BBQ Rib Comparison: Spare vs. St. Louis vs. Baby Back | Trim, Cooking Tips, and Taste Test
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- What happens when you cook 3 different types of ribs the same way? This question plagued me, so I figured I’d take you on my journey to cook Ribs 3 Ways. For this experiment, I treated each rack of ribs the same way. With no variables, I had an accurate assessment of whether cooking different types of ribs really changes the cooking time and process. I trimmed the ribs similarly, then topped them with two of my bestselling rubs.
Whether you prefer hearty St. Louis ribs, leaner Baby Backs, or juicy Spare Ribs, you’re in for a treat. With this simple process, any rack of ribs can be turned into a masterpiece.
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Products Used:
• Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub bit.ly/3cRtASw
• Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub bit.ly/3e9ewzQ
• Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce bit.ly/4aMtLN9
• Heath Riles BBQ Brown Sugar Honey Habanero Glaze bit.ly/3NgYS9M
• Heath Riles BBQ Apron bit.ly/3VtQW8y
• Disposable Cutting Boards amzn.to/3VOOnz5
• Aluminum Sheet Pan amzn.to/3VQ9dht
• Aluminum Foil amzn.to/3z5KMng
• Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Charcoal Pellets amzn.to/3IQZfGH
• Thermoworks Thermapen One bit.ly/43qX2Za
Ingredients:
• Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub
• Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub
• Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce
• Heath Riles BBQ Brown Sugar Honey Habanero Glaze
• Spare Ribs
• St. Louis Style Ribs
• Baby Back Ribs
Directions:
1. Fire up the Pit: Set the Traeger Ironwood XL to 275℉ using Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Pellets.
2. Prep the Ribs: Trim the ribs, removing stray bone pieces, hard meat flaps, discoloration, excess fat, and membranes.
3. Add Seasoning: Season the ribs with Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub and Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub. Let them rest, flip, and repeat on the other side.
4. Start Cooking: Place the ribs directly on the pit, bunching them up. Close the lid and cook for 2 hours and 15 minutes, spritzing with water halfway through.
5. Wrap the Ribs: Remove the ribs, place them in a double-lined baking pan with tin foil, and drizzle with Heath Riles BBQ Brown Sugar Honey Habanero BBQ Glaze. Wrap tightly and smoke for another 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Rest the Ribs: Let the ribs rest for 15-20 minutes.
7. Add Sauce: Unwrap the ribs, sauce them with Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce, and return to the pit for 15 minutes to set the sauce.
8. Serve: Let the ribs cool, then slice and serve.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:21 Rib Explanation
4:07 St. Louis Style Ribs Trim
4:48 Spare Ribs Trim
6:45 Baby Back Ribs Trim
9:09 Peeling Membrane
9:48 Season Ribs
11:22 Place Ribs on Grill
12:33 Spritz Ribs
13:07 Check Internal Temps
14:40 Wrap Ribs
17:02 Check Ribs in Wrap
18:49 Pull Ribs and Rest
19:04 Sauce Ribs
21:00 Return Ribs to Grill
21:54 Remove Ribs From Grill
22:10 Recap
23:12 Taste and Comparison
25:57 Outro
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Affiliate Disclaimer: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links where we may earn a small commission if you use them. This is no additional cost to you
Heath Riles, pitmaster
• 75x BBQ Grand Champion,
• 2022 and 2024 Memphis in May World Rib Champion
• Award-Winning Rubs, Sauces, Marinades, and Injections
#heathrilesbbq #pitmasterheathriles #heathrilesbbqproducts #food #grilling #bbq #barbecue #recipes #simplerecipes #easyrecipes #pork #ribs #comparison #comparisonvideo #spareribs #babybackribs #stlouisribs - Zábava
The first ten minutes is pure gold.
He is a great teacher.
He explained all of the basics and showed the difference between the ribs.
Thank you for your knowledge in a no nonsense way.
He almost fainted when he took that first bite. Great presentation 😂.
“We’re not saving the World, we’re just trying to make a good eatin’ rib” Best comment EVER!!!!
It's the truth!
Diversity in types of ribs
Trimmin your ribs always makes your beans an greens a whole lot better
People got it made so well nowadays. They just dont know. 25-30 years ago, when we were burning up bbq learning this stuff, no one was sharing info, and videos were just nonexistent. Cooking good bbq is almost too simple, between the pellet grills and all the good info. Just about anyone can do it. Crazy how things changed. Guys like you, Malcom Reed, Matt Pittman and countless others have made it so just about anyone can throw down. So easy.
I totally understand where you're coming from. We've discussed that same thing on the podcast a couple times. Coming up in competition BBQ, I've had some help, sure, but it was pretty much trial and error. I like to share any info I can. So many ways to make great BBQ. So many grills and options.
Everything was a SECRET
In my professional opinion, your culinary expertise in crafting ribs is truly remarkable. Your statement that you are not attempting to save the world may be accurate, but I believe that your exceptional culinary skills have the potential to make a significant positive impact on the world. Your ribs are truly exceptional and worthy of the highest praise.
Thank you very much for those kind words!
That's the exact same thing i said about myself after using his butter bath when i cook my ribs🤣🔥🔥... I'll never smoke ribs again without wrapping them in Heath Riles butter bath, It's amazing! 🙌
@@jdubb0113 Appreciate that! Glad you've had a lot of success with the Butter Bath.
@@HeathRilesBBQ No Thank You for the awesome product 🫡
That little nugget about thin spare ribs answered a question I've had for WEEKS now. Thanks, Heath!
Any time! Glad the video answered some questions. Let me know if you need help with anything else.
I like the full spare rib. Each rib is the size of a baby’s arm!
I’m team baby back ribs all the way!
Same here!
Best rib comparison I've ever seen. I've never really kept the differences straight. I will now.
Thanks! Appreciate you watching.
I’m so glad I found you! Loved the video and picked up a few tips and tricks. I’ve been known to make ribs once or twice a year for the family, but I think I’ll do it more frequently now. I will definitely do it more confidently because of your video! I’ve followed you for more. 👏🏽👏🏽
The most informative rib video i have seen. Great Job Heath!
Thanks! Appreciate you watching.
Heath, Great video, keep up the great work 👍🏻👍🏻
Appreciate it!
Full spare rib guy over here. I love the flap on the bone side.
Half the price too
Great job, Brutha Heath! You always make your cooks simple enough for us, that even us non-competitive grillers, feel good about copying them! God Bless you Brutha!
All about sharing any knowledge I can. Thanks for watching!
Awesome video! I continue to learn from you every year. Incredible.
Appreciate it, brother!
I have watched multiple videos on ribs. This video was the informative one that I have watched. I am a straight forward offset smoker. I want to thank you for doing this comparison.
Heath you are the best thanks for all the great information you share, you have helped me elevate my smoker game tremendously.
GREAT video! Your presentation was right on point. Not boring, not over the top!!
They look sooo good my mouthing is watering!! If you ever need someone to eat all those after the videos are done, I’m your man!! 😋
This was very informative! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge!!!❤
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate what you said about pellet grills/smokers. I'm new to the BBQ world and the pellet smoker gives me a chance to learn and build confidence. I'm having a custom offset built that will no doubt have a steep learning curve on maintaining the right temperature and the right amount of smoke. Love the presentation and look forward to other videos. Thanks!
Great video Heath, great information on this one!
Thanks! Appreciate you watching.
Love it Mr. Heath, keep making it easier and understanding for us out here trying to grill 😎🥃
Any time! Thanks for watching.
Literally just watched the intro (first timer here) and decided to "Subscribe" to the channel. Loved the energy! I really enjoy cooking food and getting feedback.
What an awesome video. As a rib beginner. It's great to see this. You sure can get wrapped up in different cooking methods. Thanks man 👍🏼
Any time! Thanks for watching.
Sage advice & technique tips. Impressed.
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching.
Thank you Heath for a great video that dispels some rib myths. I think I know what I am cooking this weekend
Any time! Thanks for watching. Good luck with those ribs!
Great cook and beautiful explanation of the different cuts.
Nice work Heath!!
Thanks!
All three racks look amazing! Facts at 21:19 and absolute deliciousness at 22:17 Great cook! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching.
Awesome! Just subscribed! Great insight and knowledge! I could eat any one of those everyday!
What I’m about to say is intended to be funny and joking… “Enough talking! Just cut the darn ribs and plop em down on my plate”! Thank you
Haha I was ready to cut into them and try them too!
@@HeathRilesBBQ I swear my mouth was watering watching you bite into each one. I think my favorite would be the St. Louis cut,,, Ah heck,, I’ll take em all!! Love your channel. Nothings hotter than watching a real man prepare food (BBQ) like that, with perfection and T.L.C. I know what I’m cooking this weekend when I get home. I’m an attendant with a major Asian airline. Some of our flights are 10 hours plus and we’ll watch you cook.. You’re a rock star among at least 20 of us..
I’m more of a spare rib guy myself! Great video!
They're all my favorite. I do love ribs!
Me too!
Cooking a couple slabs of spare ribs Sunday. Can’t wait!
I bet they turned out great!
First time viewer and I really liked the video, so I subscribed... Look forward to seeing your content... Thanks...
Thanks for subscribing!
Excellent teaching video!!! Thank you!!!!
All 3 racks looked amazing as always!
Thanks!
Awesome job! I have never seen a comparison of the three. Would be fun to do at a party!!
Absolutely!
That was interesting.I have always wondered how they would compare side by side.Many myths out there about cook times for each cut and such.Thank you for clarifying that they are pretty much the same.
Overall, yes. Of course it'll depend on what smoker, temp, etc. but these ribs all cooked the same and turned out great.
Thanks for the video. Always good
Thanks for watching!
I’ve never tried to cook baby backs. Will have to give them a try! Nice video as always. Love the Honey Chipotle on ribs! Use it on all my spare ribs.
Give them a try and let me know what you think! So glad you enjoy our Honey Chipotle Rub.
Excellent presentation.
You handle that knife like a master.
JT
Cook 6 racks of baby backs like this and they came out great on my pit boss vertical pellet smoker. Thanks for all the tips and tricks.
Watching while eating St Louis ribs😊 I love anything from the spare rib
Nice! Perfect timing.
Any pork is good pork!
@@theMick52 Hard to argue there!
Just came across your video, and after watching, I knew I needed to sub to your channel. Those were some great looking ribs.
Appreciate it! Thanks for subscribing.
Awesome educational video. Thank you very much sir.
Thanks, Rob! Appreciate you watching.
Team baby back with your butter bath , the result is outstanding. Just tried your drum method with some baby back ribs and I followed your rest , sauce and tack up timing to your letter…. Oh Wow. Thanks for educating us backyard cooks…. Cheers from Canada
Awesome! Glad the ribs turned out great. Cheers!
What a great video to chip away at the fear people have about making different ribs. Love it. I'm partial to baby backs, but I would never turn down a spare rib.
I'm partial to baby backs too, but it's hard to turn down a good rib!
Thanks for doing this one. It’s fun:good to see them cook the same right there. And thanks for talking about the texture difference. I or we think that will be the case and it’s good to hear you say something about it. Thx
Any time! Thanks for watching.
GREAT!! I love the side by side comparison. Thanks for taking the time to do that. I'm sure a lot of people will take away a ton of wisdom from this video. Probably hop online and order up some of that Honey Chipotle too. Can't argue with that color. 👍
Appreciate it, Daniel! Thanks for watching.
Very interesting. Ribs always go over the best at my pool parties. Now I know a little more about smoking them. I just have a cheap Camp Chef vertical propane smoker, but with the right wood, they come out great. Thanks for the knowledge!
Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoy some great ribs this summer.
Goodness this is helpful. It's like rib church. Thanks for sharing so much information.
Any time! Thanks for watching.
Great video. Looks delicious.
Thanks!
Great information / cook...now I got a project for this weekend! 👀 🍖🍖 🔥🔥
Thanks for watching!
You have a new friend in me. Your rubs are awesome honey rub , garlic butter, and pecan are the first few that I have tried.
We all know you’re a “Pitmaster”. But I say you’re also a “Ribmaster”! No one does ribs consistently better than you! Awesome video Heath!
I truly appreciate that!
Never understood the pellet grill hate. The pellet grill makes it so anyone can produce good bbq no matter what sort of time you have or don’t have. I love my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro pellet grill. Some of the best ribs I’ve done was when I set two slabs on at 275 and took my daughter to a birthday party and just let them roll. I’ve also got a Kamado Joe and love it as well. Great video, Heath! Love your info from one MS guy to another.
Exactly. Nothing wrong with a pellet grill. So many great ones and you can make great BBQ with any of them. Very easy to use, as well. Thanks for watching, brother!
Thank You Heath 🎉
Love Your Rubs 🥳🥳🥳🥳
Happy 4th Soon 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Great Video!
Thanks!
Excellent work
Hello Heath. Thanks for mentioning Recteq, a little company based in GA that produces awesome pellet smokers. And thanks for offering your opinion that your rig doesn’t necessarily need to be an offset stick burner to produce delicious smoked results. I’m smoking a rack of St Louis cut right now as I type.
Great video, I just subscribed to your channel.
Appreciate it. Thanks for subscribing!
My man! Ribs are my absolute favorite thing to cook. It helps that my wife likes to eat ribs too! I always cook baby backs because neither of us like the cartilage bones that seem to be prevalent in the St. Louis and spare ribs.
I'm a huge baby back fan myself. It's the rib of the Memphis area, and that's what I've always cooked for competitions.
When I bbq pork ribs, I usually use spare ribs. I don't trim anything off the spare ribs. I season the ribs and smoke it for three hours.
Nice! Definitely more than one way to do it. All about making good BBQ at the end of the day.
I own a pit boss vertical smoker and love it. Can’t go wrong with a pellet smoker
You truly can't. Great smokers.
St. Louis. No wrap. 250 for 5hrs. Perfect everytime.
What do you season/sauce with?
@Patrick94GSR Meat Church rubs or Weber Grillmates. BBQ sauce is taste but ive been a fan of Kinders and Sweet Baby Rays.
Great video. I usually just buy spare ribs and cut them to ST Louis. The trim goes to another dish I make so it works out better for me.
I get it. Use as much of the ribs as you can.
I love that you’re in Memphis. I just got into ribs, and I’m in OB, not too far from you. Gonna try your rubs next!
Yep, not far at all! Hope you enjoy our products.
Desoto County! I’m in Southaven and smoke ribs on my Weber kettle. They always come out amazing!
@@Patrick94GSR Awesome!
Heath I love my Yoder 640s for the easy ness that it is to smoke all meats. I also like using my Weber Smokey Mountain 22 for the flavor that charcoal with wood chunks give to the meat. Nobody starts out knowing everything about bbq. But it they just get them a smoker and use it and learn more as they cook on it. Before long they will master the working of what ever they have. From my experience the first four packer briskets that I smoked to me were terrible. But I have them down now and they turn out fantastic.
Exactly! All about learning your grill, mastering it and the protein you cook, and going from there. It's almost like you graduate from grill to grill. You can make great BBQ on any grill if you know what you're doing.
Jalapeno garlic was BOGO free at my walmart!! Lookin' forward to tryin' some other rubs and sauces from you
Hope you do! Appreciate all your support.
I cook spare and baby back ribs. I always cook my spares longer because they will be stringy if you cook them the same time as the baby back. They take about 40 minutes longer, especially since they have moisture in the fat that slows down the rise in temp. But they are so much better as bite than the baby backs when they are fully cooked. St Louis cooks closer to the spare than the baby backs. Keep that in mind. But you get more meat for less cost and that little fat renders into the meat with about 4:45 total cook time and the size and texture of them is what I prefer. I think many places don't like that extra 25% longer cook time so they don't do spares. But dang are they good!
Excellent video
Thanks!
Memphis bbq always! It’s just the best!!!!
I go with whatever rib I'm in the mood for. I'm currently waiting on my order and it contains the glaze and the comp bbq sauce
Awesome! Appreciate all your support, and hope you enjoy.
This man is the MJ of Ribs💯🔥
Spare is for eating. Love it.
It's hard to turn down a good rib.
My favorite is the baby back but Midwest the other two if forced to lol
I like any and all!
Great video. Honey chipotle is one of the best you have heath I ordered a huge bundle from you and every product was spot on !!!! Gotta try the new glazes and comp sauce
Thanks, Devin! Appreciate all your support.
Yes sir anytime been following your for years
Yes sir been following you along time ago
@@devinmeadows7337 Thank you!
I just ordered a Blackstone griddle. (80% of our outside cooking is burgers, dogs, fish and chicken) probably not the best idea to make ribs on a griddle? Also, what is the ratio on your salt, pepper and garlic powder mixture? Thanks for another great video!
I'm from North Memphis teaching these Northern Californias the trade 😂
Show 'em how Memphis does it!
Love the explanation. On a side note... Love the fact that most people with a sort of southern accent always put the "L" before the "T" in chipotle. Its Chipotle... not Chipoltee. Anyway, thanks for listening to me complain.
Love it
The honey habanero is my favorite rub and sauce you have
I appreciate that!
We have some of your other rubs, but that is our favorite actually when we cook we cook extras and sometimes we use hotter rubs because some of us like it that way so every time we do pork butt ribs chicken stuff like that we always make some hot and some
@@troyvaughn6060 That's awesome! Glad y'all enjoy.
I really hate to say this to you Heath but……I really think you treated those baby backs better than the others! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
👀🤣
Has anyone else cooked with royal oak pellets if so, how was your experience with them? Thanks in advance 👍🏾
Have you made a video on the best way to make Ribs in the oven?
You had me when you said Memphis. I live in Southaven. You may have just convinced me to pull the trigger on a Traeger Pro 780. I just have to sure it will last nearly as well as my Weber Genesis S330. It's 10 years old and as good as the day I got it. That's saying something since it sits, uncovered, on my deck. I've had to brush the snow off of it to use it on several occasions. It's natural gas so moving it is not really an option. Any idea how well a Traeger will hold up to the elements? Rain, shine, snow..? Great video. Tonight's ribs are going in the oven, but I'm hoping to expand my options pretty soon.
Thanks for watching! If you decide to get a Traeger, I'd definitely get a cover for it. Make sure you keep up with the maintenance on it, as well. Clean it out every so often. They're great grills. A lot of great pellet grills out there.
I like a dry rub rib, some badass sauce on the side as an option.
Heath, do the charcoal pellets really work well in the Traeger? I’m getting mixed reviews. I can’t afford to ruin my grill. Please let me know
I use Royal Oak Charcoal on every smoker or grill I own , whether for at home cooks or comps. I highly recommend. Can definitely test different charcoals/pellets and go with what you like.
Is there a specific weight you are looking for when picking out your baby back ribs? I find that sometimes you see loin backs that are really thick and difficult to get tender without drying out. I would love to see a video showing how you pick out your ribs and what you are looking for in regard to marbling, shiners, and weight of the racks. Thanks so much for all content!
There's not really a specific weight. With a thicker, fattier ribs, I tend to do a lot of trimming. We do have some trimming videos if you want to check those out. I'll try and do a video here soon on how I pick out ribs!
Spare, with tips on the side!!
Chee-pole-tay, chee-pole-lay, i love it 😂
However you want to say it 🤣
I was going to complain about how much he was trimming off those ribs ... then I remembered he has won Memphis in May ... at least twice. I quickly shut my mouth! lol Just kidding! Love ya Heath! Another great video! When are you coming to California?
Haha thank you! You can go no trim, as well. You don't have to trim as much as I do. It's a personal preference. I don't have any Cali plans as of right now.
What can a home cook do with the trimmings that you removed?
Heath do you always wrap? Lately I've just gone about 4-5 hours straight unwrapped on my Traeger and I think they are some of the best ribs I've made. Maybe I was wrapping too long? They were always way too 'fall off the bone'. Tasty, but prefer the ones that hold together ever so slightly more.
You are not barbecuing if you are using a pellet grill.
The offcuts go to my dogs . When they see me sharpening the knife they come running into the kitchen waiting for their offcuts
Haha they know what that means!
Do the Royal Oak pellets have the dust? It sure is a booger to tear down a pellet grill when that powder compacts and binds the auger up.