Getting flavor into rib meat


 
J

Joe Haynes

TVWBB Member
I have been working hard to improve my ribs. I have learned a lot and have made some progress. Here is a pic of my latest attempt at improvement.



The ribs taste great, are not greasy, and are nice and tender without falling apart. However, they need some flavor inside the meat. The outside "bark" and glaze adds a nice bit of seasoning but the meat on the inside is a little bland.

In an experiment, I tried adding a little salt to some meat that I pulled from a couple of ribs and the flavor was much better.

Is there a good technique for getting flavor like salt and some of the spices down into the rib meat?
 
Joe, I prefer to sprinkle a bit of salt or maybe even a tad of milder rub between the ribs after I cut 'em apart. (Sometimes I actually remember to do this!)
 
Hey Joe, first of all, your rib cook there looks SPECTACULAR!!
What I like to do is prep the ribs a day before the cook by cleaning them however you do (I just wash em with cold tap water and dry). No matter the size, I use a half lime of juice on each side (sometimes the whole lime a side)((I LOVE LIMES))then season the daylights outta them with my favourite rub. Seal em up in foil and refridge overnight until an hour before smoketime. Lettem sit to warm up, keepin the dog and cat away, and add an additional coating of rub if you think it's needed.
Then cook em til you get hungry
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salt can do wonders for typical, commercial (IMO bland) pork, that's why I always try to brine it first.

I don't usually bother with ribs though, but I have been known to give an injection of brine between each bone on a rack and let it sit overnight before smoking.
 
i think i'm the oddball cuz i like mine rather plain. salt, pepper and sometimes garlic powder. smoke them with pecan and eat. i like to taste the meat. sometimes i might put q sauce on the side.
 
Thanks for the help and thanks, Jim for the compliment on the ribs.

Any tips on where to find good pork? My Dad used to raise hogs. He stopped that a couple of years ago. Now, I can't find anything bu grocery store ribs in my area.
 
Hey Joe,

Your comment about the ribs being "not greasy" caught my eye. That's the one thing about ribs that bothers me. Care to share any techniques you have learned to help in that regard?

Thanks,

JimT
 
Hi Jim:

I'm not an expert, but I'll be glad to share with you what I do.

I look for ribs that don't have a lot of fat on them. I look for lean meat with a little marbling, not big areas covered with fat.

I trim the ribs St. Louis style. I then remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.

I take a knife and scrape the excess fat off the back (bare bone side) of the ribs.

I turn them over and trim off any large areas of fat that I see. On the thick end of the ribs you will usually find a big chunk of fat under a thin strip of meat. I cut that stuff out. I leave a little fat on the rack but not a lot.

When I cook the ribs, I make sure the temps are around 225 to 275. I have tried foiling and tried not foiling. Most of the time, I prefer foiling because it just speeds up the process a little. I usually cook them for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours before foiling.

Then, I cook them in foil using a little of something sweet, some spice, and some liquid (usually margarine or chicken broth and some of the spritz). I usually keep them in the foil for about an hour. I don't want them to get too tender in the foil.

Now, the last part, I think, is very important for removing a lot of the grease that can be in the ribs. I remove them from the foil and cook them for at least another hour. That last hour is very important. It seems that the excess grease in the ribs begins to render out and they begin to dry a little and get a really nice meaty texture. You do have to be careful to keep the temps down around 225 - 250 and away from direct heat if you don't want them to get really dark colored and dry out too much.

That's pretty much what I do. I'm sure some of the veterans here can offer some better advice.
 
I don't find supermarket pork fatty enough.

Anyway, Joe, look here for better pork. Babes in the Woods is great and there are others.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by j biesinger:
salt can do wonders for typical, commercial (IMO bland) pork, that's why I always try to brine it first.

I don't usually bother with ribs though, but I have been known to give an injection of brine between each bone on a rack and let it sit overnight before smoking. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like that idea
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I was reading some old posts on the forum and ran across this and then saw your current thread. Check this out. Stogie was one of the big dogs on this forum when I was just getting my feet wet. We havent heard from him in a while but learned alot from the wisdom he shared. Anyways there are a few ideas in this thread to marinate ribs a couple of different ways to see if this is what your looking for.

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/fo...700004152#6700004152


As to finding good pork its all legwork. Check out some of the local butchers (if your lucky enough to have some nearby) even if they are just buying box meat they might have some insights on where you may find who's slaughtering locally. Your profile dosent say where in VA you are so if your near the DC area go the other route and check with the high end grocery stores that might be trying to set themselves apart from one another and might have a local supplier.
 
Joe: Thanks for posting your method. I didn't see any mention of pre-rubbing/marinating/brining the ribs and letting them sit for a while. Do you do that? If not, that is an obvious way to get at your problem.

Many people slather ribs with yellow mustard, salad dressing, or something similar, and then add rub/spice on top of that, and then it sit for hours in the fridge. I prefer a mix of mustard and balsamic vinegar (which adds both sweet and acid) followed by a heavy dose of rub, then into giant Ziplocs for several hours. Then I let it sit and come up to room temperature (until they sweat) for about an hour while the fire is warming up.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
I don't find supermarket pork fatty enough.

Anyway, Joe, look here for better pork. Babes in the Woods is great and there are others. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ditto. You shouldn't need to flavor Ribs. (other than rub). However, you could always marinate the ribs if you really wanted to.
 
Eric:

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try it out.

I'm sorry I wasn't real clear in my previous post. I do put rub on the ribs and let them sit in the fridge before cooking them. Usually, I make my own rub.

Instead of salt, I start with Zatarain's Creole Seasoning and cut it with paprika, granulated garlic, black pepper, red pepper, white pepper, onion powder, and some reduced sodium Old Bay seasoning. Between the Zatarains and the Old Bay, there is no need to add salt.

I rub the ribs with the mixture and let the ribs rest for a while. Before I foil the ribs, I adda little more of the rub.

I have also considered getting ribs with more fat on them but I just don't like getting a mouth full of fat in ribs nor do I like greasy ribs. A lot of flavor is in the fat I know, but I'm looking for a way to balance the fat and the flavor.
 
Personally, I dislike rubbing ribs much more than 10 minutes before cooking. And I much prefer to load the ribs in cold - no warming whatsoever prior to cooking.
 
How much salt are you using in your ribs and how much smoke wood are you using? Through reading and cooking, I'm starting to agree that a good amount of salt in the rub or perhaps a layered rub method with salt in first allows the flavors to hit the rib a bit better.

Brining will impart some more flavor to the meat, but you must also be careful not to 'ham' your meat. I've been reading lots of reports that brined ribs are a bit more 'hammy' than those that aren't.

For myself, I prep the WSM and get the fire going. While it is coming up to temp, I prep my ribs and bring them right out to smoke. My best results have been with a combo of 2:1 apple to cherry.

My last experience with hickory and ribs didn't turn out to my liking. There were some other factors, but if I use hickory again with my ribs it will be in VERY small amounts.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Brining will impart some more flavor to the meat, but you must also be careful not to 'ham' your meat. I've been reading lots of reports that brined ribs are a bit more 'hammy' than those that aren't.

For myself, I prep the WSM and get the fire going. While it is coming up to temp, I prep my ribs and bring them right out to smoke. My best results have been with a combo of 2:1 apple to cherry.

My last experience with hickory and ribs didn't turn out to my liking. There were some other factors, but if I use hickory again with my ribs it will be in VERY small amounts. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've never had hammy issues shooting brine. but I wouldn't be opposed to a little ham flavor even if it was there.

I'm moving away from putting my meat on while the cooker is coming to temp. And I bury my smoke woods so that they don't ignite until my minion start is well on it way. I've cut way back on the smoke flavor, as a result, but I think the flavor is a lot cleaner.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Personally, I dislike rubbing ribs much more than 10 minutes before cooking. And I much prefer to load the ribs in cold - no warming whatsoever prior to cooking.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd like to know you reasoning.

I go either way, mostly depends on my schedule. For example, in a comp I'll pre-rub the night before so I can simply toss them on at whatever time. At home I'll usually have time to trim and rub while the cooker comes to temp. I haven't noticed a difference, but never have eaten them side to side.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Personally, I dislike rubbing ribs much more than 10 minutes before cooking. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do the same. Rub them, then they go right in. Actually I do butts and brisket that way too. I hardly use any salt on pork, though I like brisket a bit on the salty side.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom R (doughboy):
How much salt are you using in your ribs and how much smoke wood are you using? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

2 chunks of cherry or apple. I prefer a light smoke flavor.
 
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