Parkay squeeze bottle vs. butter on ribs?

[Big Grouch]

I notice many use Parkay margerine on spare ribs, Malcom Reed for one. Is there a reason to use Parkay instead of butter, other than the convenience of a squeeze bottle? Other than they taste similar, chemically they are completely different as I understand it. Thoughts?

 

[olaf]

It's just convenient I can definitely taste it when I tried it on ribs and it really isn't that good. Butter on the other hand was good but not necessary. They are totally different hydrogenated vegetable oil vs cream.

 

[thirdeye]

Parkay doesn't break like butter, has a higher smoke point than butter , adds moisture, helps melt the sugars in the rub, and also helps to keep the sugars from caramelizing and possibly burning and it will help set the bark when used in spray form. There are so many other flavors in wrapped ribs or a pan of chicken you don't get any flavor benefit from Parkay.

The trendy butter currently is Kerrygold Irish butter, and I've talked to several guys that use it when cooking their chicken.

 

[SmokyMose]

Probably convenience like olaf said. I've used a buttery injection with ribs but never brushed it on.
Maybe I'll try melting a little butter in the sauce for the final step.

 

[chopsaw]

I've been using it with chicken thighs and legs . Mixed with chicken base and injected . Comes out really good .

 

[Big Grouch]

Parkay doesn't break like butter, has a higher smoke point than butter , adds moisture, helps melt the sugars in the rub, and also helps to keep the sugars from caramelizing and possibly burning and it will help set the bark when used in spray form. There are so many other flavors in wrapped ribs or a pan of chicken you don't get any flavor benefit from Parkay.

The trendy butter currently is Kerrygold Irish butter, and I've talked to several guys that use it when cooking their chicken.

My girlfriend is a baking fiend. We get 5 boxes of Kerrygold every Costco run. I'll try it when I wrap the spares in the smoker now and report back.

 

[Chasdev]

To quote Homer Simpson; "butter your bacon"!

 

[Big Grouch]

I followed Malcom Reed's video from 2013. Used his Killer Hogs rub, tried my best to do what he did. Also my first time buying untrimmed spares, which were easy to trim after he showed how. (Also, I love rib tips). I used melted Kerrygold instead of Parkay. Camp Chef PG36, easily the best ribs I've ever made.

 

[WaterRat]

Just... no... I'm hardly the health snob but I will not intentionally eat or cook with parkay... I love Malcom's vids but I'll go my own way on that.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I dont add fat to ribs anymore. Some additional Rub, Brown Sugar and a squirt of BBQ sauce, does the trick for me. Seems to me, if you are going to add Fat to your Ribs, Bacon Grease or Lard would make more sense than Parkay...JJ

 

[thirdeye]

I dont add fat to ribs anymore. Some additional Rub, Brown Sugar and a squirt of BBQ sauce, does the trick for me. Seems to me, if you are going to add Fat to your Ribs, Bacon Grease or Lard would make more sense than Parkay...JJ

At a comp cooking class 8 or 10 years ago basting with lard was used as an example of layering flavors on ribs. A side by side taste test of gumbo roux, or tamales mass with lard proves the same thing.

After beef tallow when wrapping brisket became a fad, Harry Woo did a series of videos. In many tests, he preferred substituting lard.

 

[SmokinAl]

I just use butter if I foil, which I don’t do very often now. I used to use Parkay, because it was so easy, but I didn’t think it gave the same flavor as just using sliced butter. But that is just my opinion. I do like the idea of using bacon grease & may try that the next time I wrap ribs!
Al

 

[Big Grouch]

Thanks for the input everyone. I have been trying to find a baseline for ribs for years now, I was changing too many things at once. These ribs came out better by far than any I've done. Now any minor changes I'll know if they helped. I will definitely try the bacon grease, I always save it.

 

[daveomak]

I do quite a few whole roasted chickens and I use blue butter on the skin then add seasonings... I like the crisp skin and flavor it adds...
My bacon doesn't give me a lot of drippings... BUT... I did just buy a huge pack of bacon ends and pieces so I could get some fat stored up...
I'm thinking I will use the meat for flavorings like on baked spuds, salads etc... Maybe add some maple syrup to the bits and cook a bit longer for bacon snacks... whuda thunk it....