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Baby Back Ribs, St. Louis Ribs, and

Just Plain Spareribs — What's the
Difference?
By Dan Myers | May 13, 2016

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With summer fast approaching, you’ve most likely got barbecue — and ribs
in particular — in mind. But not all ribs are created equal. While they’re all
taken from the same part of the pig (the ribcage, obviously), the part of the
ribs they’re taken from, and the way they’re cut, can have a major effect on
the final product, as well as the final product’s name. Just to clear up any
confusion, here’s a quick primer to the different types of pork ribs out
there.

Baby Back Ribs

These ribs (top) are taken from the section closer to the back (as the name
might imply), and tend to be rather small but very meaty and relatively low
in fat.
Spareribs

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These come from the section closer to the belly, and while they’re larger
than baby backs, they’re also much fattier, so they take very well to cooking
that’s extremely low and slow.
It’s pretty simple: The rib cage is cut in half through the middle; the half
closer to the spine are baby backs, and the half closer to the belly are
spareribs. But it gets a little more complicated:

St. Louis-Style Ribs

St. Louis ribs start off as spareribs, but they’re trimmed down (the sternum,
cartilage, and rib tips are removed) to a rectangular shape and more
uniform appearance that’s easier to cook and eat. Most of the spareribs you
see are St. Louis-cut.

Kansas City-Style Ribs

These are spareribs that are trimmed less closely than St. Louis ribs, with
only bone removed and not cartilage.

Rib Tips
Rib tips are found at the very bottom of the rib cage, where the spare ribs
meet the sternum. There’s no bone in them, just cartilage, so while there’s
still plenty of meat to be had, they’re trimmed away when preparing St.
Louis ribs.

Country-Style Ribs
This is actually a bit of a misnomer. Country-style ribs are cut from the end
of the loin closest to the shoulder, and are very meaty and contain no rib
bones, just parts of the shoulder blade (which is sometimes cut away).

McRib
Let’s not even go there. 

R E L AT E D L I N K S
America’s Best Ribs

10 Easy Ways to Cook Amazing Ribs