Getting rib tips cartilage soft

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steves8860

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Original poster
Jun 17, 2021
71
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I have been experimenting with rib tips that I have trimmed from spare ribs and am trying to find what temp would make that cartilage chewy soft.

I got it that way with a pressure cooker, but I lost some flavor.

I can leave them in big pieces so I can stick some thermometer probes into them and have them in a covered pan with apple juice. I don't want to have the meat mushy and just doing it by time can lead to that it seems. Everything I read just uses time.

Too picky?

Any thoughts?
 
I have been experimenting with rib tips that I have trimmed from spare ribs and am trying to find what temp would make that cartilage chewy soft.

I got it that way with a pressure cooker, but I lost some flavor.

I can leave them in big pieces so I can stick some thermometer probes into them and have them in a covered pan with apple juice. I don't want to have the meat mushy and just doing it by time can lead to that it seems. Everything I read just uses time.

Too picky?

Any thoughts?
Not sure why you would want to do that but am interested in the answer.
 
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I just nibble around the cartilage. Actually I've only tried to make them a couple of times and it just seems too much trouble for a tiny bit of meat.
Mostly I just toss them after I've trimmed.....
 
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I have been experimenting with rib tips that I have trimmed from spare ribs
I use the trim from full spares to make sausage , or like mentioned above , I cure and smoke them for beans .

Any thoughts?
Since you asked , I would never attempt to feed some one cartilage . If you're doing it for yourself I guess that's another story .
This reminds me though . I need to see if my CPR training is up to date .
 
I have been experimenting with rib tips that I have trimmed from spare ribs and am trying to find what temp would make that cartilage chewy soft.

I got it that way with a pressure cooker, but I lost some flavor.

I can leave them in big pieces so I can stick some thermometer probes into them and have them in a covered pan with apple juice. I don't want to have the meat mushy and just doing it by time can lead to that it seems. Everything I read just uses time.

Too picky?

Any thoughts?
I think that some people do cook them up so the cartilage is edible. Thinking the Far East. Stock has boiled down cartilage in it that gives some nutritional benefits.

It is for myself. At least the parts that have cartilage in them. I cook the ribs up and the have enough meat left that I can use for my lunches.

When I cooked them in the pressure cooker it was soft and the meat was firm but lost taste. If I'd salted the water or used stock it probably would have been better.
 
I just bone the rib tips out, dust them with rub and toss into a perforated grilling pan then toss it in the smoker. I'll dice up the meat and toss it into a batch of WWB's.
 
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I have been experimenting with rib tips that I have trimmed from spare ribs and am trying to find what temp would make that cartilage chewy soft.

I got it that way with a pressure cooker, but I lost some flavor.

I can leave them in big pieces so I can stick some thermometer probes into them and have them in a covered pan with apple juice. I don't want to have the meat mushy and just doing it by time can lead to that it seems. Everything I read just uses time.

Too picky?

Any thoughts?
Here is a link that references what I mentioned about it being cooked this way in the Far East.

 
I kinda like chewing around the cartilage. Full spares are a messy thing to eat. Just put a paper towel holder on the table. and be prepared to offer everyone a wet cloth to wipe them selves down with when they are done!
Al


Or just move your table closer to the Bathroom Shower. :emoji_laughing::emoji_bathtub:

Bear
 
I've been known to take a beer in the shower after a long day , but no ribs ,,,yet .

Thanks Rich, now I need a beer pole in the shower. Geeze, I wonder what the wife will think/say

Chris
 
I like rib tips better than ribs actually, I cut all my spares into St.Louis style ribs. I save all the tips for myself….. My family used to fight over the gristle at the dinner table. I can still to this day hear them crunching that stuff up, I could never eat it. Pigs feet, pig ears, chicken feet, ham hocks, turkey necks you name it we ate it if it was cheap It was on the table.
 
I want to get a good rip tip recipe. I'd like to serve Chicago Southside barbecue to family.
 
I really struggle trying to eat the meat off the rib tips and I usually end up throwing them away. Last time I cooked ribs, I trimmed them St. Louis style. I smoked the ribs and made a meal from them. Separately, I cut the tips into small pieces and put them in a crock pot covered in chicken stock, seasoned with the same rub I used for the ribs.

I cooked the rib tips for several hours on "low" until the meat began to fall off the bones and cartilage, then I painstakingly "pulled" the meat, intending to use it like I would pulled pork. The result was tasteless. Beyond tasteless, although I managed to remove all the cartilage, there was lots of silver skin remaining on the meat after "pulling". That didn't taste so good.

I'm going to buy another rack of spares this week, trim them St. Louis style and try to cook the tips again. This time, I will smoke the tips along with the ribs -- using the same rub -- before I put them in the crock pot. I'm thinking this approach will improve the flavor. The only issue I'll be left with will be the silver skin. In a pinch, as long as the meat tastes good, I can eat that. :emoji_sunglasses:

In the meantime, I'll hang around this thread to see how others approach rib tips.
 
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