Good luck today, those look a lot more like ribs. Though looking at your prep picks, you might want to consider picking up these. I use them as prep pans, dry brine pans with the racks, and cook bacon on them with the racks.
-
-
The cutting of ribs has been MBA’d to ruination on both ends of the pig. The back ribs are next to the loin, which, due to the leanness of modern commercial pork, is difficult for lots of people to cook properly. So, they leave a lot on the baby backs, and create monster back ribs, that are hard to cook properly. Easy to sell baby back ribs at a price better than pork loin.
at the bottom end of the pig, pork belly sits on top of the spare ribs. Due to the massive popularity of bacon, plus the newly rediscovered love of pork belly, they cut spares pretty tight, because anything they leave on the top of the spares could be sold at a better price as pork belly.
f’ing MBAs. (Note: MBA WashU 2005 here)Comment
-
Potkettleblack Great school! 2 graduates (Law & Astrophysics), and one rising senior in the Mathematics department, from several generations of our family.
-
Two hours in and all is well. Here are the ribs when they went on, and then 90 minutes later. ITs ranging from 155-170F/68-77C, and the very beginnings of some pullback...
Comment
-
Comment
-
In the home stretch now. More action shots! T + 2.5, 3.5, and 4 hrs in, by which time the T range across the rack narrowed to just a few degrees and is just shy of 190F/88C. Probe tenderness increasing quite noticeably. Another hour or so I reckon...
Sides with this meal will be corn on the cob and some steamed broccoli.
Comment
-
I’m late to the discussion about loin meat on baby backs, but I agree 100%. I LOVE Costco, but my last batch of baby backs from them was my last until they change how they butcher them. 3/4" of dry loin meat on top of the bones gives you mediocre, expensive ribs.Comment
-
Last quick update before we serve: rack was very bendy just now with ITs in the mid-high 190sF/90-92C After-action will be next.
Comment
-
Uh oh...
Last edited by rickgregory; May 8, 2022, 05:04 PM.
-
OK, I am declaring unquestioned conquest in my rematch vs. baby back ribs. It is the epic, timeless story of the young hero, slapped down in the first encounter with the nemesis, learning the lessons and coming back to vanquish in the nick of time, when least expected. The victory is total.
Once temps got above the mid-190sF/low-90sC, I started poking it with the insta-read every 20 min or so but didn't bother turning it on, going solely on tenderness. Pulled it when it felt right, and dang, these were stupendously good. My lovely bride said "I know I've said this before, but this is the best thing you've made yet!" Juicy, tender, exactly the right tug-off-the-bone consistency I was after. And without question, this was the properly cut set of baby backs - air quotes can now be removed.
Lessee if this little .gif of the time lapse will work...
And the plating:
Next steps: I have another rack of "extra meaty [pork] back ribs" in the chestie, so I will try this same procedure on those, i.e. monitor for tenderness every 15-20 min after ~3 hours and ITs in the mid-180sF/mid-80sC. Pull when done, short rest, cut and serve. Hopefully it'll work again. But it is clear what a lot of folks said, that these need TLC and the window of "just right" is a lot narrower than with spares. I made the corn in the microwave, so it could sit and hold for a while, and the broccoli in the steamer, so it was easy to accommodate. Not all sides would be as easy to line up.
The hands-off nature of the vertical pellet smoker didn't hurt, either... no problem having hands free to do all that poking at the meat...
Comment
Comment