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Wornslick
07-22-2014, 06:26 PM
Awhile back the butcher shop I buy from was having a sale on Baby Back Ribs, 2 slabs to a package in cry-o-vac so I bought 4 packages. I have since smoked 2 of the slabs and I am saving the other 6 slabs for a Labor Day get together with some friends. I have some questions about that but I will save that for later.

After I smoked a slab of them and while eating them I noticed small pieces of bone in the bites I took from the upper end of the rib, the end closest to the spine. The pieces are small but not something I want to bite down hard and break a tooth.

How are these ribs cut, with a saw? Have any of you come across this before? I plan on checking the rest of the slabs before I smoke them. :pray:

Wickedcajun
07-22-2014, 06:38 PM
I have gotten bone pieces before also... at home and in restaurants, but I don't know if it's because of the way it's cut... just wanted to let you know that it's not uncommon

Bludawg
07-22-2014, 06:41 PM
Saw cut and probably forced through the blade at high speed due to production. Since you know there are chips when you prep the others run the back of your knife along that edge of the bones in two directions the chips should come off you might have to pick a few off too. I scrape all my meat that has been saw cut steaks & chops I do the entire cut bone dust on the meat gives an off flavor.

Wickedcajun
07-22-2014, 06:53 PM
Good to know, thanks

Wornslick
07-22-2014, 08:26 PM
Thanks Bludawg, so would the area of bone that I am talking about be the spine of the pig?

Bludawg
07-22-2014, 08:45 PM
I would think so.

Wornslick
07-22-2014, 09:06 PM
Thanks, I will give the knife trick a try when I prep them around Labor Day.

Thank You too Wickedcajun!

mchar69
07-23-2014, 04:37 PM
Yup forced through the blade
There's a lot of bone mush from the band saw
on the meat that butchers scrape off - somewhat.
You have to go over your meat and clean it w/ a moist paper
towel - chicken I wash. Pork, beef, lamb, no.
The fish I eat I caught so I don't wash them -
tuna, mahi, Wahoo, Striper.

smoke ninja
07-23-2014, 04:51 PM
Yup
There's a lot of bone mush from the band saw
on the meat that butchers scrape off - somewhat.
You have to go over your meat and clean it w/ a moist paper
towel - chicken I wash. Pork, beef, lamb, no.
The fish I eat I caught so I don't wash them -
tuna, mahi, Wahoo, Striper.

Not derail this subject but care should be taken washing poultry. You run the risk of contamination as water splashes about.

RolandJT
07-24-2014, 02:59 AM
Yup
There's a lot of bone mush from the band saw
on the meat that butchers scrape off - somewhat.
You have to go over your meat and clean it w/ a moist paper
towel - chicken I wash. Pork, beef, lamb, no.
The fish I eat I caught so I don't wash them -
tuna, mahi, Wahoo, Striper.

I'd stop washing chicken if I were you. Every study of the issue I've ever seen says that washing chicken does nothing for meat hygene since the outside is sterilized by cooking anyway. It is a good way to accidentally get chicken gunk on your kitchen surfaces, however.

Wampus
07-24-2014, 09:42 AM
Not derail this subject but care should be taken washing poultry. You run the risk of contamination as water splashes about.

I'd stop washing chicken if I were you. Every study of the issue I've ever seen says that washing chicken does nothing for meat hygene since the outside is sterilized by cooking anyway. It is a good way to accidentally get chicken gunk on your kitchen surfaces, however.

I wash chicken all the time. You can do it without risking cross contamination if you're careful. Just don't have the faucet or sprayer on full blast. The only reason I really do it is to get rid of most of the chicken slime/juice that is in the packages and/or pieces to get rid of bone shards/fragments.

Wampus
07-24-2014, 10:01 AM
Thanks Bludawg, so would the area of bone that I am talking about be the spine of the pig?

See chart below (lower left drawing).
Looks like they come from near the spine, although I've heard it explained that "loin back ribs" are slightly different than baby backs, but there's no "loin backs" on the chart.

99727

mchar69
07-26-2014, 02:46 PM
I of course know to be careful w/ the juice,
but did not know some don't wash their chicken.
There is alot of milky stuff that goes down the drain, I assumed
it would hurt taste (?).
I put it in the sink, and am careful, but thanks - I'll do a clorox wipedown of all close by surfaces right after, not after the whole cook is done.
Thanks.