Blame it on the lure of smoke hanging heavy in the air or the primal attraction of meat, but barbecue breeds allegiance. Depending on where you grew up or what you grew up eating, you might prefer a full rack of sauce-slathered ribs or fat slices of juicy brisket. Millions love a messy pulled pork sandwich crowned with coleslaw, while others can’t get enough of barbecued chicken.
When I dream of smoked meat (a totally normal thing to do, right?) my mind floods with images of a peculiarly Chicago creation: the rib tip and hot link combo.
It’s a meal born of thrift. Rib tips can be found at the bottom of a rack of spare ribs. This section is often removed and discarded because it is ridden with cartilage, and there was a lot of leftover rib tips back when Chicago had the stockyards. Thanks to an influx of German and Eastern European immigrants in the early 20th century, sausages were also plentiful…