Question about ribs from the experts

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finch12

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 14, 2010
23
11
Left of Centre
I was wondering if anyone removed the membrane from the one side of the ribs before cooking? I had heard that some people do this. The last time I made ribs I tried to get it off but could not get there. Can anyone give me the nickel tour on preparing my ribs this way???

Any other little rib tricks that make yours stand out would be nice as well.

I have been smoking meat for a could years and just recently learned of this forum.... there is a lot of great looking meals out there from the looks of all those wonderful pictures and recipes. I have enjoyed some of my smokes more than others but always find one part of the meal to enjoy which keeps me coming back for more. With the little can smoker I have, I have a hard time with consistency

Recently I have been spending my excess time ( and money ) out in the garage and I am building myself a upright propane smoker. 2 x 2 x 4ft, double walled and insulated 1" thick. It is my first build and am looking forward to possibly getting use out of it this coming long weekend. ( yes I live in Canada ) I have some pictures of the build as it went together and I will have some of my first meal from it to share here for sure. I just hope I can finish it all this week.

I have my heart set on making ribs in it on the inaugural run but want them to turn out the best ever soooooooo bad. Any way, lets hear from the rib aficionados on what you do that makes your ribs the best ever !

Thanks
 
Here's the dime tour. I have always removed the membrane on the bone side of the ribs; rhink 45 years. Put the ribs on your cutting board, bone side up. On the small end of the ribs, take the pointed end of a church key and scrape the membrane from the first bone until you can grab it to pull. Take a paper towel and slowly pull it straight up. Works for me.
 
You can use a thin-bladed knife to get under the membrane on one corner, then try to pull it ( with FEEL , as to not tear it ) in one big piece. But hey, if it tears, it tears. Just get it started again. Sometimes, certain racks can be rather finicky about having this done, and you'll end up with a bunch of pieces. This can be frustrating, but it comes with the territory.

But you gotta' do it. If you dont, you wont get the full rub and smoke penetration. Plus, the membrane is tough once cooked, and not particularly pleasant to gnaw on.

Oh, and one other tip - I seem to have better luck if I chill the ribs in the FREEZER for about 10 minutes before I do this.
 
To watch a video on membrane removal, go to Wiki, click on Browse All Wikis, then click on "Removing the membrane from Ribs".
 
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Thanks for all the tips.... my new smoker is almost built. I will have it in running order by the weekend. I'll be ready to cook some ribs for sure. I have three nice racks of back ribs to dress up and smoke. I still would like to try a marinade on one rack and see how that goes.... any ideas?
 
Thanks for all the tips.... my new smoker is almost built. I will have it in running order by the weekend. I'll be ready to cook some ribs for sure. I have three nice racks of back ribs to dress up and smoke. I still would like to try a marinade on one rack and see how that goes.... any ideas?
Well, I haven't marinaded any yet, but I've used the "brown sugar" method and it was awesome!  I'm planning to do 4 racks like this for the 4th -- here's the thread where I did it before, and there are some good tips on removing the membrane from baby backs, too: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/95562/baby-backs-with-brown-sugar
 
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