How to Identify and Remove Membrane from Ribs
The same way a great artist must prepare the canvas before creating a masterpiece and a great commander must prepare the battlefield before assuming command of the battlefield, anybody seeking to make a magnificent rack of ribs must do it with care.
It’s true that saying it out loud is easier than doing it. When it comes to making amazing ribs, there is a lot more to it than just tossing them on the grill and slathering them with sauce and calling it a day.
The removal of the membrane from the ribs is one of the most critical procedures in the rib preparation process. However, if you are unfamiliar with the process of cooking ribs or are used to heating samples that have already been prepared, you may not be able to distinguish the membrane right once.
That being the case, you will need to take an even more preliminary step in determining what the membrane looks like and whether or not it is present on your rack of ribs.
Whether you’re looking for an overview, identification, or removal, this guide to membranes and ribs will assist guarantee that you’re prepared and ready for barbecue glory.
What is the Membrane, and why should you be concerned about it?
The phrase “rib membrane” is undoubtedly familiar to you even if you haven’t heard the term “rib membrane” before. If you think back to high school biology, you’ll recall that a cell’s membrane is a strong yet elastic semi-permeable barrier that allows only certain items to flow into and out of the cell, depending on their composition.
The membrane of a rib may be conceived of in the same manner. In a raw slab of ribs, you should notice a white opaque stringy skin stretched down the bottom – and if you do, you’ve accomplished your goal since that is the membrane. It is also referred to as peritoneum or caul fat in certain circles.
It can be found on almost any kind of meat, not only pork ribs. When it comes to other meats, on the other hand, it does not cause the same difficulties as it does when it comes to pork ribs. But before we can get into that, we need to understand what it does in the first place.
Caul fat’s primary function is to maintain internal organs in place, which is why you’ll find so much of it lining the inside of pork ribs, where it evidently has the difficult chore of keeping the pig’s heart and lungs in place while the pig is alive.
Fortunately, now that the pig is pork, this thick lining is no longer necessary. Furthermore, although the membrane may be present in other pieces of meat from other animals but just dangle off to the side, it may occasionally web the ribs together or otherwise obstruct the cooking process, making it more difficult to cook the ribs correctly.
Even if you don’t have an issue with boiling them with the membrane still on, there’s really little sense in doing so anyhow.
In meals such as sausages, where it is utilized as the exterior “wrapper” around which the meatier section of the sausage is enclosed, caul fat might be advantageous; however, it is not very appetizing when used to cook pig ribs. It’s rough, stringy, and chewy, and it completely detracts from the soft texture of a decent slab of pork ribs.
Beyond that, do you think it’s really pleasant to consume a large piece of white stringy skin? What do you think? Does it seem to be something especially attractive to look at? In terms of both flavor and appearance, leaving the membrane in place is a very terrible decision in almost every case.
Should the Membrane Be Removed at a Specific Time?
In certain cases, people worry whether they need to remove the membrane before starting the cooking process, or if they can prepare the dish and then remove the membrane later.
You technically have the option of leaving the membrane on while cooking the meat and then removing it later. However, in most situations, doing so will not improve the flavor of your ribs, and it will just make it more difficult to cut off after the ribs have been cooked and become more tougher and harder.
The membrane should be removed before cooking as a result of this recommendation.
Remove the Membrane in the Correct Way
Let’s get down to business and talk about the real procedure of removing the membrane off ribs of pork.
First and foremost, you must locate the membrane on your specific piece of beef, which requires turning it over so that the edges curl inward toward you. You should be able to identify the membrane by its long, thin, white layer of tissue, which you should be able to detect when you have completed this procedure.
When doing membrane removal, one of the most crucial considerations to bear in mind is that you want to create as clean a rip as possible.
To rip it into little pieces, or, even worse, to peel away some membrane while mistakenly leaving sections of it stuck in the pork, is not something you want to be doing. This will result in a harsh, stringy, inconsistent flavor that may be even worse than just leaving the entire dish on the stovetop for hours.
You’ll want to make sure that, after you’ve discovered the membrane and are ready to remove it, you proceed through each step in a fluid manner from start to finish to avoid any complications.
For example, after you’ve located the membrane, you’ll want to pull one of the corners up so that it sticks out over the rest of the membrane. Having said that, there is a significant difference between gently tugging this piece of fat up and tearing it forcefully such that it splits apart.
Following the removal of this section of membrane, you’ll want to slip in a knife or go to work with your fingers to finish the job. You may find that using a knife is simpler and more fluid, yet using your fingers may provide you with better control. It should be rather simple to separate the membrane from the ribs, whatever method is used.
You should be able to easily peel off the membrane in one piece and dispose of it after you have completed this at one end of the membrane.
Something to Say About St. Louis Ribs
Whether you have been fortunate enough to have St. Louis-style ribs, you may be thinking if you really need to go through the rest of the process. The reason for this is because St. Louis ribs have their skin removed in such a manner that the ribs are divided into two different pieces, spareribs and loin-back ribs, with the visual contrast between the two parts being startling.
Underscoring this point is the fact that some cooks of St. Louis ribs believe that it is not essential to remove the membrane for this cooking method and that the ribs will still come out juicy and tender even if the membrane is left on.
While this may be true, it speaks more to the succulence and tenacity of St. Louis-style ribs than it does to the membranes that surround them. It’s not that the membrane adds anything to the situation; rather, the ribs from St. Louis are so delicious that they’ll be delicious “even” with the membrane attached.
It is nevertheless preferable to remove the membrane from the ribs in order to appreciate them to their fullest and avoid unnecessary hassle.
Concluding Remarks
The membranes that surround a pig’s ribs provide a critical role when the animal is alive. But after the pig is transformed into pork ribs, the membrane is by far the most unnecessary component when it comes to cooking and should be removed as quickly as possible after slaughter.
The longer you keep it on, the more irritating it will be when you have to take it off, which you will most likely want to do given that, unlike other types of meat such as sausage, it contributes nothing except extra hardness and stringiness to your dish.
Fortunately, this is a straightforward process. Simply lift, pull, cut, and peel it away in a clean, cautious manner, and it will be gone in no time.
You can quickly transform your pork ribs into tender, flavorful, and beautifully presented gourmet marvels by following these simple instructions.
