Page 49 - Amazing Ribs - Book

better without it and removing it is a courtesy to your guests or customers.
By removing the membrane, you are also exposing a layer
of fat that can then melt off as the ribs cook. Some folks just make slits in the membrane to allow some of that fat to drain, but you still have the texture issue and if you do this in a com- petition, your tenderness score will tank.
It’s hard to tell in a grocery store when the slab is strapped onto a Styrofoam tray if the membrane has been removed. Ask your butcher, and if the answer is “no,” ask if it can be removed. If the answer is again “no” or if you get the slab home and dis- cover the back is smooth and shiny, it’s time to “skin & trim”. It’s not hard, once you get the hang of it.
Pictured above is a St. Louis cut rack of ribs. Turn the slab bone side up. There is a flap of thick meat from the diaphragm on SLC that most chefs remove. Some set it aside to chop for stir
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