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The Rib Membrane Dispute


s'kat

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I remove it when smoking ribs as it prevents the smoke flavor from penetrating that side.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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I always remove it. It can be difficult to chew and many people don't like it. So I don't bring it to the table like that so that my diners have to deal with it.

As to how to remove it easily, Hugh Carpenter says, in his "Great Ribs Book":

"Place the ribs, meaty side down, on a flat surface. Using your fingernail, loosen a little of the membrane along the end of the last rib bone. Then grasp the membrane firmly with a paper towel. Holding the ribs down with the other hand, pull the membrane. If it doesn't pull away in one piece, repeat the procedure."

I doubt he'd go to the trouble of telling us how to remove it unless he believed it to be an important step.

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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I don't, because I kind of like that papery crispness.

But I wondered about the smoke penetration thing. So when I did baby back ribs last weekend, I checked. I don't know if it's penetrating the membrane, contrary to common wisdom, or if it's just coming all the way through from the meat side, but these were smoky-pink one side to the other.

I've decided that it's simply part of the ritual. I don't think that's a bad thing -- to a large extent, barbecuing and smoking are all about ritual. But the evidence says it doesn't make any difference in a properly done rib -- unless you object to the texture of the cooked membrane.

Edited by Dave the Cook (log)

Dave Scantland
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dscantland@eGstaff.org
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Eat more chicken skin.

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I remove it now although I never used to. It makes a big difference in my opinion, and I use the paper towel method as well when the ribs are cold, although I use a knife to loosen the membrane.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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It makes a big difference in my opinion . . .

What kind of difference?

I find the ribs easier to eat. It's tough trying to chew threw the membrane. And that goes double for kids. I don't smoke ribs, just,marinade, slow cook em and grill em, but I do find the marinade soaks into the ribs better without the membrane barrier being there. I did like the papery crispness too, but they're just easier to eat this way :smile:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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I serve pork ribs sliced individually or in bunches of three. So I always remove the membrane.

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Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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I serve pork ribs sliced individually or in bunches of three. So I always remove the membrane.

Yes. I do too.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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It makes a big difference in my opinion . . .

What kind of difference?

I find the ribs easier to eat. It's tough trying to chew threw the membrane. And that goes double for kids. I don't smoke ribs, just,marinade, slow cook em and grill em, but I do find the marinade soaks into the ribs better without the membrane barrier being there. I did like the papery crispness too, but they're just easier to eat this way :smile:

You've got me thinking that the differences in cooking methods and the degree of doneness are related to the difference of opinion. If the membrane is still chewy, you're not cooking them as long (or maybe as dry, or both) as I do, so the membrane doesn't dry out. When I pull them off the grill (or out of the oven, where they've finished after some smoke time on the grill), the membrane is crisp and translucent. Chewiness is not even remotely a factor.

When I wet- or moist-cook ribs, I remove the membrane, too.

Dave Scantland
Executive director
dscantland@eGstaff.org
eG Ethics signatory

Eat more chicken skin.

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Maybe that's it. When the ribs are smoked, they don't need the membrane removed. Marinaded, and plain grilled they really do. Otherwise they tend to be burnt :sad:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Personally, I leave the fell on, but score it lightly, because I psuedo-scientifically made several racks of spareribs, each with different treatment. One membrane was completely removed, two were left on but scored (just barely through the membrane, vertically between each rib), and one was left completely intact.

To me, the best results were with the scored membrane. For the most part, the tasters agreed with me that the one where it was completely removed was too dry, and the one where it was intact seemed fatty. I don't mind the sometimes papery texture. The flavor "seemed" to be an improvement over the membrane-intact ribs, but it's hard to be sure. The smoke ring was pretty consistent for the whole batch, as I recall.

In the name of science, I think it's time for another round of testing...

~Tad

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Personally, I leave the fell on, but score it lightly, because I psuedo-scientifically made several racks of spareribs, each with different treatment.

Thanks, Tad. I remove as much of it as I can, but I find that it doesn't come off that easily on spareribs (personally, I don't care much for baby backs -- no character). I'll try your trick.

Kathleen Purvis, food editor, The Charlotte (NC) Observer

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Thanks, Tad. I remove as much of it as I can, but I find that it doesn't come off that easily on spareribs (personally, I don't care much for baby backs -- no character). I'll try your trick.

I agree, I prefer spareribs over baby backs. Obviously, they're still pork [hmmmmmmm...pork...] and can be prepared to be delicious, but it's funny that they have such caché. My theory is that a large percentage of people respond more to texture than taste.

~Tad

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