Par Boil Ribs, Why?


 
G

Gary N

TVWBB Member
Just curious. Last year during a bbq cook off, the team next to me par boiled their baby back ribs, then finished on their smoker. Yes, they even took second place!
There is plenty enough time to cook ribs before turn in time, so not sure why to par boil.
Anyone else par boil baby backs, St. Louis or spareribs before smoking? I am againest it as I feel it may boil out some of the flavor (natural juices), just mho. If time is the issue, than why smoke them, just par boil and grill. Am I wrong in thinking par boiling is a cardinal sin when smoking meats?
Any other take on this?

Thanks,

Gary
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gary N:
Just curious. Last year during a bbq cook off, the team next to me par boiled their baby back ribs, then finished on their smoker. Yes, they even took second place!
There is plenty enough time to cook ribs before turn in time, so not sure why to par boil.
Anyone else par boil baby backs, St. Louis or spareribs before smoking? I am againest it as I feel it may boil out some of the flavor (natural juices), just mho. If time is the issue, than why smoke them, just par boil and grill. Am I wrong in thinking par boiling is a cardinal sin when smoking meats?
Any other take on this?

Thanks,

Gary </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I honestly think it's because people just don't know any better and the 2nd place was a fluke or the competition wasn't up to par...
 
Was there a best pork flavored water entry? Thats as bad as par boiling chicken before it hits the grill.
 
Glad to hear the responses. I was thinking the same thing but thought maybe I was missing something! The event was a pretty large county fair (20 teams) in the cook off but not a KCBS event. The team had a propane burner and boiled their ribs first. The team on the other side of me was just as taken back as we were.
As mentioned, the event was probably not up to par and the bar was not set high. I know there were some pretty good teams there from around middle Tennessee and many have won some big contests so I know they left scratching their heads also.
Never saw that before or since, thank heavens!
 
This may be sacriligious, but:

I can see par-boiling ribs before GRILLING, if you're short on time, and/or if you do not have access to a smoker.

If the water is infused with other stuff, it can add subtle flavors into the meat.

Before I had my WSM, we tried 2 different recipes, which the whole family enjoyed:
-One started by baking them in the oven (with considerable flavored liquid - similar to par-boil) with onions, ginger, and some other asian spice. Then grilled with some other asian-inspired sauce to finish. It was really quite tasty.
-The other "Mom's bourbon ribs" continues to be a family favorite for those in our family who are WSM-deprived. The ribs are boiled in a mixture of beef broth, onions, and spices - then grilled with a thin sauce with a fair amount of Bourbon in it. Again - it's quite good.

However, it's definitely not the sort of thing that I would think would be acceptable at a reputable BBQ competition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top