Does anyone leave the membrane on baby backs?

[delarosa74868]

I Smoked four slabs on Saturday for the UFC fight. I removed the membrane on only two of them to do an experiment on some bbq newbs. They couldn't tell the difference in the two. I gave them a taste and I couldn't tell either! Smoke rings were the same and everything.

 

[meateater]

I leave them on, just to lazy to remove them.

 

[grampyskids]

Friends don't let friends eat ribs with a membrane on. The membrane on the ribs does not allow the rub to penetrate through to the meat. The heat is also deflected back to the heat source. If you want Tony Roma or other mass merchant Q'ers that cook fall off the bone and sucky ribs, be my guest, Good Q is all about the prep work. Beers before Q will make everyone happy.

 

[kaiser]

an interesting test... but I'll keep pulling 'em off

 

[DougE]

I pull 'em off.

 

[ak1]

Depends on how ambitious I feel. Sometimes I just score the membrane.

 

[mythmaster]

I ALWAYS take the membrane off! It surprises me that the best rib joints in town don't do this -- it's kinda sad, really. It should be a standard practice.

 

[cliffcarter]

The membrane is so easy to pull off that I can't believe that scoring is some how less ambitious, seems that they should take about the same amount of time.
The membrane is made elastin which is rubbery and indigestable, why would'nt you remove it.

 

[ondagawood]

ALWAYS removed ! I've never had any trouble pulling it, with bare hands too ! I've seen & heard about using a paper-towel to help hold on to it.

Yeah I too have had them at a restaurant and they didn't remove it, I'll never go back there either, it was at "Sticky Fingers" in Myrtle Beach.

 

[smokin relaxin steve]

When i first started smoking i never knew better... now i ALWAYS remove

 

[chisoxjim]

I remove the membrane on ribs I do. Thats just the way I prefer to make them. I have had them when other folks have sone them with the membrane left on, and some havent been that bad.

different strokes, nothing to get worked up about.

 

[wildflower]

remove

 

[wlkwichita]

Definitely remove!!!!

 

[rdknb]

Always remove

 

[mr500]

pull it, toss it, and lose foreeverrrrrr

 

[kansasqueball]

I guess I'm lucky. The meat counter where I buy my ribs removes the membranes before they sell them.

 

[athabaskar]

Take it off baby. I bought catfish skinning pliers that are dedicated to membrane pulling.

 

[smokey paul]

This should have been a poll.... very interesting...
I always try to pull it but sometimes i can't find it and assume (LOL) the meat packer did it.
I cut the bones into 1's so it would not make tooo much difference.

 

[chisoxjim]

I agree interesting topic.

I find some other things/techniques folks do alot more egregious than the membrane issue.

with that said, as I mentioned upthread, the ribs I do always have the mebrane removed.

 

[jrsmith80]

REMOVE IT, its a simple job and takes less than a minute to do it.