Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've never had an issue being able to cook moist and tasty fall off the bone ribs in the past but my last few attempts have me ready to give up. Same ribs, recipe and cook time but they're coming out with a roast loin consistency.
The only thing I can attribute the change to is that there seems to be a lower fat percentage/ marbling in the rib meat. Have feeding strategies changed in a way to bring pigs to weight quicker but leaner? Do mass producers bring stock to processing prematurely (and get them to weight via water injection)?
Seeing this with packaged/ raw (from Costco, Supermarkets) as well as restaurants and packed heat and eat varieties.
Hesitant at this point to even try a butcher as it might be an endemic issue and another waste of time and money.
We do baby back ribs in the IP once a week. The only variable is the BBQ sauce which goes on after they are cooked, but before they are popped under the broiler. I've noticed no difference in tenderness or flavor.
Nearly always, I buy the same brand - Smithfield in the cryovac packaging. Not because I have any preference or loyalty for that brand; it's because they're the cheapest I can find. $3.49/lb at Wal-Mart.
We do baby back ribs in the IP once a week. The only variable is the BBQ sauce which goes on after they are cooked, but before they are popped under the broiler. I've noticed no difference in tenderness or flavor.
Nearly always, I buy the same brand - Smithfield in the cryovac packaging. Not because I have any preference or loyalty for that brand; it's because they're the cheapest I can find. $3.49/lb at Wal-Mart.
Same here. How long do you put them in the IP and with what/how much liquid? I've always done the slow cooker with Dr. Pepper and then sauce and put under the broiler, but I wouldn't mind something quicker that doesn't use soda. LOL
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,243,006 times
Reputation: 57825
I just did some this last weekend and they came out great in my smoker. It was a total of 10 hours at 225F with Oak wood chips the first 3 hours, and I brined overnight first. If anything they seemed to have more fat than usual, and these were really big, from Costco. We got 3 meals out of them (two of us).
There are three name brands of pork here. Costco sells one national brand. Winco sells another national brand and everyone else sells a third brand, which I don't know whether it is national or a local packer.
The brand that Costco sells is too lean. The flavor is excellent but the meat turns out dry and it will be tough unless it is slow cooked. I'm guessing that Costco buyers, being health conscious, don't like seeing fat on the meat in the market. I will buy whole boneless loin there because all loin is low fat and it all has to be cooked with care so it doesn't dry out. But I don't buy any other pork at Costco.
The pork at Winco is fatty and tender and tastes lovely. The fat makes it moist. You can see a lot of fat in the package in the meat case, which, for their shoppers, doesn't stop anyone from buying it, because they sell a lot of it. I buy spareribs and pork shoulder there. As a bonus, their spareribs price is always the lowest in town.
The third brand, I won't touch. Either they aren't consistent with what they are feeding or else they are butchering uncastrated boars. Sometimes the meat is good and sometimes it is foul flavored and stinky. I refuse to spend 5-6 hours cooking ribs or green pork chili just to have the meat be inedible..
The level of fat in pork is partially genetics and it is partially what the pig is fed. If you are buying lean looking ribs, they aren't going to turn out like they should.
(with a disclaimer: Costco had pork sirloins for a very good price and I bought 10 packages to make into dog food. Not for people at my house, much too lean)
Best source of ribs for me is a local trailer-based smoker/BBQ. The quality of their meat and their recipe is always great (truly smoked/braised, nothing cloyingly sweet) and I don't have to futz around with anything except hiding them from my dog on the drive home. Safest place is inside the spare tire rim under the cargo area floor. The scent is intoxicating and she's determined! The place only operates in summer but you can call in a larger order around Labor Day and they'll prepare as much as you want. I re-package into meal-sized quantities and freeze them. They're always excellent. A wonderful sub-zero winter treat.
Other than being high priced the quality should be consistent if
You are buying baby backs or st louis ribs
I worked remotely today and cooked a full rack of belly ribs
I thawed ribs in microwave … cut in half
Cook in. Instapot for 1/2 hr
Then pasted my rib on and started smoking in my traeger
Pellet grill … I drizzled honey on the ribs as it smoked smoked for
1.5 hours
Also thawed a pork butt sliced into boneless ribs and did the same
it is very good
I sell pork ribs at my stores and they are very high in price but similar quality that they’ve
Always been ..
There are 5 different type bone in ribs sold.
Full belly ribs( whole rack ). At Louis ribs, baby back ribs, country style spare ribs ( cut from rib end of pork loin )
And ribs cut from pork butts… they are called southern style ribs in the northeast
These ribs have plenty of flavor !
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
