Pulling Silver Skin from ribs

[lght]

Normally I only cook a few slabs and don't have a problem trimming and pulling the silver skin.  However a few weekends ago I cooked 18 slabs on my WSM and to be honest it was harder pulling the silver skin thin doing anything else. 

Not sure if it was the meat or what, but normally I just get under the silverskin toward the middle and use the back of a butter knife to pull it up and off the ribs in one pieces.  However this time when pulling the skin back it would come off easily and would tear often causing me to have to pull it off in small pieces.  Imagine that process times 18 slabs.  It must have taken 30 minutes just to pull the SS.

Is there a quick and easy way to get the SS off without fighting it?  Does the temp of the ribs matter when trying to pull at all? 

Any help and or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Normally I only cook a few slabs and don't have a problem trimming and pulling the silver skin.  However a few weekends ago I cooked 18 slabs on my WSM and to be honest it was harder pulling the silver skin thin doing anything else. 

Not sure if it was the meat or what, but normally I just get under the silverskin toward the middle and use the back of a butter knife to pull it up and off the ribs in one pieces.  However this time when pulling the skin back it would come off easily and would tear often causing me to have to pull it off in small pieces.  Imagine that process times 18 slabs.  It must have taken 30 minutes just to pull the SS.

Is there a quick and easy way to get the SS off without fighting it?  Does the temp of the ribs matter when trying to pull at all? 

Any help and or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Before seasoning/smoking, slide a butter knife under the back skin membrane. With a towel or paper towel grab the skin you just took up with the knife and pull. I normally start from the short rib and pull to the larger one but i guess it will work either way.

 

[daveomak]

LGHT, evening...  Someone on here suggested running the SS side of the ribs under hot water for a minute or so....  I tried it a couple weeks ago and the hot water loosened the SS and it came right off.... Easy Peasy I tell ya.... I love this place.... even an idiot like me can learn stuff that is worth putting in the to-do-again file.....

Dave

 

[alblancher]

I hadn't heard the hot water trick.  Butter knife and paper towels is what I normally use

 

[greenrn]

The easiest my silver skin came off was once when my ribs were still frozen.

 

[bama bbq]

I've only done 3 racks at once and can't imagine multiplying the PITA SS removal by 6.  I like the hot water idea, I too have only used the butter knife/paper towel trick.

 

[s2k9k]

LGHT, evening...  Someone on here suggested running the SS side of the ribs under hot water for a minute or so....  I tried it a couple weeks ago and the hot water loosened the SS and it came right off.... Easy Peasy I tell ya.... I love this place.... even an idiot like me can learn stuff that is worth putting in the to-do-again file.....

Dave

Would there be any concern of raising the temp of the meat over 40* if you were going to rub and put back in the fridge overnight?

 

[lght]

thanks all for the tips, yeah I normally just use the back of a butter knife as mentioned, but this time no go and it was a PITA for sure.  I'll have to try running them under hot water to loosen them up next time or even try when they are still frozen.  I do recall them being a little colder than room temperature. 

I don't think running them under a little hot water will even change the temp much since it's the back of the rack with the SS still on. 

 

[ritamcd]

Talking about the underside of the rib rack ?
I have never bothered removing it before .. is there a reason ? other than presentation ?

 

[pops6927]

That's the way the pro's do it at competitions.  It is all preference for personal cooking.  I never remove the membrane myself or trim the brisket off or the skirt steak myself, I want 100% of what I paid for on my plate, not in the garbage or set aside for later, lol... but that's just the meatcutter in me!  Personally, I like chewing off the membrane and eating it, makes me appreciate my false teeth, lol!  It's like a natural casing hot dog (like Hofmann's[emoji]174[/emoji]); it just adds that extra Snap!

 

[ritamcd]

That's the way the pro's do it at competitions.  It is all preference for personal cooking.  I never remove the membrane myself or trim the brisket off or the skirt steak myself, I want 100% of what I paid for on my plate, not in the garbage or set aside for later, lol... but that's just the meatcutter in me!  Personally, I like chewing off the membrane and eating it, makes me appreciate my false teeth, lol!  It's like a natural casing hot dog (like Hofmann's[emoji]174[/emoji]); it just adds that extra Snap!

  OK .. I had thought I was totally missing a step here .. we just eat around it

 

[thin blue smoke]

Watched a show this last weekend with Guy Fieri checking out BBQ joints around the US and two different rib joints left the silver skin on until they took it out of the smoker. Each claimed it held the moisture in while smoking the ribs. It appeared to come off quite easily. I have always removed it beforehand, but think I will try their method. 

 

[jrod62]

I do the warm water trick. Works great !!
I use warm water, just about 30 sec will do it.
Costco ribs have it removed for you. That the way to go if you have a lot to do .

 

[shoneyboy]

Watched a show this last weekend with Guy Fieri checking out BBQ joints around the US and two different rib joints left the silver skin on until they took it out of the smoker. Each claimed it held the moisture in while smoking the ribs. It appeared to come off quite easily. I have always removed it beforehand, but think I will try their method. 

I saw this same show and thought that I would be a good thing to try. In the past I have always removed it though....I usually have been able to get it off with a butter knife and a paper towel, but the last couple times I smoked ribs, I had the hardest time with getting that silver skin off. Luckily, I have a pair of catfish skinning pliers 

 worked like a champ !!! ShoneyBoy

 

[eman]

I saw this same show and thought that I would be a good thing to try. In the past I have always removed it though....I usually have been able to get it off with a butter knife and a paper towel, but the last couple times I smoked ribs, I had the hardest time with getting that silver skin off. Luckily, I have a pair of catfish skinning pliers 

 worked like a champ !!! ShoneyBoy

Doesn't everyone?

 

[lght]

I like chewing off the membrane and eating it, makes me appreciate my false teetdh, lol! 

That's too funny!!   I learned from to cook from a bunch of competition guys so of course removing the silver skin is a must.  A while back I did forget to remove it once and tried to chew through it and just ended up pulling it off afterward.  I've never had a problem with dry ribs, but I like the idea of cooking with it on and removing it maybe right before I sauce them.

On a side note I think I may have to get a pair of those catfish skinners!!  Since it's summer and I took up float tubbing last year hopefully I'm going to need them for all the catfish I plan on catching. 

 

[shea1973]

Some good suggestions here on pulling off that silver stuff.  I always have trouble, breaks in several diffirent places.  Takes me forever just to do one slab.  Next time I smoked some ribs I will have to give these suggestions a try!

 

[kryinggame]

It took a while before I was able to master it. I've found that it's easier to remove the membrane from spare ribs but more difficult with baby back.

 

[bullettuth]

Ive tried leaving the membrane on and off when smoking on the BBQ.  Personally I find the meat tastes better with it off.  I noticed no differences in tenderness.  And its "juicey" factor is the same.

Best way to move the membrane is needle nose pliers.  Grab corner and peel.  Done in seconds!

 

[flyweed]

if you buy them fresh over your Local meat counter, just tell the butcher or guy behind the counter to remove it for you.....they will happily do so....I do it everytime I do ribs...the ONLY time I leave that skin on is for Beef ribs..because it cooks off of them.

Dan