.5 downs.
I have never bought em this way. In the past I have gotten a box of Danish babybacks. I am hoping that they will come out nice for the guests at the
Stupor Bowl party I am cooking for.
I am going to brush em with TPJ Spicy Peach grilling sauce, rub em with TxBBQ Rub, and smoke em for about 5-6 hrs I guess?
I havent done em solely by smoking before, I did em that other way.
I am not sure whether to sauce em an hr before pulling, or sauce em when I serve em. I am cooking Saturday, serving Sunday.

DaddyDett

[TexLaw]

DD, I'd brush that sauce on no more than 30 minutes before you are done cooking, but no less than 15. Personally, I don't like ribs that have uncooked sauce brushed on top, but I don't know what those around you prefer. I do like to dip a little, sometime, so I'd have some sauce on the side.


TL

[ScurvyDog]

Scurvy.....go to Petes fine meats on Richmond avenue about 1/4 mile west of the Galleria. If money truly is no problem they will cut you whatever you want. They have always taken care of me very well when I had a special request. My wife loves beef ribs and they have cut me racks of beef ribs with 1" of meat on them!! You will speak with the owner when you go there and that is something nice you dont get often anymore.

BTW when you are there, leave yourself enough time to have them fix you a sandwich....slap yo mamma good!!!

Jay

Freebaby.....I went by Pete's and Mike explained which end of the cow eats the cabbage. St. Louis Cut, Chinese Cut (baby backs), spareribs, backribs, big pigs, little pigs and ended by saying a pig is a pig! He knows his stuff, thanks for the tip.