AF on Masterclass

[TXNewbie]

So I watched his Aaron Franklin's episodes on Masterclass. I really enjoyed the level of detail he gave and felt some of it was stuff I have not heard him talk about before.

I was surprised he said he does NOT take the membrane off his ribs. Anyone else find that interesting?

 

[PUNKem733]

Most places that serve a lot of ribs don't take off the membrane. It's too time consuming, and I have found making some slashes on it is good enough

 

[Robert]

Most places that serve a lot of ribs don't take off the membrane. It's too time consuming, and I have found making some slashes on it is good enough

You say that it is time consuming and I guess in a way perhaps, but I have on multiple occasions pulled membranes and trimmed down from whole spares to St. Louis spares 108 racks(108 racks is the max capacity on my Ole Hickory EL-ED) in 1 1/2 hours. At the end of the line was another person seasoning both sides of the racks and they could barely keep up with me. We were using 6 shakers and the person doing the seasoning had to refill the shakers as part of their job. Takes about 15 minutes to load the smoker. The spare end pieces were stowed away to be cooked at a later date.



YMMV as they say.


Thanks,


Robert

 

[Robert]

Most places that serve a lot of ribs don't take off the membrane. It's too time consuming, and I have found making some slashes on it is good enough

You say that it is time consuming and I guess in a way perhaps, but I have on multiple occasions pulled membranes and trimmed down from whole spares to St. Louis spares 108 racks(108 racks, 12 cases, is the max capacity on my Ole Hickory EL-ED) in 1 1/2 hours. At the end of the line was another person seasoning both sides of the racks and they could barely keep up with me. We were using 6 shakers and the person doing the seasoning had to refill the shakers as part of their job. Takes about 15 minutes to load the smoker. The spare end pieces were stowed away to be cooked at a later date.



YMMV as they say.


Thanks,


Robert

 

[TXNewbie]

I was surprised to hear AF say he felt it tasted fine with the membrane on. I'm certainly no expert but I thought the consensus was that it ruined the taste/texture if left on.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

My experience says it stays kinda rubbery in a low and slow cook. Higher heat sorta crisps up the membrane and it's no big deal.

But I'm certainly not going to argue with a man with his background and success.

 

[Bush438]

I was surprised to hear AF say he felt it tasted fine with the membrane on. I'm certainly no expert but I thought the consensus was that it ruined the taste/texture if left on.

Agreed, I’ve never seen any positive to leaving the membrane on.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I haven't eaten barbecue much outside of Texas but I will say that the pork ribs at Franklin were the best I've ever had. I was astounded at how good they were. This was back in 2015 and he's evolved his rib process since then. For pork ribs I cook, though, I remove the membrane.

 

[El Ropo]

I just score the membrane a bit, and don't even notice it is there when it's time to eat 'em. I never cook at low temps though. Lowest I ever go is 275ish F. I like to score it in between the bones. But I love chomping on the cartilage pieces in whole spares too, some people can't stand it.

 

[halfcocked]

The membrane keeps the bones together and you can overcook the ribs and still not have them falling apart. I prefer pulling the membrane. Don't care for gnawing on it.

 

[CaptainQ]

I cook around 275 and score the membrane using a diamond pattern.

 

[1Gradymaci]

What CaptainQ said ^^^

 

[Burn]

Worked at Chili’s for 14 years. They pull the membrane. And no I’m not saying they have the best ribs. I personally don’t pull the membrane often. I think it helps lock in moisture.

 

[TXNewbie]

Worked at Chili’s for 14 years. They pull the membrane. And no I’m not saying they have the best ribs. I personally don’t pull the membrane often. I think it helps lock in moisture.

I would think pulling the membrane would help to not having a chewy wax paper type bite. But I'm sure AF does not have that issue based on his reputation.

 

[Burn]

I think the difference is low and slow versus higher temps. I will say I do like what Chili’s does with the rib process. Smoke. Cool. Then grill at high temp.

 

[blackdogbbq21]

I know Franklin is most well known for brisket but the pork ribs at his restraunt are really good as well. I didn’t notice any chewy membrane the times I’ve had ribs there. I think with the airflow on his smokers and the temps they cook at not pulling the membranes isn’t a problem.

 

[TXNewbie]

I know Franklin is most well known for brisket but the pork ribs at his restraunt are really good as well. I didn’t notice any chewy membrane the times I’ve had ribs there. I think with the airflow on his smokers and the temps they cook at not pulling the membranes isn’t a problem.

Yeah. Clearly the membrane is not an issue for him how ever he does it. I'm going to re-watch the rib class again and see if I can pick up more tid bits of info.

 

[thedude9999]

I was just watching the Texicana BBQ rib video (which is Max, who was a pitmaster at Franklin BBQ). He confirmed what was mentioned up thread. When cooking low at 220 - the membrane won’t melt and will be chewy. If you run hot - 270, the membrane will stick and you won’t feel it.