Smoking ribs - what to go for?

[essexsmoker]

if you have a costco nearby they do great pack (4 large sets of baby backs) which are vacuum sealed.

Always produce amazing smoked ribs - they even work in a weber kettle.

Ooo, how much per kilo?

From memory they are about £15 (NO VAT) for about 2.5kg

OK thanks. Sounds about the same sort of price as the booker ones.

Is there much meat on them?

[Dduffs71]

Another vote for the Costco ribs, always had plenty of meat for me!

[Kiska95]

Hi
i didnt rate costco ribs but go look for yourself and you will see more exposed rib than meat

[wade]

I have tried a many of the supermarkets and cash & carries and I keep coming back to my local butcher. Well not my local one as he wasn't very good but one close to where I work. He supplies many of the local restaurants, schools and businesses and will give me exactly what I want. For ribs I get the whole rack just with the skin removed and they are very meaty. Two of the bigger ribs is often sufficient for a portion - eating a whole rack would be like Man vs Food.

[essexsmoker]

I have to say I've been very impressed with tesco meaty ribs so far. You have to ask for the whole rack but loads of meat on. Only belly not loins mind you. I tend to cut st Louis style so not much difference in the end. Did a rack a couple of weekends ago and didn't foil. After 7 and a half hours I foiled and finished in the oven at 140 for another hour! Think I'll be trimming a bit more next time!

[KYMO]

I've had better ribs than Costco's but you always know what you’re getting which is a lot better than some supermarkets.
Just a shame that the price has gone up over the last few years as they were only about £10 for 4 ribs about (2.5kg).

Smithfield Market defiantly the place to go.

[MyLeakyBucket]

essexsmoker - probably a stupid question, but did you get the rack of pork ribs from the tesco meat counter? My local tescos only seems to carry them cut into individual ribs, which doesn't have the same appeal. Generally gone with Costco or a local butcher up to now, but would be nice to have a back-up plan!

[essexsmoker]

essexsmoker - probably a stupid question, but did you get the rack of pork ribs from the tesco meat counter? My local tescos only seems to carry them cut into individual ribs, which doesn't have the same appeal. Generally gone with Costco or a local butcher up to now, but would be nice to have a back-up plan!

Hiya, yes, you have to go to the butchers counter and ask for the whole uncut rack.

I've been very pleased with them. They need a good bit of trimming and cutting into separate racks as some bits have been really thick.

Obviously I'd like to support my local butcher but I struggle to get there in their opening hours.
I drive past Tesco extra every night so it's a no-brainer for me.

[wade]

I just get a full rack of uncut ribs from my local butcher. They always have a lot of meat on them. I then take off the membrane and trim them St Louis style before smoking. The off-cuts with the cartilage I also cook in the same way as the trimmed rack and I pull off the meat for use in other dishes.

[splendidone]

Hello,

Can someone explain to a newbie what the 3 2 1 method is please.

Hi everyone

I'm going to be smoking my first ever ribs on Sunday but I was wondering which ribs I should go for. I am not really familiar with the differences, but I know there are spare ribs and baby back ribs. Which is best for my first attempt? I'll be using the 3-2-1 method with a rub and then baste.

If I am getting the above ribs from the butcher, is there anything specific I need to ask them here in the UK? Are baby back ribs the same thing here as they are in the US? Thanks all!