Beef ribs run from the back bone to the flank. The part of the rib closest to the back bone is part of the "rib" primal, While the part of the rib closest to the flank primal is called a "short rib."
In the US, when the animal is butchered, and the side is broken down, the butcher saws the ribs in half on a band saw, cross-wise, to separate the rib and flank primals.
Short ribs separated from one another lengthwise, each rib having it's own meat with it, are called "England cut." These are sometimes left long, or cut into intermediate size pieces several inches in length. Short ribs cut cross-wise, so several bones are attached by a strip of meat are called "flanken" cut. These are usually butchered anywhere from 3/4" inch thick to about 2" thick.
There's a UK "cut" called the fore-rib which consists of those short ribs which were attached to the sternum (breastbone). While those are USA "short ribs" the USA term refers to all of the bones along the flank.
Print this out, and take it to your butcher. In addition, tell your butcher that if (s)he were to cut a rolled rib roast from the flank, saving about an 1-1/2" of meat on the bones -- those bones are the "short ribs" and you want them, dammit. Alternatively, you could say "please."
G'day,
BDL
Last edited by boar_d_laze; 01-26-2009 at 11:22 AM.
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