- Pork ribs are especially juicy and delicious when the meat is well marbled. When purchasing pork ribs, choose ribs with lots of great marbling and a lot of meat.
- Remove the white membrane on the back / inner side of ribs. This thick membrane can become more papery when cooked, but tends to be unpleasant in the eating experience. The membrane also prevents flavor from penetrating the meat
- Season all sides of the ribs, the bone side where the membrane was, the top meat side, all the edges, you’ll want full flavor in every bite!
- Set bark for maximum flavor content. The spice rib that you cook onto the ribs will caramelize against the surface of the protein. If your finger wipes away the rub, the bark is not set. Keep cooking.
And don’t worry, black bark does not mean its burnt. Blackened bark means the sugars have caramelized. - Wrap ribs in tin foil and additional seasoning to maintain moisture and accelerate cooking. By wrapping ribs in foil, a steaming or braising effect will expedite the rendering process, while keeping all the great juices together.
- Ribs have high collagen content. That means cooking ribs until probe tender when the collagen breaks down into gelatin) will ensure a clean bite, with no pull. Probe tender means inserting a probe where it feels like inserting into softened butter. This ensures the ribs are rendered, but most importantly the ribs will be tender when biting into them.
- Rest the ribs after cooking. Its incredibly difficult to wait another 30-60 minutes after smelling the delicious aroma of ribs cooking, but when meat rests, moisture is reabsorbed, the muscle proteins relax and you’re more likely not to see your friends and family yank the bone away from their gnashed teeth.
- Learn about the different cuts or style or ribs
Ready to cook? Follow this link to a recipe for quick BBQ Baby Back Ribs.