Wal Mart enhanced spare ribs

Well, I'll say this much. I don't eat many Wal-Mart ribs, as I buy most of my ribs from Costco. Sometimes Sam's Club. Either way, with foiling, and depending on temp in the pit, I'd say that's waaaay too long a time to cook those ribs. Back when I did foil I also found that two hours in foil was too long for my liking. I'd do an hour, and my usual 2-2-1 method was more like 2-1-1. I was cooking between 250-275º though.

Were they Smithfield ribs? I've had some problems with them lately. I have never cooked any ribs for 7 1/2 hours, not even full spares. I'd check your temp guage.

6 1/2 hours and wrapped part of that for St Louis cut, What temp at the grate? Maybe I missed something.

At what temp did you go with on the wsm? With the time in the oven you had them cooking for 7 1/2 hours which is way long for spares, especially if foiled. Usually mine don't go longer than 5 maybe 5 1/2 hr, and I never foil unless I really need to speed things up. I have used enhanced ribs without any of the problems you had. You say they were not fit to eat, how so?
Dave

If they were really moist as you say, I suspect they may have only been moist and not greasy as you say they looked, got any photos? Having a smoke ring is what many try for, but it is strictly for show and looks, has nothing to do with taste or texture, and does not mean they were not cooked right, in fact a smoke ring can be achieved in an electric kitchen oven.
Dave

Not sure about enhanced, but I go about:

2.5 in the smoke at about 250 (I pull them when the color is right)
2 in foil pan at 225
maybe 1/2 hr. back in the smoke to tighten back up. (or if I slop a bit of sauce on them) (If the mood strikes me, I add a little bourbon and honey to my fav sauce, then mop and set the sauce during that last half hour. Makes it very pretty.

I try and avoid anything "Enhanced" like the plague. I did cook 2 pork butts here a while back that were enhanced due to price and they were not good at all.

And that does seem a tad long for st louis cut ribs to cook.

WTF does "enhanced" mean? Does it actually say that on the package?

mikerooooose said:

WTF does "enhanced" mean? Does it actually say that on the package?

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Typically, enhanced meat is simply a cut of meat that has been injected with a water solution that contains salt and sodium phosphate, supposedly to add flavor and moisture to meat. Enhanced meat products are labeled with words similar to “enhanced with up to 10% of a solution.”

I bought "enhanced" ribs once by mistake at an unfamiliar market while visiting the inlaws. I was embarassed to serve them as they tasted like salt cured country ham. They actually liked them, but then they normaly pour salt on everything. Now I always read the label.
And, as I recall, they were Smithfield.

Ron_L said:

The one time I cooked enhanced ribs they were pinks all the way through, like cured pork, and tasted like ham.

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Same here. They were tasty, but not very rib-like. :twitch:

I did a KCBS contest this weekend and after meat inspection opened my non enhanced spare ribs and they STUNK badd. I quickly went to closest grocery store, Walmart, bought 3 racks of full spares. Got back got meat inspected and then trimmed to St. Loius...I thought these ribs were some of the best looking ribs with fat content and spread through and the same thickness and straight bones. We got a 6th place call in ribs and RGC. Drove home 3 hours Sunday evening and Monday had to go get groceries. Went to the Walmart closest to us and they had the same ribs and looked just as good so I bought some more and trimmed them. Still just as satisfied and will cook them today.

I really think results depend on how you prepare the ribs. If you wrap with sugar and margirine, and sauce your ribs afterwards, the difference is usually undetectable.
I use low salt rubs and cook unwrapped, and can detect a difference.

I opened up a rack of Smithfield BBs last winter and they smelled awful too. I asked on here about them and a few folks thought it was just the gas they were packed in. I wasn't real keen on risking it and took them back. But I've noted this too.

Here are a couple of threads:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91342
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-134050.html
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182287
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-124608.html

A butterball turkey is enhance

Yep same with me on the Smithfield. They were edible but the whole smell thing turned me off and I won't buy em again.

jestridge said:

A butterball turkey is enhance

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Brining turkey is quite common. Brining ribs is not.

I'm no expert by any means, but i've cooked a lot of different ribs- both enhanced and not enhanced- from many different packers (smithfield, IBP, Supreme trim, etc) because the grocery store where I work switches suppliers constantly to get the best deal.

I've cooked enhanced ribs that I got great, tasty results with.
I've cooked enhanced ribs that came out terrible.
I've cooked not enhanced ribs that I got great, tasty results with.
I've cooked not enhanced ribs that came out terrible.
I've cooked enhanced ribs that smelled suspect and came out great/terrible.
I've cooked not enhanced ribs that smelled suspect and came out great/terrible.
...And no, no one's ever gotten sick off my food. By "terrible" I mean that they didn't taste as good as they should, the texture was off, or they were dry.

Is there really a difference between enhanced and not enhanced? I don't know. I do think alot of people's opinions of enhanced ribs is psychological or maybe based on isolated incidents.

If someone were to do a blind taste test, I bet even the most discriminating BBQ critic would have a hard time telling the difference.

I already use a very low salt rub, so perhaps that's why I don't get the "hammy" taste people describe that comes with enhanced ribs. Then again, I think ham is friggin delicious, so maybe that's it.

The point is- find what you like. If you like it and it works for you, party on.

If I have a choice, I do choose to buy not enhanced, but not because I can tell the difference, I just don't need the extra salt.