One of the great reasons for the popularity of Memphis style barbecue is its unique blending of the greatest barbecue traditions. Here you will find seasonings that are neither too sweet, nor too hot. Sauces, when used, can contain tomato, vinegar or mustard. Traditionally Memphis Style ribs are smoked "dry", meaning that only a dry rub is applied. If a sauce is present it is served on the side at the table to be added or not by the lucky person with a full plate of ribs in front of them. Memphis dry ribs are smoked much the way other barbecue pork ribs are prepared. However in Memphis the quality of the ribs and the flavor of the meat are much more important than any sauce or seasoning. This is an old tradition that dates back to the early days of barbecue when a barbecue shack really was a shack. Memphis ribs are typically spareribs cut St. Louis style. This means that you take the full sparerib rack and trim it to nice, neat ribs. Start by laying the ribs out, bone side down and cutting along the line of fat at the base of the ribs. This will give you anice piece of cartilaginous. Now flip over the rack and cut off the flap of meat in the middle of the rack. If you grill this and the rib tips up they make a great appetizer. Lastly, remove the membrane from the back of the ribs to let in the flavor and allow excess fat to melt away. Memphis tradition also suggests that you remove the long muscle from the front of the ribs. If you look at the rack, bone side down, you can see it. This really isn't necessary and to be honest I'm not entirely sure why it used to be done. Generally you don't see it anymore. Since these ribs are served without sauce the rub is your only source of flavor aside from the meat. Memphis style rubs are generally mild in flavor and should be applied generously. Some places will roll racks of ribs in dry rub and cake it thick on the meat. What happens here is that the moisture from the meat mixes with the rub to make a kind of thick sauce on the surface of the ribs.