Pork ribs, membrane on or off, current thinking?

[Michael_in_TX]

For years it seems that every pork rib video or recipe included the instructions to take the membrane off.....you know, the ubiquitous butter-knife-and-paper-towel-thing. it was like necessary boiler-plate text.

However lately, it seems that there is a trend towards keeping the membrane on. This may be utterly anecdotal, but I really feel like I am seeing more and more BBQ YouTubers keeping the membrane on.

Part of me wonders if this, if it is real, is due to the relatively recent influx of craft BBQ places creating channels and showing how they do things. To be sure, in a commercial operation of any notable scale, keeping the membrane on sure would save a lot of time and I wonder if that is "bleeding over" into the "home cook" BBQ YouTube stuff.

What is yall's current thinking? Do you keep it on or off and does it matter between spares and baby backs? I'm planning to do some baby backs this Sunday and I am almost of the presence of mind to keep it on as an experiment.

[Spinaker]

If I think of it, I will take it off. Otherwise, I do not bother.

I don't think it matters either way. I grew up eating them with the membrane on, so it really does not matter to me. If I am cooking for a fussy crowd, I guess I will take it off.

To sum up this word salad........it makes no difference.

[Michael_in_TX]

I guess I should also ask the natural follow-up question.....as I've never had the membrane off, what does it 'taste like'? Is it obvious it is there? Is it crunchy? Chewy?

[Jerod Broussard]

It is pretty good, like tasty wax. I have people I cook for that want it on. I cook 275+. I started leaving it on for myself. I score it.

[Panhead John]

There’s 3 things in life that have always given me a hard time and I don’t know exactly why….

1. Replacing windshield wiper blades! I quit trying it myself years ago. The auto parts store you get them at will usually replace them for you free of charge, if you buy them from their store. That’s what I’ve been doin’ now the last 15 years.

2. Replacing the burnt out 4’ long fluorescent light bulbs in my kitchen light…😡 over the years when they would burn out, it would sometimes take me forever to try and get the new bulbs in. Last time I had to get a neighbor to put them in for me….seriously! I couldn’t get them in for nothin’! When they burnt out again last month, I had an electrician install a new LED kitchen light I bought and threw the old one out. No replacing any more bulbs…..ever!

3. Removing the membrane from ribs. I gave up trying years ago. Don’t know why, but that would always give me a hard time, after 5 minutes of frustration I would quit trying. The only reason I started to even attempt removing them, was from hearing that’s what you’re supposed to do. 🤷♂️ It doesn’t make any difference to me if they’re on or off. I couldn’t taste a difference anyway. I’ll sometimes eat the membrane also, don’t bother me none. They’re usually crispy.

[rmeugene]

I also have given up trying(I think at some point there was a slab of ribs thrown across the room with a butter knife protruding from them)…

[texastweeter]

4. Convincing a woman to stay with you; especially once you remove the gag and duct tape.

[Panhead John]

That’s why I always buy a white contractor van with no windows and plenty of soundproofing.

[Purc]

Both ways depending how I'm smoking them. Leave on if hanging ribs in my Bronco. Take off if laying flat on the grate in the Bronco or Weber Kettle. Either way works for me. Now for beans in chili....

[Michael_in_TX]

I was just thinking about this for the PBC. Granted, double-hooking ribs is not all that much of an inconvenience, but it would make for less hooks to clean.

[surfdog]

Seems like a bit of good insurance.

[Jfrosty27]

Because I am absolutely the laziest person in earth, I have been leaving the membrane lately. I just score it in a cross hatch pattern. About every 1/2” or so. No complaints from the gallery (the wifey) so far. 🤷♂️

[Alan Brice]

If you do not want to take the time to get a paper towel and just pull it off, use a sharp knife n run it down the shiner side of each rib.

[HouseHomey]

I always take it off simply because I season the underside of the ribs.

I think the professional answer is “I have no idea if it makes a difference.“

those ribs are good though

[surfdog]

Exactly why I do the same. Does it fundamentally make a difference? Other than I can season both sides…probably not enough for most people to notice.

[Panhead John]

I season my ribs on both sides with the membrane on anyway. If I’m saucing them I’ll sauce both sides also, makes the membrane better tasting if I eat it….🥸

[captainlee]

Kind of like eating your young.

[Hulagn1971]

I usually pull it off. My last big rib cook was 18 racks of St. Louis hanging in a WSM 22 using a Hunsaker hanging kit. I left them on since it was my first time hanging ribs, perceived it as insurance to keep them from falling off the hooks. Everything worked out and no one complained about the membrane. To be honest, I'll probably do it this way again when I cook a couple laying flat.

[LA Pork Butt]

I was a remove the membrane purist for over ten years. I attended the 1st Meat Up and stood in lined to eat at Snow’s. They leave the membrane on and the or ribs seemed to be more juicy. Thus I was converted. I think leaving it on keeps more moisture and makes for a better tasting rib. I don’t find eating them with the membrane on is any more of an inconvenience than pulling it off before you cook them.

[Hulagn1971]

That makes perfect sense.

[Jfrosty27]

And there you have it. If it’s good enough for Snow’s, it’s good enough for me. 👍

[shify]

I always take it off and frankly have never found it all that difficult. Slip a butter knife under the membrane beneath a bone about 2-3 in from the end and lift it up to get a grip and then rip off. Doesn't take more than 15-20 second per rack - more often than not I'm using 3 pack of st. louis ribs from Costco. Granted I'm not doing 100 racks but to me its worth the extra minute per rack just like I also spend a minute trimming off little odds, ends, hanging pieces as well.

More often than not any ribs that I had that I didn't like still had the membrane on (not cooked by me) and they always had a papery, chewy bite that I found unpleasant. Maybe they were cooked poorly but it is enough for me to know how I want to prep them

[Oak Smoke]

I’m a membrane off guy. There are times when it’s a PITA but I still do it. At most I’ll be smoking 3 racks of ribs at a time. With a cook that small I’ve got time to remove it. Then again I always leave it on beef ribs. It think any advantage would small if at all.

[DaveD]

I have removed them because I read it in Meathead's book, honestly. I had never smoked a rack of ribs before I got that book and joined up here.

Most of the racks of ribs I've gotten from Wild Fork come with the membrane removed already, which is a super handy feature. But when I buy them from the grocery store I'll remove as much as I can. That said, I have forgotten a couple of times, and having the membrane there was not a big deal. I didn't find it appealing to eat, but once cooked it lifts away very easily, especially after the ribs are sliced for service.

Now let's move on to which way the toilet paper should go on the spindle or some other completely uncontroversial topic

[HouseHomey]

Clearly…. Pull the paper from the back. Everyone else is just wrong.

[Panhead John]

HouseHomey Oh hell no! ….. Me and you could never be roommates! 😂

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

TP - Waterfall, not mullet!

[smokenoob]

just saying the word membrane out loud gives me the heebie-jeebies so I remove it!

[DaveD]

Q: What do zombie BBQers say? A: Memmmmmmmmmmmmm braiiiiiiiins!

[hoovarmin]

I always remove it. I like to season the bottom of the ribs and don't like the mouth feel of the membrane. With a paper towel it's really easy to do. Without one it's too slippery.