Rib Tips vs. Riblets – What is the Difference?
Sometimes people refer to rib tips are riblets, or vice versa, but they are two different cuts of pork. Riblets are cut from a full rack of pork spare ribs. The spare ribs are cut in half to straighten them out. Riblets are the short, flat ribs that are left after trimming away the curved portion.
Rib tips are attached to the lower end of the spare ribs.They are what is trimmed off when preparing St. Louis-style ribs. They don’t actually have any bone in them, but rather thick cartilage. These tips used to be tossed away, but now they are becoming popular because of their great flavor.