Misc rib questions

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rw02kr43

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I'm very new to cooking ribs. Or anything else for that matter. I have a few questions.
How do I get that membrane off the back of the ribs? I have tried slicing it, cutting it and it just won't seem to come off.

2. How do I get my ribs to look like the ones on tv with the piece of bone sticking out the end. Are they cut to look like that or does the meat shrink that much? The times I have smoked ribs they never shrink that much. They have come out quite tasty, but I want that look too.

Thanks for any help
Jason
 
Membrane:

Flip the ribs bone side up, and take a butter knife and gently work the membrane loose at one end (the smaller end is usually easier). then grab the membrane with a paper towel (to give you a grip) and pull it off. Theoretically it will come off in one piece. Theory generally fails :-D You may have to go back and pick off the remaining pieces.

Pull back:
No, they aren't cut that way. The meat pull back when the ribs are properly cooked (most of the time :-D).
 
One of the first things I would advise is to become familiar with this thread.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7818

It lists many threads that will help you become more familiar with how folks cook a wide variety of things. Now...

1. Removing membrane is easy, you cut just enough of the end to get the membrane seperated a little bit, then using a dish towel or paper towel, grab ahold of the corner and tear it off. If you are real good with a knife, maybe you can skin it way easier to just pull it off.

2. You are talking about what some refer to as pull back of the meat. It happens naturally as the meat cooks. For reasons that are not important to know, the meat will pull back from the ends of the bones and create that look. Not all ribs will pull back the same amount, meat being a natural ingredient and all.
 
pull back

Thanks everyone. I thought I had been cooking my ribs long enough as my thermometer says they are done. But maybe I haven't been. The meat doesn't seem to pull back at all. Could that be cause I haven't been able to get that membrane off before? I usually cook for a few hours over 250 on an offset smoker.

Jason
 
A 'few' hours is kinda vague. I know that if I am cooking at 250F I am looking at 3-1/2 hours, at 225F it is more often 4 hours. I do not use a thermometer, I prefer using the bend method and probe method to determine when the meat is done. If I probe the meat between the joints with dull metal skewer and it goes in real easy, or if I pick up one end of the rack and the other ends flops down, I figure I am done cooking.
 
rw02kr43 said:
Thanks everyone. I thought I had been cooking my ribs long enough as my thermometer says they are done. But maybe I haven't been. The meat doesn't seem to pull back at all. Could that be cause I haven't been able to get that membrane off before? I usually cook for a few hours over 250 on an offset smoker.

Jason
Click to expand...
4 hours for loin backs (bbacks) and 6 for St Louis cut at 250. I do St Louis and use 3-2-1 for comp and usually do dry rub only for eating. May or may not wrap.
 
time

It's usually been about 3 hours at 250 for the ribs I have been cooking. Only using a dry rub so far. Then sauce on the side. I am going to try some different things this spring though. I've never foiled them, I might try that too.

Jason
 
rw02kr43 said:
It's usually been about 3 hours at 250 for the ribs I have been cooking. Only using a dry rub so far. Then sauce on the side. I am going to try some different things this spring though. I've never foiled them, I might try that too.

Jason
Click to expand...


What kind of cooker are you using? Even at the same temp, the source of heat matters (direct vs. indirect).

What kind of ribs? As Ford mentioned, babybacks will be done quicker than spares/St. Louis.
 
I've found that wal-mart ribs don't pull back at the bone nearly as much as the ribs get at the butcher shop. As far as the membrane just grab a corner and peel it off, like tape.
 
I've only done a bit over a dozen racks of ribs, but I've never had pull back like I see in some of the pics.
 
smoker

I'm using an offset smoker. Usually kingsford briquettes with some wood for smoke. So Indirect heat. I also have a pretty good size water pan in the cooking chamber.

100_8505.JPG

100_8508.JPG

100_8513.JPG

Jason
 
D0ughB0y said:
I've only done a bit over a dozen racks of ribs, but I've never had pull back like I see in some of the pics.
Click to expand...

Low n slow, low n slow. I've never not had them pull back. 4.5 to 6
hours on babybacks (depending on air circulation), and 6 to 7 on
st. louis spares (depends on air circulation). They'll pull back. There's
too much fat rendering to have them not pull back. Then again, if
the fat isn't rendering, you have no pull-back and other problems too...

250 degrees (on the surface of your cooker); no more.

You may wrap them in foil after 1.5 hrs BB's or 2.0 hrs st. louis spares...
Less smoke on them and keeps moisture inside and better facilitates
fat rendering.
 
rw02kr43 said:
I'm using an offset smoker. Usually kingsford briquettes with some wood for smoke. So Indirect heat. I also have a pretty good size water pan in the cooking chamber.

100_8505.JPG

100_8508.JPG

100_8513.JPG

Jason
Click to expand...
Forget the thermometer on the outside of the cooker. What is the
temperature on the cooking surface inside?
 
temp

for that I have no idea. I am looking at the wireless thermometers or some other way to see the temp on the inside.

Jason
 
rw02kr43 said:
It's usually been about 3 hours at 250 for the ribs I have been cooking. Only using a dry rub so far. Then sauce on the side. I am going to try some different things this spring though. I've never foiled them, I might try that too.

Jason
Click to expand...

:eusa_clapTHIS SPRING??? You gotta get out there NOW and practice, practice, practice. (...."we talkin 'bout practice!") AI mode.:wink:
 
Lake Dogs said:
Low n slow, low n slow. I've never not had them pull back. 4.5 to 6
hours on babybacks (depending on air circulation), and 6 to 7 on
st. louis spares (depends on air circulation). They'll pull back. There's
too much fat rendering to have them not pull back. Then again, if
the fat isn't rendering, you have no pull-back and other problems too...

250 degrees (on the surface of your cooker); no more.

You may wrap them in foil after 1.5 hrs BB's or 2.0 hrs st. louis spares...
Less smoke on them and keeps moisture inside and better facilitates
fat rendering.
Click to expand...

Is there a specific benefit from the meat pulling back or is it a result of something good happening?

Of course, as a noob, I'm interested in making my Q better. I've done my ribs at 250ish for 4 hours and they were pretty damned good. I went over that and they were fall-off-the-bone (too soft). They weren't dry though and no obvious chunks of unrendered fat.

If I can get my WSM down to 225, I'll try the extended time...
 
cooking now

I'd love to cook some now, but it's either stupid cold or raining. I smoked some pork chops a few weeks ago and couldn't keep the temps up. I put a thick blanket over the smoker and it caught fire. So I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to do much until it is either warmer or dryer.

Jason
 
The pull back is a function of the fat rendering and the proteins in the meat de-naturing such that the collagen breaks down. This is a sign the the meat will be tender if pulled at the correct time. Essentially, the connective tissue is broken down so that the meat fibers are not held tightly together. It is just a sign things are going well, but, it is not absolute, the char-siu ribs I just did had very little pull-back, but, they were tender and juicy, sometimes they just don't pull back as much.
 
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