Rib Membrane??

BBQ_MAFIA

BBQ_MAFIA

somebody shut me the fark up.
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I posted this over in the Catering area but thought I would get more feedback here in Qtalk.

When catering and competing I always remove the membrane from Spare Ribs.
Do any of you leave the membrane on and if so is there really a difference?
Some say, and I have also read that keeping the membrane on retains moisture. I have 50 racks of ribs to cook and was curious. I also don't want to have a hunk of membrane coming off while someone is eating.

Please let me know your thoughts.
 
I always remove them as well. If you are ordering them from a food service provider you can get them with the membranes already peeled...major time saver!
 
The big charity cook I did back in March where I had 52 racks I did not remove them. I was cooking hot and I couldn't tell a difference in quality. Had people coming back for extra orders and we sold out. Smaller quantities I might remove, but that day I wanted to try it out and did.
 
The folks that I know that compete always remove the membrane. I think most judges expect not to see it during competition. For home or catering it may come down to just a matter of preference.
 
If time is not a factor i remove, as already said if it is too difficult i just leave it on.
 
I recently read that leaving the membrane on helped contain the moisture on the bottom side. I could see where it would. FWIW, I always remove mine.
 
GWFETTY said:
I recently read that leaving the membrane on helped contain the moisture on the bottom side. I could see where it would. FWIW, I always remove mine.
Click to expand...

And keep the rub and smoke out. Not to mention the less than desirable texture when eating. I always remove, or better yet have someone else remove it.

People looking for an excuse to leave it are IMHO looking for an excuse to be lazy. I can respect lazy, but let's not deceive ourselves.
 
I leave mine on. I also do ribs HnF, so that membrane gets cooked and crispy. I see no need to remove it unless doing LnS, which I don't do anymore.
 
If you have time, run a couple racks with it on to see how you like it.
 
I remove them when I am not feeling lazy. When I'm feeling lazy, I regret not pulling the membrane. To me, I've never noticed a difference in juiciness between the pulled and not pulled. The difference I do notice is the blackened, crisp membrane that I feel needs to be removed when eating the ribs.
 
BBQ_MAFIA said:
I posted this over in the Catering area but thought I would get more feedback here in Qtalk.

When catering and competing I always remove the membrane from Spare Ribs.
Do any of you leave the membrane on and if so is there really a difference?
Some say, and I have also read that keeping the membrane on retains moisture. I have 50 racks of ribs to cook and was curious. I also don't want to have a hunk of membrane coming off while someone is eating.

Please let me know your thoughts.
Click to expand...

I think you answered your own question.:p
I always remove it. When leaving it on, it never disappears for me.
 
Couple months ago I did a comparison test - prepping 2 sets of baby backs exactly the same way except the membrane. The end result was that most people didn't notice the difference. The membrane didn't turn into chewy rubber. It actually has a nice enjoyable texture.
A bit of a personal preference but I grow up with deep fried ribs and crunchy membrane is something we've grown to expect here.
 
Last edited:
I never remove anymore. I used to.
But found folks who like/prefer crispy pork fat like having the crispy membrane. Mine is never soft/chewy membrane. And when hanging ribs, the membrane helps hold the ribs together/on to the bones. Giving you a bit larger window to remove before caveman. The membrane pulls right off if wanted once cooked.
If someone requests it, I remove the membrane.
 
I never remove it, my wife likes the crispy membrane when it is cooked. Doesn't add any off flavors or anything, regardless of low and slow or hot and fast. For that many racks I'd let it ride.
 
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