Funny, I was craving short ribs, cooler weather is coming!, and found this recipe on Mark's Daily Apple, at the bottom is a recipe for a spare rib vegetable soup which multi-tasks the bones and other tasty bits. The only thing I would do differently would be to skim the broth really well, get the foam off. If you want it thicker, I really like thick soups, puree 1/2 the veg and use that for a heavier texture. Or get some gelatin sheets if you're looking to add more gelatin in your diet, the spare rib bones definitely won't have the level, as Jan mentioned, as bigger bones do.

If you're eating dairy, a spoonful of sour cream on top with some snipped fresh dill and this soup would be damn stellar.

Sure, they have red marrow, water soluable proteins. But very little collagen. Makes a watery broth. Get a whole large beef knuckle with tendons, makes a gelatinous stock.

My opinion is that after baking for several hours, the bones would have a lot less food value than bones that are raw or cooked less. Also, pork stock is among my least favorite bone broths due to flavor and smell, I prefer poultry and beef broths.

I don't bother doing anything with the bones from pork ribs, and use chicken and beef bones instead.

I tried making bone broth from the bones of smoked spareribs. I love that smokiness on the ribs, but it didn't work for me in the broth... just seemed out of place. If you don't smoke your ribs then maybe that wouldn't be an issue (in that case, the fact that you are not smoking your ribs is itself an issue, but that's a topic for another board ;-).

Also, as mentioned by someone else, it was not as gelatinous as when I make beef bone broth.

Spare ribs can be either pork or beef. I use the large beef ribs and smoke them on the gas grill for about 6 hours with some water soaked mesquite chips in a smoker box. The rib bones then go into a large ziplock in the fridge (or freezer) until all are eaten and the bones ready for broth. I have a large bolt cutter that I use to break them in half and put as many as I can into an 8-quart pressure cooker and cook for 3 hours and let it cool down naturally without releasing the pressure. I then add some veggies and reheat and cook for another hour and then let it cool down naturally again. Strain it into a container and after it cools it goes into the fridge and the next day the broth is near solid. I just scoop out some into a mug and add a little salt and heat it and usually have it with a meal.

Smoked pork bone broth is perfectly fine to make but it may not be suitable for soup. What you want to do is match the broth to a dish that will benefit from its smoky, porky flavor. A braise or a pot roast would benefit greatly. Sausage casseroles. Spicy sautes that need a deglaze or a pan sauce. Whatever tips your imagination.

I regularly make beef rib bone-exclusive broth and it turns out gelatinous every time. Totally worth it.

Just cook for at least 24 hours, or until the bones are chewable and edible.