The Rib Membrane Dispute

[s'kat]

I'm just curious who does and doesn't remove that little membrane on the back of ribs. I've never removed it, but haven't been terribly put off by its presence in the final product. Does it make that big of a difference?

[=Mark]

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

[Jaymes]

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 August 7, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[Dave the Cook]

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 August 7, 2003 by Dave the Cook (log)

[CathyL]

I remove it, using the paper towel method Jaymes described. Even easier when the ribs are cold.

[davidthomas8779]

I remove the membrane from my ribs because I feed my children and it is easier for them to eat the ribs without them having to tear through the membrane.

[Human Bean]

I remove it 'cuz it's slightly icky, and for the possibly dubious reason of allowing better penetration of brine/rub/smoke.

I use needle-nose pliers to grab a piece and pull; perhaps not the most efficient way, but fun.

[Marlene]

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.

[Dave the Cook]

It makes a big difference in my opinion . . .

What kind of difference?

[Hest88]

I never remove it, partly because it's one of my favorite parts of the rib. It gets crisp and tasty.

[Marlene]

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

[Jinmyo]

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

[Marlene]

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

Yes. I do too.

[Dave the Cook]

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

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.

[Marlene]

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

[Dave the Cook]

Otherwise they tend to be burnt

Well, again, we're probably talking technique, aren't we?

[Marlene]

Well yeah I guess.

[FoodZealot]

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

[s'kat]

You've given me some good, and varied, opinions.

Looks like I will have to talk my husband into smoking some ribs soon, as I'm curious to try it both ways. In fact, I may also try the membrane-scored method, to boot.

[kpurvis]

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.

[FoodZealot]

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