Just came back from Costco Los Feliz. They have uncut USDA prime short ribs in stock at $3.99/lb. Run, don’t walk, to go get it. Vacuum packed and each package is about 8-10 lbs.
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Unless, of course, you are poolside when reading this.
Better hurry before I buy them all.
These beef ribs turned out great. I bought beef ribs from Stater Bros ($4.99 lb) and Whole Foods ($8.99 lb). The difference was significant. The ribs from WF were much more moist. The ribs tasted similar but the well distributed fat made for a much juicier piece of meat. The WF ribs were almost dripping with juice while the SB ribs were dried out. They were both tasty but the next time I cook these I will shell out the extra $4 lb.
I marinated the ribs overnight with a mustard and hot sauce mixture with salt and pepper. 225-250 degrees for around 5 hours.
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I’m sure I’d be able to decide by looking at them but, for the context of this discussion, do you recall what the packaging called the ribs?? Short ribs, beef ribs, ???
I had a similar issue with naming convention after this whole discussion. At both places they brought out a vacuum sealed package of beef ribs. I showed both butchers a picture on my phone of what I was trying to smoke.
Ask them for the beef ribs with the most meat on them.
Thanks. It’s likely a regional nomenclature difference but where I live ‘short ribs’ are, well… short. I’m looking for just what you says… beef ribs with lots of meat on them.
Just to confuse you even more. I went dumpster diving (in my own trash) and the WF label says beef short ribs.
My Korean mom was very confused last night when I brought out this meat and told her it was the same cut as galbi jjim. I had to explain why the bone was so long and there was so much meat on the bone.
The short ribs at Costco Business in Hawthorne are NOT plate short ribs. Check the case/box they come in. They are labeled Chuck Short Ribs (IMPS 130), not Plate Short Ribs (IMPS 123A). These two cuts are different, no matter what people write here. I have bought and cooked Chuck short ribs from Costco and bought and cooked plate short ribs from other places. Now, I strictly buy 123A from wholesalers in the LA area.
Here are ways to distinguish the two. 123A are normally 3 bone racks. 130 are 4 bone. 130 also usually have a thick, hard streak of fat in them that runs with the bone. Most 123A do not.
These are not the only two IMPS numbers for short ribs. There are various cuts of short ribs. 123, 123A, 123B, and 123C are all short rib cuts from different parts. 123A is preferred for barbecue because of size, muscle structure, meat grain, marbling, collagen content. 130 is leaner, chewier, with that hard streak of fat, and, sometimes, pockets of fat. It is a Chuck cut which comes from higher up on a cow.
From what I have been told by one meat wholesaler, Korean Short Rib meat can be 123A, from smaller racks. It may also be from other short rib cuts. The only way to ensure that you are getting 123A is to request it.
The amount of meat on a 123A rib also depends on size. 123A racks can be any where from approximately 4 lbs per rack, to over 7 lbs per rack. The smallest rack of 123A I’ve cooked was just under 4 lbs; the largest I’ve cooked was about 7.5 lbs. 5-6# per rack is the size I prefer.
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It’s pretty obvious now that what I’m looking for are NAMP 124 ribs. I was close with the number and think I originally got it from something by Raichlen. Now the trick is to find them, though I’d certainly be OK with the kind in JS76wisco’s or No1’s post above… whatever the packaging says.
So, you want beef back ribs?
Costco Business Center in Hawthorne has them regularly. I just smoked two racks of those two weeks ago.
Ouch!! The closest Costco Business Center to me is in Westminster and a quick Google check just had the trip pegged at 9 hours 4 minutes from Mission Viejo. That’s obviously an error, but the drive IS around 40 minutes on a reasonable day. I’ll have to give it a try some time when I’m going to my son’s house in Costa Mesa. Thanks.
Any sightings at ‘regular’ Costco locations??
mhlee - by chance is there a local source for rib tips only? Triple bonus points for rib tips of better than average quality.
There’s an online purveyor selling Berkshire tips only for a whopping $8/lb + shipping.
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Wow looked at Costco business center pics on Yelp. Looks like the smaller crowd is worth it to make the drive alone. Is the selection/price really better than restaurant depot?
The nearest Costco Business Center is quite a hike but I’ll try to check it out when I can. I just noticed the pics below on a wine board I frequent. In the post about them they were referred to as “short rib plate”. They look like most of the meat may be between the bones, not on top as I’d like, but they DO look good. 
I looked at the regular Costco at Yorba Linka. The have a prime meat and premium seafood area where nothing is packaged. You can pick and choose your beef ribs. I believe the cost was $12.99 per lb and there wasn’t a ton of meat on the bone. I decided not to get these ribs as others pointed out that prime is probably not needed when you’re smoking the meat for so long.
The other beef ribs they have pre-packaged were much meatier. I like the ability to have the butcher show me what he has available and pick out the meatier bones.
If cost is an issue the Stater Bros ribs were fine. But for a little extra the Whole Foods ribs were worth the investment.
Have you tried Gem Meats on Yorba Linda in the center with Vendome and Mr. Katsu? Their butchers were helpful when I wanted a really thin cut steak to roll for pinwheels.
Commodity pork rib tips are regularly available at the Business Costcos in Commerce and Hawthorne. I’ve bought them at both locations.
They’re not labeled as such though; it looks like they’re labeled “Pork Spare Ribs Brisket Bone-In” or something like that. Just look carefully for something like that; they’re not in tall package, but a somewhat long package. If you look carefully, you can tell that they’re not a rack of ribs, but long, almost like thick ropes, of meat. They come in like 6-9# packages.
I haven’t seen premium rib tips at retail. The places that would have them are places that trim spares down to St. Louis cuts on premises.
The selection is very different from a regular Costco - more bulk, individually packaged items, no alcohol, etc. Restaurant Depot has more variety and some higher quality products, like CAB, but the prices at the Business Costcos are extremely competitive for what they have.
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Which wholesale sells to public? Tried canyon provisions Dtla and al’s but they both have big minimum 
Mind sharing where you get the plate short ribs? Thanks!