Membrane on Back Bone Side of Ribs


 
G

George Payne

TVWBB Fan
Do any, most, or none of you remove the membrane off the back of ribs before a smoke ? I was taught to always take it off, which adds a bit of prep time. Some get down right contankerous and I use my paper towels and pliers to pull it off. It never, of course, just comes off in one nice piece, it breaks and I have to start fresh again to get it off. Some recommend to forget about it and leave it on.

What's yall's thinking on leaving it on, or taking it off ? I want the best flavor I can get, even if I have to spend more prep time doing it.

Thanks for any input.
 
I take it off because I read that the rub doesn't get to the meat with the membrane on. I'm no expert but I believe those that are.
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Thanks Lew. A good point i've heard from others. With that said, I've had others say once the meat get good and hot the membrane is going to crack and peel away and it's really not that critical to take it off. I didn't tell my wife, but I tried a rack of spare ribs with the membrane on and she never noticed the difference. To be honest, I forgot I left it on and they tasted wonderful to me also. I hope to get some more responses, and I really appreciate yours.
 
I remove the membrane by chilling the ribs in the freezer for a while before working on it. It's harder to do when they're room temp.

That said, I have just cut the membrane between each bone to minimize the "tough" effect after cooking.

Doz-at make sense?
 
Yeah,they are a tough nut to remove,but that's the way Pammi Sue likes 'em! I use a butter knife to get 'em started,the pull like crazy with a paper towel. Sometimes they come off in 1 piece,sometimes not.
 
I think it's better to take it off, I had a little rib-off with a buddy who left it on and his ribs were tough because the membrane was holding on to the meat. A little extra work is well worth a great rib!!
 
I only buy BBs from Costco and I think I sometimes get lucky and get racks that already have the membrane removed. It sounds crazy but I've removed enough membranes and sometimes there is just nothing there to get under with the butter knife except the inner membrane that you're supposed to leave on.
 
I cook spares 99% of the time, so maybe they are easier. I always pull the membrane while they are cold/out of the fridge.

Slipping a butter knife under the membrane right on the rib at the large end, then work it loose to the edge. Pull with a paper towel and they usually come off in one piece, maybe a break on occasion but not much of a hassle at all. Just grab again with the paper towel and pull again and the rest comes off.

I've never had to use pliers in all the years of doing this so it's always curious to me when I here folks mention that. Of course I'm typically only cooking a maximum of 6-8 racks at most so maybe just lucky.

Now that said, I really don't think removing the membrane adds much to the rub or whatever treatment as far as penetration. My experience is that since this is the back side there's really nothing there except a very thin layer of fat and the bone itself.

I don't think you gain anything from the rub that goes on the back side of ribs. Understand that I apply rub anyway, just don't think it's getting into the meat at all from there.

So from that perspective, membrane on or off I think adds nothing to penetration, just flavor on the surface. So doesn't matter if that's the concern IMHO.

My sister is one who prefers the membrane left on and likes the crunch. I've found others that prefer it as well for the same reason. But still remove it these days/last few years as a general rule.

If you are buying from a butcher or where there's one present - ask them to do it for you
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Originally posted by Chuck_B:
No matter what, they never come off easy for me so I've stopped and I just score them.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm pretty much with Chuck here, if you are having trouble with one or several after the first try just do this. Your ribs aren't going to suffer. And if you aren't talking about competition, who cares - unless there's some specific aversion.
 
Every now and then I come across a membrane that may be diffiult to remove, but most come off rather easily. Always... Always remove the membrane. Can't think of one good reason why I would leave it on.

Peace...
 
Thanks folks for the advice. I had one other suggest using a screw driver, which has a good handle on it, and work it under the membrane which is a lot safer than using any kind of knife. Just one more idea to think about. When I mentioned pliers, I would get a good hold of the membrane with paper towels and then pull it off using the pliers, makes for an easy grip.
 
I go with the cold ribs, butter knife & paper towels method.

The more you do it, the better you get at it, and the faster you get. It's a bit tough at first, but you'll get better.
 
I've had some luck with starting on the small end of the rack and pulling it off with a slow even pulling pressure. Don't try to rip it off, that's how it comes aprt into pieces.

To get it started, start on the small end, use a butter knife, and scrape along the back of the smallest bone. The membrane will come up pretty easily. Then grab it with a paper towel and pull slowly.

Russ
 
I'll try Russ's suggestion, but I've found that starting in the middle is much easier. I use a blunt spoon handle (nothing even remotely sharp), insert next to a rib, push onto the rib and pry up. Then repeat on the one next to it so I have a loose part I can put my thumb and paper towel under. That almost always comes off in one piece for me where starting at an end has always broken up.

At the big end, the membrane seems to sort of peter out -- maybe it's there, but I don't sweat it. I think the meat between the ribs definitely benefits from the rub on the bone side. And where do you think the term "bone-sucking" comes from?
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Rich
 
Thought I was going to die once choking on the membrane. I remove it all the time. since started slicing into individuals ribs, it probably doesnt make much of a difference
 
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