With all the talk about ribs lately, and with summer heading our way, I thought this might be some good info to share.
Trimming spare ribs to a St. Louis cut might seem difficult, but it's really simple if you keep it that way. No special skills or bone cutting equipment are required!
What you need: A good sharp Chef or Boning knife, some paper towels & a clean cutting surface.
Here's a typical whole rack of spareribs.
Start by trimming off the Skirt Flap. Don't throw it away; trim off the silver skin & use it for stir fry or put in on with the ribs as a snack.
Trim along the black or red lines, whichever you prefer. The black line follows the bone tips and will make it look more like a rack of Baby Back Ribs.
The bone here is cartilage-like and not hard to cut through. Don't worry about cutting through in one pass.
You can separate the breast bone from the rib tips, if you like, and cook them up as well.
Trim up the end of the rack or leave it alone whichever you prefer (more stir fry meat).
Removing the dreaded membrane: I like to start up at the corner by the meat because its easier to slip your finger, spoon handle, etc. under it there. Work it loose and use a paper towel to grab it & slowly work & pull it loose. If it tears, no biggie; just start again from where it tore.
All that's left is to flip the rack over and trim any excess fat as you see fit.
Hope this helps someone!
Cliff
