While baby back ribs are cut from along the spine, spareribs are from around the belly. Less sought after than baby backs (and consequently less expensive), spareribs are a higher fat, larger alternative with rich flavor.
These spare rib racks are full, untrimmed racks with the brisket bones in. Full racks of spare ribs are significantly larger than St. Louis-style Kurobuta spare ribs, which have been pre-trimmed to make them more uniform and easier to cook.
While St. Louis-style spare ribs tend to be a more home-chef-friendly cut, some chefs and many barbecue experts prefer to buy full spare rib racks because they can trim them down to their exact specifications. The meat on these racks is very high quality, but it should be noted for barbecue competitors that the racks themselves aren’t graded with respect to shiners or size.
Kurobuta pork (aka Berkshire pork) is from a special breed of pig that has long been bred in England and Japan for flavor and more marbled meat. The result is some of the finest pork in the world, sometimes referred to as “The Kobe Beef of Pork.”
