chine bone on a pork rib roast
- Thread starter AdamKing
- Start date
Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
Ideally, you would have the butcher do it (with his bandsaw, he stands the loin on end and makes one shallow cut (about an inch into the loin), just enough to separate the ribs from the chine (you're cutting through the ribs, not the chine). He may have to turn the loin from bottom to top then top to bottom (rotate it) so he can get the other half done. In all likelihood, the bandsaw head can't be opened tall enough to get the whole loin in at one go.
Then, when you get home you finish the cut by cutting along the chine/rib stubs. Lastly would be you making a cut following the rib line from top to bottom. You'd end up with:
1)back ribs with however much meat you left on them when you did that final cut (cut ribs off the loin)
2)boneless loin roast
3)chine (with rib stubs attached). You can further trim this to get those little morsels between the rib stubs. Although there was another thread about people asking what to do with the chine, IMO cut what little meat is left on that bone and toss the bone.
Failing that unless you have a meat band saw, your only alternative is to leave it in place. Or cut around the rib then the chine then the rib then the chine, etc..Not a viable solution.
Bottom line is you have to cut through the ribs (very close to where they join the chine) to separate them from the chine.
Get your butcher to do it.
edit: This video
goes about it slightly differently but catches the sssence of what I described. Whereas I only make that 1" deep cut (IMO, I leave more meat on the loin doing it my way), he cuts the whole chine out in one swoop. EIther way will work. Only the first minute relates to your question.
Then, when you get home you finish the cut by cutting along the chine/rib stubs. Lastly would be you making a cut following the rib line from top to bottom. You'd end up with:
1)back ribs with however much meat you left on them when you did that final cut (cut ribs off the loin)
2)boneless loin roast
3)chine (with rib stubs attached). You can further trim this to get those little morsels between the rib stubs. Although there was another thread about people asking what to do with the chine, IMO cut what little meat is left on that bone and toss the bone.
Failing that unless you have a meat band saw, your only alternative is to leave it in place. Or cut around the rib then the chine then the rib then the chine, etc..Not a viable solution.
Bottom line is you have to cut through the ribs (very close to where they join the chine) to separate them from the chine.
Get your butcher to do it.
edit: This video
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Thanks for the help. So i was planning on leaving the ribs intact with the loin for the cook. When it is done i was planning on cutting it into chops with by cutting between the ribs but my understanding is that this is difficult to do with the chine bone intact. Is this accurate or can i just as easily leave it on and cut through the chine bone at the bottom as well?
Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
Never done it. I would guess that you might be able to wiggle a sharp knife through where the rib joins into the chine but I think it would be very (if not impossible) difficult and probably look like %&*# when you were done.
I have a gut feeling that the best way will be to cut the loin out (uncooked--it'll be one long roast) from the ribs-will-still-be-attached-to-the-chine with a sharp pointy knife before you cook it. In essence, cook a boneless loin roast then slice the finshed product. It will be very difficult if not impossible to try to find where each vertabrate is joined to it's neighbour to try to separate each with its own attached rib.
It won't be a straight cut through is why. It's "wiggly"-shaped, not smooth. Just like you've seen pictures of our own spine, so the pig's is the same. That's why we can move like we do.
When you buy rib chops, the butcher cuts through the chine/loin meat with a band saw to make each individual chop.
Sorry
edit-->just a thought: it won't look pretty BUT what you might consider doing is cooking it whole like you wanted. When it was done, take your sharp knife and cut it like you wanted to down to the chine. Then, wearing gloves grab ahold of the cut chop and try twisting it right at the base and in that way, you can separate the cut chop from the rest of the (uncut) roast. It will be hot so that's why you wear silicone gloves. It will separate from its neighbour and then you could cut through the sinews/whatever that hold one vertebrate to its neighbour.
It won't be pretty but it is an alternative to consider.
I have a gut feeling that the best way will be to cut the loin out (uncooked--it'll be one long roast) from the ribs-will-still-be-attached-to-the-chine with a sharp pointy knife before you cook it. In essence, cook a boneless loin roast then slice the finshed product. It will be very difficult if not impossible to try to find where each vertabrate is joined to it's neighbour to try to separate each with its own attached rib.
It won't be a straight cut through is why. It's "wiggly"-shaped, not smooth. Just like you've seen pictures of our own spine, so the pig's is the same. That's why we can move like we do.
When you buy rib chops, the butcher cuts through the chine/loin meat with a band saw to make each individual chop.
Sorry
edit-->just a thought: it won't look pretty BUT what you might consider doing is cooking it whole like you wanted. When it was done, take your sharp knife and cut it like you wanted to down to the chine. Then, wearing gloves grab ahold of the cut chop and try twisting it right at the base and in that way, you can separate the cut chop from the rest of the (uncut) roast. It will be hot so that's why you wear silicone gloves. It will separate from its neighbour and then you could cut through the sinews/whatever that hold one vertebrate to its neighbour.
It won't be pretty but it is an alternative to consider.
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Cliff Bartlett
R.I.P. 5/17/2021
Adam.. I posted my reply on my thread in photo gallery. Sorry, I didn't see your question earlier. It is a fair amount of work, but worth it to me. My last rack of pork I failed to do it and my individual rib slices were not pretty. I bought my racks at Costco so having the butcher do it was not an option.
Thanks for the help. Im pretty determined to cook it on the bone. Ive cooked plenty of just pork loins and was wanting to try something new. Ill use a resiprocating saw if i have too haha. Ill post some pics of the cook for the first time in awhile in a few days! Im planning on doing the herb paste rub from the virtual weber bullet and will inject with an orange juice Worcestershire mix because i cant decide between chrises two aproaches.
Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
KevinJ
TVWBB Pro
I did the same this a while ago when I bought a bone in roast and wanted to slice with the bone still in. It took me some time and I used an old serrated knife to cut through everything. Stay determined and leave the bones in, it worth it in the presentation. Remember to wrap the bones with foil so they don't get dark. Here is a link to a post showing the roast I did.
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?58729-Two-Recent-Cook
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?58729-Two-Recent-Cook
timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
May I suggest a hacksaw. That's similar to a hand held meat saw that butchers used to use. Or a heavy clever? use the backside to crack the backbone, than the business end to finish the cut.
Tim