What Makes Chicago-Style Ribs Unique?

Have you ever noticed that some states seem to have a style of food or food that's incredibly close to that state's culture? Think of New York-style pizza or the famous California roll. In the Midwest, many places are known for ribs, and Chicago-style ribs are a part of America's vast regional barbecue family.

If you thought Chicago-style ribs are pieces of meat that have been smoked or grilled and slathered in as much barbecue sauce as possible, you would be correct. This style of ribs is part of a long history of barbecue in the city, which is rooted in Chicago's infamous meat processing plants and expanded upon by the different immigrants into the city from the United States and beyond.

But Chicago-style ribs differ from your average pork version because these aren't a whole cut of meat per se. You're actually enjoying rib tips. Does this unique version of ribs mean you'll only be getting the ends of an otherwise perfectly good pork rib, or are these just standard ribs by another name?

Rib tips consist of the little meaty nuggets from the literal tip of the ribs tossed in a sauce while the rest is discarded. Fortunately, while smaller than your average baby-back rib, rib tips are still a very hearty and delicious serving of pork.

Rib tips come from the bottom of spare ribs and are usually trimmed off for barbecuing. This part of the rib is described as very meaty and loaded with cartilage and fat, making it an incredibly flavorful cut.

But how do you make Chicago-style rib tips? You'll be glad to know that cooking them isn't too far off from how you would typically prepare ribs. A simple preparation method involves coating ribs in your desired seasoning mixture overnight. Once they have marinated overnight, smoke them for 2-3 hours on your smoker on indirect heat between 225 and 250 F. You can also bake them in the oven at 250 F for 2-3 hours before finishing them off at 350 F for 30 minutes.

You've likely noticed something on restaurant menus called "riblets." Knowing what we know now about rib tips, you may assume that riblets and rib tips are one and the same.

While rib tips are the boneless cartilage-filled bottom section ribs, riblets are chunks of meat that come from the full rack of ribs, similar to how boneless chicken wings come from a whole piece of chicken breast. Others describe riblets as short and flat ribs that are left over when a rack is trimmed.

This isn't to say that rib tips and riblets aren't the same in other aspects. Considered leftovers of a rack of ribs, both are inexpensive and relatively easy to make. You may argue that rib tips and riblets don't compare to enjoying a rack of ribs, but these pieces are perfect for when you want ribs but don't want to waste time making an entire rack of them.