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!
In my never ending quest to learn more
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Good info. The A&M meat department had Aaron Franklin on a webcast last year talking about brisket. It was very informative (for me at least). Talked about how much work went into making a good brisket before it goes into the smoker. It made my attempts at making brisket much better the 2nd and 3rd time around.
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thanks for the link! I’ll have to check it out before I attempt brisket.
if you can’t find beef ribs to your liking, you can always do it yourself.
Interesting. The link with the pictures shows that “plate ribs” (124) have little meat and it’s in between the bones, not on top of them. So now I’m back to 130 and 123A.
Incorrect info deleted
I’m not buying as a member of the “public.”
You’re incorrect.
The Barbecue Cut Identification - AggieMeat link CLEARLY identifies the 124 as “124 Beef Rib, Back Ribs”, not “Plate Ribs.”
The NAMP and IMPS 124 code is for back ribs. Meat Buyer's Guides | NAMP Guide | IMPS Meat Buyer's Guide
This is how bad information gets spread.
This is COMPLETELY INCORRECT. Plate ribs do not come from the rib roast. Plate ribs come from down toward chest/belly.
Look at this pamphlet that comes from the beef industry: https://p.widencdn.net/tl4etb
A rib roast comes from high up on the cow toward the spine. The bones from a rib roast are back ribs. The bones from a rib roast are back ribs.
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Thanks for the info (and link)
I stand corrected. Too much info from too many sources. In the end I’m only trying to find the kind of ribs I want and got dragged into the weeds at an info level I never thought I’d have to reach. I never would have thought that USDA designations would be needed to try to buy the kind of ribs my local Claim Jumper has had on their menu for years.