ribs

[wlf]

please explain to me the difference in pork baby back's; St. Louis ribs; spare ribs--I see a lot of cook offs require you to turn in st Louis ---I got DQed for using baby back ribs and just don't understand

[Papa Tom]

please explain to me the difference in pork baby back's; St. Louis ribs; spare ribs--I see a lot of cook offs require you to turn in st Louis ---I got DQed for using baby back ribs and just don't understand

Well the back ribs come from the top or back of the critter the spare ribs come from the side/belly.
St Louis cut ribs are spares with the chine bone trimmed off. There are probably YouTube videos showing how it's done but it is a simple process.
The chine bone is the bottom most part of the spares and has a joint that you can flex along the length of the slab if you flex that joint you know where to cut to remove the chine bone. Typically then the narrow end of the slab is also trimmed off to yield a nice rectangular set of ribs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYOLV66XukY

[BluDawg]

this is what you have to trim off

to get this St. Louis cut

I smoke it up with the ribs for use in beans and for snacks

[k.a.m.]

Was this a sanctioned event?
If so there should have been a head cooks meeting where the rules were explained.
The IBCA does not allow baby backs or back ribs as a turn in. You can turn in full spares (chine bone included) if you like. You can also trim full spares down to what is called a "St. Louis cut", these are more desirable because of appearance and also sometimes it is hard to get 7 to 9 full bones in your box.
I believe lonestar, and Texas Gulf Coast all follow this same rule.

[wlf]

it was a sanctioned event but my partner went to the meeting and had the rules ---bottom line it was his (our) fault for not knowing the rules ---
guess I don't understand why are baby backs not allowed for competition cook off's ----

[k.a.m.]

Mainly because they are not listed as a turn in.
In the meat rules on the IBCA website under ribs it stipulates. "Pork spare ribs only"
Now if you want a more broken down reasoning I suggest you contact one of the sanctioning body's and ask for their reasoning.

[BigDave]

it was a sanctioned event but my partner went to the meeting and had the rules ---bottom line it was his (our) fault for not knowing the rules ---
guess I don't understand why are baby backs not allowed for competition cook off's ----

Baby backs are easier to cook plain & simple. Its a cookin contest and not sposed to be easy! Besides spares have a lot more flavor than baby backs.

[Papa Tom]

it was a sanctioned event but my partner went to the meeting and had the rules ---bottom line it was his (our) fault for not knowing the rules ---
guess I don't understand why are baby backs not allowed for competition cook off's ----

Baby backs are easier to cook plain & simple. Its a cookin contest and not sposed to be easy! Besides spares have a lot more flavor than baby backs .

Bet that's because they lived so close to bacon.......

[allend23]

This instance is the only reason why meat inspection has value.

[k.a.m.]

This instance is the only reason why meat inspection has value.

Allen, if the ribs were prepped and in bags like I use I doubt you could tell the difference in BB's and St. Louis unless you were aware of the two. Most promoters probably do not know and head judges do not inspect the meat.
Paying attention at the cooks meeting would have ended this DQ in a heart beat. They still would have had time to go buy ribs.

[allend23]

That makes the meat inspection even more worthless. If the promoter doesn't even know what they're looking at why are they doing it. Sorry I just hate meat inspection haha. But hey this is one of those mistakes that you only make once haha.

[All_Grilla_No_Filla]

If they're doing what they're supposed to during meat inspection (and I understand that often the person doing the inspection is a volunteer who was given the task and has no idea what he or she is looking at) they're checking for meat temp so we don't kill someone, types and whether or not it's been pre-prepped. This process has value. The practices that are taking place in reality, however, are indeed a joke more often than not. They open the cooler, look for meat that looks like it has no seasoning or anything on it, and let it roll. I often see the person open the cooler and look at it blankly, and shut it and so "ok, you're good to go!" If there isn't going to be due diligence in the process, I agree with the above, just don't do it...lol

For the original poster, I can certainly sympathize that it sucks to get to the end and find out you DQ'd. That having been said in every flyer, rules sheet, and social media post where IBCA is concerned it is always clearly noted what the entries will be. In reality, if they're stating what they want turned in, it doesn't matter what we as cooks think, or feel should be allowed. I would be willing to bet if you were to go back and look at your registration, some of the promotional stuff, etc, that there were likely several places in documentation, etc, where it stated spare ribs. Not wanting to add insult to injury, it's just that the onus is on us as cooks to know ahead of time what we'll be cooking and turning in.

[bruno994]

Hate to see anybody get DQ'd after all the hard work, but I agree with AllGrilla, since it was sanctioned, I am quite sure that somewhere down the line it stated no baby back ribs. Now as a cook,. if you just don't know the difference, then maybe some more time should be spent on the interwebs researching the differences between the 2. Wealth of knowledge right at our finger tips. I know I spent months researching on this forum and several others, not to mention bugging the crap out of other comp cooks to get ideas and insight before I ever paid my first entry fee.
As far as meat inspection, good luck as others have stated. Most of the time it's just as simple as "is it on ice?", which is pretty much what I do at our Buna comp. Now if I have anew cook coming in, I might tend to spend a little more time with them, but typically I just ask if it's on ice and do your birds have wing tips on them, other than that I don't ask about rib type, because to me it's a given...guess I should ask next year! lol

[BigDave]

The only purpose of meat inspection is to make sure cheatin ain't goin on by advanced cookin or preseasoning or meats prior to arrival at contest. Nuthin more and nuthin less. Personally I feel it is a waste of time. If someone is gonna cheat, they is gonna cheat. If folks are gonna do a meat inspection that means something, then they should tag the meats and have someone watch the slicing of the meat when it is put in tray. That ain't gonna happen.