How do I select Baby Backs at meat case?

[Deleted User] · September 2010

I really wish I had more time to spend with my Egg... I still can't consistently get ribs right!

Attempted Car Wash Mike Baby Backs yesterday. Followed instructions (and temps) to the letter.

4 racks, started at 10:30AM, they weren't "done" until around 6:30PM. Even then, there were some that needed more time. Kept misting them at least once an hour throughout cook. They weren't dry, but, for example, the smaller ends were more done than the thicker ones.

One thing I did notice, that appeared different from the pics in the recipe, the ribs I got (Kroger, 2.99/lb with kroger card) had a strip of meat (maybe 1 to 1-1/2" thick) running along the length of the ribs (perpendicular to the bone), it made that part of the rib somewhat thick. We were so glad to find ribs at all that we grabbed them and left.

I read a couple of things about this extra meat and that it can add 1 to 2 extra hourse to cooking, which is about what happened.

So these were obviously ribs that varied in thickness along their length, and I'm wondering how much that affects cooking.

So my question is... how does one pick baby back ribs at the meat case/counter? Do they need to be trimmed? Will the butcher at the store do it for me?

Also, I used JJ's Rub recipe, it said "salt to taste". I added two parts rub (without salt) to 1 part salt. Is that too much salt? My hands feel a bit puffy this morning.

Thanks in advance.

highpress · September 2010

The flap of meat you are referring to is called the skirt. If they were indeed spares, then yes, they require aprox 2 more hours cook time than baby backs. Did you remove the membrane?

Also, i prefer my spare ribs St. Louis style. Check this video. Also, i prefer a 3/2/1 method for spares and 3/1/1/ method for baby backs. For me, i prefer the consistensy of the rib it produces than leaving naked or spritzing every hour...

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/spareribprep.html
Best video i've seen for rib prep. This is what i do.

As far as rubs, i use either Dizzy Pig or Steve Reichlin Basic BBQ rub. Any rub that you like will work. Then when i foil sometime's i'll spritz with apple juice and honey, then sauce last 30mins of cook. HTH

[Deleted User] · September 2010

They were labled "baby back ribs". And they were about the same size bone as others we've gotten. They just had that big old "skirt" on them.

So what's the deal on the skirt? Do BB's sometimes have them? should they be trimmed?

Yeah.. I did not foil (braise step). Was trying the full BBQ technique.

Membrance was removed. We added the rub and refridgerated about 2 hours. I made sure the plate-setter, drip pan, grid, and v-rack were in place for about 90 mins and got all stabalized at the 225 recommended by the CWM. I turned the ribs every hour, top to bottom, inside to outside, and misted.

Did not have Dizzy Pig (and apparently they are hard to find or not in retail).

Mike in Abita · September 2010

I cannot find babyback ribs, they are sold in my area as loin back ribs. The babyback ribs I'm use to are like the ones at Appleby's, little to no meat and lots of long skinny bones.

The loin backs I normally get have this flap of meat you describe a much wider and shorter bone and require a longer cooking time than most stated on this forum. I normally cook them till they pass the bend test.

How do I pick them out. Easy, I tell the wife to buy the most expensive pack as they are the heaviest (meaning most amout of meat). While I like the bones I don't think I've ever eaten one, and much prefer the meat that is attached. :woohoo:

We usually buy the three pack from Sam's club.

You can see a little of the what I know as the flap on the slab to the left in this photo.

highpress · September 2010

Hmm. that's weird then. Never seen baby backs with a skirt on them.

As far as the skirt goes, to be honest i always trim and normally throw away. Alot of people will cook them and eat seperate or save and for later in other dishes. Do a searh for trimmings or similiar something should come up. I know Vidalia1 sent me a recipe for the trimmings i haven't been able to make, although it looks really good...

I've found Dizzy Pig sold at a local egg distributor, but i normally just order online.

Sounds like you did everything right, the only thing i might suggest is bumping the temp up to 250 and calibrate thermo. Maybe it't possible you got a bad piece of meat.... Good luck.

[Deleted User] · September 2010

Is it easy to trim? If so what's the technique?

Can I ask the butcher at Costco or Kroger to trim them if they are in the cryovac package?

Our first stop was Costco, but the case was empty. You Costco guys... do they usually trim this skirt off?

gdenby · September 2010

The thickness will make a lot of difference in cooking time and doneness, especially if the composition of the cut changes from place to place. For instance, un-trimmed spares are then and mostly meat at one end, and at the other end, one side is almost solid bone.

Sometimes you can fudge things a bit by placing foil around thinner parts to keep them from cooking as fast. Or fold thin (boneless) portions over to double the thickness.

Ultimately, trim to just the portions that will cook consistently.

It seems that different areas have slightly different ways to cut meat up. I saw a blog post not to long ago where a bunch of folks watched how one half a hog was cut up French style, the other English. I've had trouble getting the cuts I want from half hogs I've bought, because the processor has a checklist of cuts, and the notes I've passed thru the farmer have not always translated. So, depending on what your butcher/meat cutter understands, its hard to say exactly how you might respond to requests for trimming.

Most of the time the butchers I have talked to are willing to do the cutting, altho often with a notable extra fee. That's why I have a good knives, cleavers and saws at home. Just give me a big hunk, and let me mess with it as I like.

I don't recall ever seeing a recipe for a rub that was more than 1/3 salt. I did once buy a mix that might have been half salt, but I later learned that that was often used to mix with broth as a baste.

[Deleted User] · September 2010

Dude, that one on the left is spot-on.

I used a v-rack, and I remember the ribs curled (or "bowed") on the top (like the skirt meat was cooking and shrinking, which it probably was).

So is this just how one butcher might trim the ribs? Does it vary from butcher to butcher? Would a place like Costco be more consistent?

Mike in Abita · September 2010

Yes it's all in the way they are trimmed. Some cut very close to the bone and leave very little meat on. Seems like the ones you and I are getting are much meatier.

These usually cook for 6-7 hours until they are tender. I can do them in five but that requires a foil step, sort of a modified 3-1.5-.5 If you like them this way, I do, just make sure you have an extra hour or two of cooking time built in.

[Deleted User] · September 2010

Good tips! That would explain the extended cooking time. The extra time, in the case of Car Wash Mike ribs which uses differnent temps, would you add that at the front end of the low-n-slow (225 is what I used) or at the backend where the temp might be a bit higher (250)?

I did notice some of the end ribs, especially on the thin side, had a bit of burning (a little of the eat too). Would this mandate adding extra time at the beginning?

See, using a v-rack kind of limits some things, like overlapping thin to even out cooking time. I guess some of that works better of the ribs were flat.

Oh, one thing I noticed with the V-Rack, the heat kind of comes around the sides of the plate-setter and over the top of the meat... kind of like a convetion oven. The reason I ask is because when I went to flip the ribs over, one edge was all shiney and the other side less so.

Was I correct flipping the ribs top to bottom each hour when I misted?

stevesails · September 2010

I made cwm ribs this weekend also.. they were great! 5 hours and they were almost overdone. I had nearly fall off the bone. i found that I cook them at 250-270 (it's difficult to cook any lower than that) and all works out great. I have an XL .. your results my vary.

i am making a habit of calibrating thermometer monthly. Last time it was reading low by 35 degrees. how it changes i dont know.

[Deleted User] · September 2010

I calibrated my dome thermo before this cook. Adjusting for altitude it was spot-on.

I also diassasembled Egg (firebox too) and cleaned it comepletely out.

All the vent holes were clear.

I had no trouble maintaining 225 once I got it stabalized (granted both daisy wheel and main vent were barely cracked open).

Made sure no leaks from the Egg.

I did have a rather large drip-pan this time.

Denbbq · September 2010

I have stopped using Kroger ribs because ALL of their packaged pork products are injected with 12-15% water and phosphates

RedBag · September 2010

I have that same issue with that thick piece of meat on the ribs. I usually get mine at Sam’s. For a long time I used to buy the thickest baby backs I could thinking I was getting a better deal. I finally figured out that thick piece of meat was just screwing up my cook. Now when I have a choice I try to make sure that thick slab is not on there. And yes I am talking about baby backs not spares.

[Deleted User] · September 2010

and they do this why...?

[Deleted User] · September 2010

THANK YOU! Now at least I don't feel like I'm losing my mind!

I wonder if they will open cryovacs and do the trim at places like Costco? Of course I'd rather not pay for the trimmed meat.

So I guess it is what... minimal skirt and as consistent width and thickness as nature allows?

Denbbq · September 2010

Nobody else;Whole Foods, Safeway, Sunflower, Costco, Albertson injects. I have asked Kroger butchers and they just shrug their shoulders. I would guess money and maybe it is a preservative

AZRP · September 2010

I agree, when too much loin is left on the ribs it is difficult to cook them properly. When I'm picking out BB's I go for the smallest ones I can find, around 2.5 lbs. If I buy them at Sam's and they have the thick meat on them, I trim it off almost to the bone to get a consistent thickness down the rack. -RP

RedBag · September 2010

You got it. See AZRP's post... but basically smaller is better.

fishlessman · September 2010

are they solution added, other than some local butchers near me, all the supermarkets are repackaging hormel solution added ribs and not labeling it as such. they look fresh in the display :pinch: its a trick :ermm: cosco's back ribs are good ribs

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker · September 2010

many pork products are "enhanced".

because the American consumer is somehow CONVINCED pork needs to be taken to 180 to be safe, and because the fat has been bred from the american commercially farmed pig (because people think that means it's more healthy), the pork today is nearly impossible to keep moist (unless cooked properly

)

the "solution added" idea came about as a way to brine the meat, add moisture, and allow the poorly informed consumer a better chance at somewhat-moist pork on their plate.

chicken is also often enhanced

as a benefit to the reseller, "15% solution added, by weight" means that 15% of your package is added water, and almost pure profit.
seems the american consumer is getting exactly what they want, and the producer is laughing all the way to the bank

Mike in Abita · September 2010

Sorry it took so long to get back, but I had some work come up. As far as the cook goes I would do it the same way and then just keep cooking until they are tender. In your example I would add it to the end of the cook.

I will also rotate the slabs front to back during the cook, like every 2 hours or so. That helps keep the smaller ribs from over cooking. Once, I even cut off the first three or four ribs and let the rest go an hour longer.

You most certainly want to rotate top to bottom and side to side and front to back as well. I will start then at the end of the first hour twist the whole grid 180 degrees. Rotate this way throughout the whole cook. I cook bone down, until the the foil stage, then it's bone up. I've never cooked ribs vertically so I will leave the explanation of that method to others.

Capt Frank · September 2010

WPB,
I just assumed you were in Tucker, apparently not from your post. Anyway, the store at the Mothership stocks a full line of Dizzy Pig Rubs, get those guys to send you some!

:P

Capt Frank
Homosassa, FL

[Deleted User] · September 2010

I have a Large BGE... I know when I did these 4 racks during the finishing step I had to cut some in half and layer them somewhat to get them to all fit. A lot of the photos seem to indicate 3 racks flat is about the limit for a large... true?

How do I select Baby Backs at meat case?

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