pork back ribs taste gamey

PeteG

Hi all. First post. Been lurking for a while. Hope everybody had a great Memorial Day weekend.

This weekend I made pork back ribs for some guests. They were Swift Premium, individually cryo-vacced slabs, purchased from the local grocery store.  I did a 2-2-1 cook at 225 degrees over Royal Oak and hickory. 2 hours naked with a salt rub.  2 hours in foil with a little bbq sauce. 1 more hour out of the foil with a little more sauce.  I've used this method many times for ribs, but I usually buy St. Louis cut from Costco, so these particular ribs were new to me.

The result was visually typical and texture was spot-on, but the flavor of the meat was super "porky" or "gamey". The flavor was overpowering, and though my guests were gracious about it, it was pretty obvious by the amount of leftovers that nobody enjoyed it.

Any thoughts on what could have gone wrong? Did I just buy some bad ribs, or is there something in my cooking method that made the ribs taste off? 

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks!

GrillSgt

99.9% that it was bad ribs. I can't imagine anyway that a cook could add gaminess. HOWEVER I could imagine if you used chips or chunks that had been compromised somehow that you could get a nasty flavor.

Foghorn

I agree with @GrillSgt.  Most likely some bad ribs.  Secondary consideration is that you could have put the ribs on before your smoke profile was good and clean - or you had too much wood mixed in with your charcoal (I've done that).

PeteG

Thanks GrillSgt! I've used this batch of wood several times, no issues, and it's always been kept cool and dry; so I think we can rule the wood out. I, too, suspect a bad batch of meat.  Are "back ribs" perhaps just a gamier cut than baby backs or St. Louis?

PeteG

Thanks Foghorn!  Two large chunks of dry hickory and I waited for clean, blue smoke.  Definitely seems like a meat issue here.

Theophan

I agree -- I can't think of anything about the fire or smoke, etc., that would make it taste gamey, too "porky."  I think something was wrong with the ribs.

lousubcap

@PeteG - welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.
Nothing to add regarding the rib flavor other than another vote for bad ribs.  

saluki2007

Is there any chances you noticed an off smell when you open the ribs from the cryo vac?  Usually a good idea to give them a sniff as that might tell you on the front end that they might be bad.

lkapigian

When cryo and is has that gamey smell AFTER Rinsing and setting for a few minutes Toss Them........Cryo has that Funk Smell but it should Go Away--I have tossed Pork before even before the Sell By....you dont ever know if that stuff was warmed and cooled

fishlessman

look over the package really close, i believe they have a solution added even though it usually says natural.  ive pretty much single sourced my ribs here to a local guy, i just dont trust the big supermarkets with ribs anymore

GrillSgt

Well I didn't want to preach again but "Enhanced" meats suck. PERIOD.

bluebird66

Welcome!

Beavercreek_Smoker

Sorry for your loss. I think we all have had a bad cook one time or another. Don't sweat it and try again. It sounds like you know what your doing as far as preparing the egg before putting meat on. What I do and sounds like you did also, start egg and stabilize temp. Let go till charcoal stops smoking. Then add wood and platesetter and let the wild white smoke die down to a clear smoke. then add meat and watch temp and make adjustments as necessary till it locks in to the target temp. 

Ive never experienced anything like what your talking about, "To Porky"... Maybe it was just bad or old ribs, at least no one got sick right? Try again with just one rack for you or a couple for you and family. Repeat what you did the last time but buy from a different vendor if that is an option for you. I buy Frozen from a local restaurant supply store. There trimmed and skinned and ready to thaw and rub. I can thaw them in a sink of cold water in an hour or thaw in fridge for a couple days. My point is I don't have to worry about spoiled meat because they are frozen right after they are cut and trimmed. 5 rack box runs me about $40 +/- so they are a little more expensive then the local Kroger's but not have to do the work of trimming and removing the membrane and have restaurant quality ribs is worth it to me. 

If you got bad meat from your store, time to find a new meat market... There is no excuses for selling bad meat. (if in fact it was bad)