Which One is Better? St Louis Ribs vs Baby Back Ribs Complete Breakdown

In this episode I decide to compare 2 of the most popular pork ribs. The St. Louis style pork ribs and the baby back ribs.
Both of these ribs are delicious and tender when cooked properly. They do have their differences though and in this video I try and go through those.
I really hope this video will help you with the major differences between prepping, cooking and the flavors of each pork rib.
I use my reverse flow offset smoker to smoke both these racks of pork ribs.
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[@CaptainRew]

Which one is better? SPOILER ALERT: He doesn't say.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Haha I fully intended to choose one going into the video but really couldn't choose one in the end. Thanks for the comment!

[@Jo-xx2rd]

Most annoying thing ever. Ill never watch another video. Blocking channel

[@shakeandbaked1]

I wouldn’t turn any down but I personally prefer st.Louis

[@Vanwolfstein]

Damn I wish I had gone to the comments before I watched till the end. Good on ya mate

[@Vanwolfstein]

@@SmokestackJoesclick bait

[@mikes3894]

St. Louis for me. Great video

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks! I’d have to agree with you, I like the St. Louis

[@greeneyesfromohio4103]

St. Louis cut ribs look better however baby back ribs are far better to eat…..St. Louis ribs aka spare ribs (just cut differently) have cartilage in them that isn’t pleasant. I’ll be spitting little pieces out as I eat the ribs. Baby back ribs do not have that issue. You ever noticed that?

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yeah im not a fan of the cartilage in the spare ribs. I do really like the flavor of the spare ribs though. but the baby backs are great cause you can just eat the meat right of the bone without have to worry about cartilage

[@MrJoshcc600]

I've done membrane on and off, I find that cooking for just myself I like it on. Gives a little snap to the bite like biting a good sausage. If im serving them I remove it because people aren't used to it

[@SmokestackJoes]

I am the exact same way, I have slowly been trying to give people ribs with the membrane on so they can get used to it because I like it so much, plus its saves me a lot of time in the prep

[@easy3088]

Okay good video but I'm never going to agree with all that trimming of the ends of the St Louis specially that floppy end. It might be kind of fatty but it's going to shrink up like bacon when you cook it, and its very tasty.

[@SmokestackJoes]

It is very tasty! I usually just toss it on the smoker so I have a little snack and get a preview of the flavor for the ribs.

[@troyv8302]

I'm team baby back.

[@SmokestackJoes]

You cant beat a good rack of baby back ribs. For me, it all depends on my mood. sometimes I cant decide and just cook 1 of each lol

[@rontressler647]

Thanks for posting this informative video.

[@SmokestackJoes]

you are very welcome. I am glad you enjoyed it

[@daniel-j-harris]

Do you think there's any advantage to mopping over spritzing

[@SmokestackJoes]

I actually like mopping better because you get more on it. When I have spritzed Ive notice the spritz has already evaporated before I even close the lid to the grill

[@worthygainz6367]

Bro Great video...finally someone with some clear info

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks! I am glad you enjoyed it

[@worthygainz6367]

@@SmokestackJoes I wish I could show you a pic of what mines looked like.... first time doing it

[@jimmywang9011]

Chuds Bbq Style 🔥👍🏻

[@user-jp1ew5lt1t]

Awesome video. Drooling watching it. What temperature did you maintain in your smoker throughout the cooking stages?

[@PaaulooViniiciuus]

I guess 250 to 275 degrees

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks, and yeah Paulo guessed right, I was right around 250-275 during the cook

[@SmokestackJoes]

Spot on!

[@Zokfend]

I am super curious, wrapping it meat side up. Do you find that it preserves the bark and the seasoning more than wrapping meat side down and in foil, where some of the bark and seasoning is left floating? I can't find many comments on that because just about everybody (including myself) wraps meat side down and in foil. Thank you.

[@SmokestackJoes]

I do believe that wrapping with paper helps with bark, this is just what I've personally noticed with my cooks. It is also a lot harder to overcook the ribs to where they are way too tender.

[@Lebofilms]

Getting ribs tonight. Decided to get a half rack of each.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Great idea!

[@scottobrien6062]

You left the skin in man..

[@SmokestackJoes]

I usually always leave the membrane on my ribs. Idk if I explained it in this video but I think it helps retain the fat in the ribs and if cooked properly you wont even notice it once cooked.

[@TechnoAlliance1]

@@SmokestackJoes Yes you did explain it 👍

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thank you for the feedback@@TechnoAlliance1

[@margaretmack372]

Thx this was very helpful

[@SmokestackJoes]

Glad to hear!

[@ViralSportsMedia]

Hey was that electric with pellets or charcoal

[@SmokestackJoes]

The smoker I used in this was an offset wood fired smoker that uses splits of hardwood

[@LandscapeSolutionsLLC]

Do a video on wrapping in foil vs butcher paper

[@SmokestackJoes]

I have this in my plans, Thank you for the comment

[@Cryptotone]

Looks like you overcooked the baby back ribs brother. You can just tell my the texture of the meat when you sliced into it. All good though

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yeah you have to be careful with the baby backs because they dont have nearly as much fat so you can over cook easily.

[@justDudpool]

Great information, thank you. Please don’t use that music behind your next video, it’s too distracting.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks I appreciate it. I definitely wont be using that music anymore, I made this video awhile ago and haven't used that track in a long time. I am not really sure what I was thinking using that music LOL. But I really appreciate the input! Thanks again.

[@justDudpool]

That earned a subscription! Your ribs look amazing!

[@SmokestackJoes]

Awesome! Thank You!

[@jasonspurley492]

Yes sir both is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@SmokestackJoes]

Can’t go wrong with either one

[@Railroad_Bbq]

@@SmokestackJoesI'm n n N.N . . n n ...n ..n ..n . . . N. .. ... n .. . .. . .n . N . .n ..... .n. n N N.N N .... n . N. .. .n ...

[@elbob17]

We only mess with Spare ribs.

[@annzamora6943]

Thanks for the bbq sauce recipe

[@SmokestackJoes]

You are very welcome, it is one of my favorites

[@steveroyer1628]

did you try it? Way too acid for me. I guess using the maximum vinegar qty was too much.

[@jeremystearns6518]

Smoker tour ?

[@ZacchaeusNifong]

Great video. Keep on making content. It'll click soon.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks! Just trying to get a little better each time

[@catherineharris27]

New sub from Sc!!! Great?!!! Lesss fatty Ribs are always better imp! Some fat for flavor yes but i rather have less...

[@SmokestackJoes]

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the content! For me it all depends on what mood I’m in whether I want the baby backs or St. Louis

[@catherineharris27]

@@SmokestackJoes I'm like that too. Like the content indeed.

[@assocrec]

Sensi awesome cook!

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thank you! I appreciate it

[@jasonbeasley5766]

Spares beats babybacks. Hands down. Everytime.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Agreed

[@bidzam]

Yep. My baby backs tend to get overcooked which sucks, so I just rock with spare ribs now and more meat on them which is a plus.

[@stevek6077]

Ok, so I've made ribs a few times, but certainly I'm no expert. I've tried every recipe I can find for the "fall off the bone" tenderness that I like. I know it's not the "correct" way to make them, but dammit that's what I like! However, no matter what I try, they never turn out the way I want them, which is the fall apart, "pulled pork on a bone" kind of tenderness. How do I get that effect?!?!?!

[@SmokestackJoes]

When the ribs are ready to wrap put them in some aluminum foil meat side down. Add about a half cup each of apple juice and cider vinegar. Wrap it up and let it cook at 275 for 2 hours and see if they are tender enough for you, if they aren’t just let them cook till they are.

[@CaptainAngelo]

Fall off the bone, is considered overcooked, but....if that's your jam.

[@HometownAcres]

Get a meat thermometer. They are fall off the bone between 190 and 200. Not one degree more

[@TheOtherJoseph]

⁠@@HometownAcresnot one degree more? It’s not rocket science lol I would blow your mind with some 201 degree ribs hahaha

[@charlesmiller6826]

Ahh, that's the "mistake" i made yesterday on the sparerbs i was going for the 3,2,1 and the last hr was supposed to be unwrapped but the bones startd releasing from the meat so i couldn't unwrap. So i will just have to invest in butcher paper as the foil seems to have affected it as well. It was running 250° so maybe pulling down to 225° may have helped. Either way, my wife, who despises pork ribs, enjoyed them, so a win in my book.

[@user-micfco2486]

6:17

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks for timestamping the sauce, I should of done this in the description. I appreciate it

[@jasonspurley492]

Real Facts.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 😯😯😯😯😯😯😯💯💯

[@XMetalMatter]

Spare is better than St. Louis

[@SmokestackJoes]

I can agree with that. if you buy spare ribs I dont see the point of cutting them down into st. louis style