# Why were these pieces of meat in with my spare ribs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683 "2015-08-12T20:01:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/1 "2015-08-12T20:01:58Z")
I bought spare ribs at BJ Wholesale. Hiding in the package between the two ribs were two lumps of bony meat. These weren’t St. Louis ribs where they cut off a part of the spare rib. I can see putting the cut off part in with with the St. Louis ribs, these were spare ribs. I can’t think of why this was in the package, except to make it heavier. I’d like to know what this meat is and what can I do with it. I’m thinking stew. Never made pork stew before. What do ya’ll think? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/2 "2015-08-12T22:31:10Z")
No guesses so far? [Here’s a pic of the meat if that helps.](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/Biggirl/Pork%20meat.jpg). And no, the garlic is not sitting in meat blood. It is sitting in beet juice. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/3 "2015-08-13T16:01:07Z")
Yes, it is that chunk of rib that they cut off in St. Louis ribs. They cut it off because it makes the remaining rib easier to handle, and they put it back in because you’re paying for the wastage, not the more expensive but better trimmed St. Louis style. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/4 "2015-08-13T17:11:57Z")
Nothing on the pig gets wasted except the squeal. You can cook the rib tips just like your St. Louis-cut ribs, then shred it and make pork fried rice. The ribs are too neat not to be St. Louis cut (which is just a spare rib that’s been neatly trimmed and squared off for presentation). ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/5 "2015-08-13T17:21:33Z")
Use it in your giant pot of beans. That’s what I do with fatty pieces of pork ribs I’ve saved uncooked in my freezer. When the beans are all cooked up, I take out the big fat chunks I can see, but I leave any meat in the pot. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/6 "2015-08-13T17:23:28Z")
You can also mail it to any really poor people you know. Extra postage required. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/7 "2015-08-13T19:12:25Z")
I’d like point out that I purchased spare ribs, not St. Louis ribs. Hubby thinks St. Louis ribs are a gyp. Ended up making WTF Stew with them. Had left over stuff from planned meals (a beet, carrots, dried pinto beans, Italian cut green beans, small pieces of yautia and yuca) and threw them in the Crock Pot with beef broth and tomato paste and some seasonings. Got the name from my son. “What the fuck is this?”, he said. “Just eat it,” I said. “Delicious!” he said. In case someone wants to know, yautia and yuca are Puerto Rican starchy veggies. They may be called other things on other Caribbean islands. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/8 "2015-08-14T15:06:26Z")
St. Louis is not a different type of rib, it just refers to how it is butchered. Going back to your (small) picture and looking at how square the ribs are leads me to believe that you bought spare ribs that have been butchered with a St. Louis style cut, but still included the rib tips. [Taking spare ribs to St. Louis-cut spare ribs](http://www.chowstatic.com/blog-media/2015/05/Spare-Ribs-Diagram.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/9 "2015-08-14T18:16:04Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Nothing on the pig gets wasted except the squeal. You can cook the rib tips just like your St. Louis-cut ribs, then shred it and make pork fried rice. The ribs are too neat not to be St. Louis cut (which is just a spare rib that’s been neatly trimmed and squared off for presentation). You stole that from the scrapple contingent. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/10 "2015-08-14T21:06:16Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > St. Louis is not a different type of rib, it just refers to how it is butchered. Going back to your (small) picture and looking at how square the ribs are leads me to believe that you bought spare ribs that have been butchered with a St. Louis style cut, but still included the rib tips. > > [Taking spare ribs to St. Louis-cut spare ribs](http://www.chowstatic.com/blog-media/2015/05/Spare-Ribs-Diagram.jpg) I know this. I bought spare ribs, which are St. Louis ribs without that part cut off as my husband thinks he’s getting cheated by not having that hunka meat at the end. In the pack with the spare ribs (which were not cut St. Louis style) where those two pieces of meat. I believe they were put in to make the packet heavier. Turned out fine as we got a whole nother meal out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/11 "2015-08-18T00:32:16Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > And no, the garlic is not sitting in meat blood. It is sitting in beet juice. That’s like a hundred times worse! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/12 "2015-08-18T00:37:34Z")
Say Beet juice three times and the ghost of Michael Keaton’s career shows up to haunt you via Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/13 "2015-08-18T02:36:06Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I’m thinking stew. Never made pork stew before. What do ya’ll think? Pork stew is fine stuff. _Gulyas_ and egg noodles sustained the Magyar for centuries. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/14 "2015-08-18T03:52:22Z")
In addition to the above, I like Cuban-style pork ribs and black beans. There are some good recipes on the Internet, most of which include orange juice, limes, and cumin. The smell as they cook in the oven is heavenly! :o ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/15 "2015-08-18T04:28:02Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I know this. I bought spare ribs, which are St. Louis ribs without that part cut off as my husband thinks he’s getting cheated by not having that hunka meat at the end. In the pack with the spare ribs (which were not cut St. Louis style) where those two pieces of meat. I believe they were put in to make the packet heavier. Turned out fine as we got a whole nother meal out of it. They sure look like rib tips to me, especially the “bony” description (I’d better be able to tell if I saw the underside.) Rib tips are exceptionally bony. The tip part that is trimmed off St. Louis ribs is not something I would characterize as a “hunka meat,” but rather a bunch of bone with some meat on them. The “hunka meat” you’re describing sounds like the loin end of the rib, not the tips. That said, I love them (the tips), often more than spare ribs themselves. They are really tasty barbecued (and a staple of South and West Side Chicago barbecue.) ETA: [See here](http://www.oakridgebbq.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/_F6f8jQEXX4A/TMB3yoZ0tZI/AAAAAAAAAKs/DGcqqWxEn6Q/s1600/MJT_5372a.JPG). Tips on the right, loin end labeled on the bottom. St. Louis/KC style trims both. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/16 "2015-08-18T04:42:07Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > No guesses so far? [Here’s a pic of the meat if that helps.](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/Biggirl/Pork%20meat.jpg). And no, the garlic is not sitting in meat blood. It is sitting in beet juice. I should add, though, that those two cuts of meat are a bit more rectangular than rib tips usually are. Like I said, I’d have to see the underside to make a definitive judgement. Your description of “bony meat” is right on for rib tips, though. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/17 "2015-08-18T11:36:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I should add, though, that those two cuts of meat are a bit more rectangular than rib tips usually are. Like I said, I’d have to see the underside to make a definitive judgement. Your description of “bony meat” is right on for rib tips, though. They were like that all around. I did take a picture of what I thought were oppsite sides. Also, the pieces were not as bony as I originally thought. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/18 "2015-08-18T14:05:58Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > They were like that all around. I did take a picture of what I thought were oppsite sides. Also, the pieces were not as bony as I originally thought. Hmmm… I wonder now. Did the pieces have bones that looked like extensions of the ribs? As in, were there like 15 or 16 ribs in parallel there? I’ve seen full spares packages where the rib tips are trimmed off and included as a separate cut in the packaging. Like I said, the only reason I am a little hesitant is that the shape is different than the usual rib tips. There’s usually a bit of a taper to them. So I take back my comment about them sure looking like rib tips to me. Looking to the knife, it seems that section you have there is about 8 inches long or so, and it seems like the bone might be running vertically there, not horizontally. Could it possibly be the flap end trimmed off? Like [see here](http://www.porkchops.com/images/Pork%20Spare%20Ribs.jpg). Might it be the very left side section of the ribs? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-these-pieces-of-meat-in-with-my-spare-ribs/727683/19 "2015-08-18T16:16:20Z")
Sorry, not the loin end, but the end near the breastbone/sternum. (Basically, the edge of the “large end” side of slab of ribs.) Got the ribs flipped around in my head.