ohfreddie wrote:I hope the thread does not get deleted, a'la Chowhound style.

This thread is a loooooong way from crossing that line

Guys

Thanks for replying to my membrane question. I personally prefer the membrane off but i otherwise love H1 so much that the membrane on doesnt bother me. Thanks for the info, you really can learn something new, especially about swine, every single day

iblock9 wrote:Guys

Thanks for replying to my membrane question. I personally prefer the membrane off but i otherwise love H1 so much that the membrane on doesnt bother me. Thanks for the info, you really can learn something new, especially about swine, every single day

I generally prefer it off, too but last time I was at Honey 1, it was on and it melted in my mouth like smokey rice paper. Yum!

=R=

G Wiv wrote:Will,

Surprisingly your recollection is incorrect, Honey 1 serves full racks of spare ribs, not St Louis style.

First I'd like to compliment HeartDoc on his wonderfully even tempered response, you have showed real heart.

Second I'd like to follow in HeartDoc's footsteps as I misspoke in the thread as well. I was quite adamant as to the fact Honey 1 used full racks of spare ribs (tip-on) and I was mistaken, in past months they have switched to trimmed (tip-off) spare ribs.

What this means is HeartDoc was correct in the fact Honey 1 now serves, what is often referred to as, St. Louis style, though Honey 1 does not refer to them as such. Honey 1 has never served, offered or had on the menu baby back ribs.

I have been a customer of Honey 1 since January 2004, when they were on Division Street, and have had the pleasure of watching Robert Adams Sr. preform his magic up close and personal any number of times. It never occurred to me, and I am fairly flabbergasted by the fact, Robert Adams would change any aspect of his rib cookery.

Tip on or off, our LTHForum Cocktail Hour ended the evening at Honey 1 where we enjoyed spare ribs (tip-off), hot links, okra, fried chicken wings and a deliciously smoky and moist boat of pulled pork.

Pulled Pork


Pulled pork, slaw, drizzle of chili oil laced BBQ sauce


Tip-off Spare Rib (4.9.08)


Once again, HeartDoc, you are an positive example for all, and YourPalWill, you were correct as Honey 1 currently serves St. Louis style ribs, though they do leave the membrane on.

Tip-On Spare Ribs (9.23.05)


Enjoy,
Gary

in past months they have switched to trimmed (tip-off) spare ribs

Thanks for the detective work, Gary; I would have liked to stick around for this phase of the evening but had to check in at a late-breaking family event in my home neighborhood.

I just exchanged e-mails with a friend who invited me for H1 last week, when I made the post about not being able to come up with a satisfactory combo meal (though now I know I can try okra, or perhaps talk them into a pile of pulled pork on the side instead of a sandwich with the fries I dislike so). From our discussion and terrible resolution iPhone video evidence, we are sure that the tips were on our slabs last week, making a "complete" spare rib, not St. Louis cut. So if the Adams have switched for the most part, they're still letting some slabs slide. I can also confirm that the membrane was on.

This could lead to another interesting discussion - how and when the tips are separated at various places around town. If for most of Honey-1's history, the whole ribs with tips were smoked, and people ordering a slab got the full Monty, it would make sense that the tips were ordered and smoked separately, since otherwise they'd have all sorts of truncated St. Louis-type slabs that they weren't serving customers. Now, with your evidence of slabs trimmed pre-smoking, it seems apparent that the tips go in one pile and the ribs in another, and that these are smoked separately. A total guess: cost-saving measure, since so many tips were left uneaten on the original full-rib slabs?

I know some places are smoking the whole slab and cleaving right before serving the tips, reserving the rest of the slab for ribs orders - Ribs 'N Bibs has done it this way. Anyone know about Uncle John's or Lem's?

Santander wrote:I know some places are smoking the whole slab and cleaving right before serving the tips, reserving the rest of the slab for ribs orders - Ribs 'N Bibs has done it this way. Anyone know about Uncle John's or Lem's?

Matt,

Traditionally, and in recent past Lem's, Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on). It is my assumption, though we all know about assumptions, they continue to serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on).

Enjoy,
Gary

Heartdoc - I was just making a (lame) joke with my comment. I'm all about variety and moderation, myself. Eat the ribs one day and have a salad the next. [/quote]

Traditionally, and in recent past Lem's, Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on). It is my assumption, though we all know about assumptions, they continue to serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on).

Thanks. These all serve tips as well, though, so what happens to the tipless (effectively St. Louis-style) spare ribs? Are they left behind at the butcher / distributor? Does this mean that these three are ordering and smoking tips in batches separate from the ribs?

G Wiv wrote:Second I'd like to follow in HeartDoc's footsteps as I misspoke in the thread as well.

Gary -

Your mea culpa stands up as an example of humility to us all.

Why does this whole thread remind me of the Comic Book Store Guy on The Simpsons? Best. Ribs. Ever.

Santander wrote:

Traditionally, and in recent past Lem's, Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on). It is my assumption, though we all know about assumptions, they continue to serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on).

Thanks. These all serve tips as well, though, so what happens to the tipless (effectively St. Louis-style) spare ribs? Are they left behind at the butcher / distributor? Does this mean that these three are ordering and smoking tips in batches separate from the ribs?

Don't hold me to this, but I'm fairly sure last week when I was at Uncle John's, the tips were being put in separately into the smoker. I recall the same from Barbara Ann's. I know that when I smoke my own tips, I get them on their own from Peoria Packing. I would assume the tipless ribs are just being sold as St. Louis cuts at the butcher/distributor.

This thread finally got me to get off my duff an head to Honey 1 - which shamefully is about 5 blocks from my house and which - I have been
meaning to go to for what seems like a year...

I got there too late in the evening to sample the aforementioned ribs, but the rib tips were easily the best I've ever had.

So excellent work with the marketing Heartdoc !

G Wiv wrote:

Santander wrote:I know some places are smoking the whole slab and cleaving right before serving the tips, reserving the rest of the slab for ribs orders - Ribs 'N Bibs has done it this way. Anyone know about Uncle John's or Lem's?

Matt,

Traditionally, and in recent past Lem's, Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on). It is my assumption, though we all know about assumptions, they continue to serve full racks of spare ribs (tip-on).

Enjoy,
Gary

Wow, lots of BBQ posts flying around (guess one can never have enough of a good thing)

I can personally confirm that Gwiv's info re: Uncle John's slab ribs is correct. They are currently including the tips (tip-on), and also the membrane (which I happen to like). I made my (long overdue) maiden journey today; ordered a full slab (perfect bark, amazing smokiness, and assertive amount of salt) at 5PM.

I think I got the first of the dinner batch, and I was a happy little boy. This might sound gross to some, but the following was a great combo for me

#1 pull off as long a stretch of membrane as possible
#2 dip into sauce of choice (i prefer the mix)
#3 combine sauced membrane with grease soaked fry and small piece of white bread-->mmm mmm good, nice contrast of textures

To get to chew on the perfect tips (and crunching the cartilage of course) after gnawing off every bit of perfect rib meat was like getting an unexpected bonus, Christmas followed by New Years, or finding that 20 dollar bill in your pocket, you get the picture.

cheers

I wish you were my cardiologist ;>

G Wiv wrote:Second I'd like to follow in HeartDoc's footsteps as I misspoke in the thread as well. I was quite adamant as to the fact Honey 1 used full racks of spare ribs (tip-on) and I was mistaken, in past months they have switched to trimmed (tip-off) spare ribs.

Happy to say Honey 1 has switched back to full racks of spare ribs (tip-on)

Honey 1 Spare Rib (tip-on)



Enjoy,
Gary