Asian rib tip and green leaf soup

Rib tips are short, meaty sections of rib attached to the lower end of the spare ribs, between the bones and the sternum (breastbone). Unlike back ribs and/or spare ribs, the structure of the rib tip sheet is provided by dense costal cartilage bars (not bone). Rib tips are cut away from the spare ribs when preparing St. Louis-style ribs.

Pork rib tips contain soft cartilage, which when cooked for more than an hour, offer absolutely melt-in-your mouth tender meat between the textural change of chewy bits of softened cartilage. The soft cartilage is a great source of collagen and glucosamine, which are said to be beneficial for both your skin and joints.

Spooned straight from the bowl, I liken the taste of watercress soup as something akin to ‘green tea’. An ideal serving suggestion for rib tips is to cut them into chunks and sit them on top of a bowl of watercress