Want to cook up the perfect ribs? Everything starts with preparation. How to properly trim pork ribs.
A good piece of grilled meat can only be as good as the way it’s prepared, and that’s truer of pork ribs than any other meat.
A properly trimmed rack of ribs gives YOU just the flavor YOU want and cooks wonderfully evenly to give you award-winning St. Louis-style ribs.
Why Trim Pork Ribs?
Trimming the ribs helps a lot with the presentation, but to me the real reason goes beyond that.
A properly trimmed costal arch removes the diaphragm, flank, and sternum. All of these can help alter the quality of your smoke.
The membrane, by definition, protects the rib cage of the pig, so it can protect the ribs from smoke penetrating the rib meat if left on. It can also prevent the rendered fat from the meat from working its way through other areas of the meat.
With brisket, this excess part of the diaphragm can quickly double the thickness of the ribs. Since it’s not edible, it’s not worth the extra time it would add to our cooking.
The sternum is a thick piece of cartilage and connective tissue that we don’t need. Since it has a very different texture than the main grate, it would require a different approach to cooking.
Anatomy of the entire rib
Let’s dive into the different parts of the rib and how best to remove them.
The key to trimming ribs correctly is getting a good grip on all the parts that make up the rack. A rib rack is not only made up of the ribs, but also other parts that YOU need to know about to cut.
A complete rack of ribs consists of these four parts:
- The sternum
- The tips of the ribs
- The membrane
- Skirt
- The fin
Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Skirt
Brisket, also known as brisket, is a remnant of the diaphragm and a fin-like portion of meat that sits in the center back of the grill.
The tips of the ribs and the sternum.
The tips of the ribs, often found on some pancettas, are at the edge of the length of the rack. The tips contain cartilage and part of the sternum. This difference in texture and consistency means it will cook differently than the main part of the rib, so it needs trimming.
The membrane
Sometimes referred to as “the case,” the membrane is the thin layer of white skin that sits on top of the main rib area. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you should remove it, but I prefer to remove it to ensure a more complete and even cook.
The rib cutters
Most of the work is done on the back of the ribs, where most of the bone, membrane, and excess fat sits.
We’ll start by flipping the rack over to reveal the back and start removing the skirt. Let’s get into that.
Rock sick
It’s important to remove the brisket, otherwise it will burn and cause the ribs to cook unevenly. The brisket can effectively double the thickness of the grate, causing it to cook much more slowly.
Since it is left over from the diaphragm, the exact amount of brisket may vary from cut to cut. Sometimes it’s just a narrow flap and sometimes it can be much larger. In any case, you must go.
Use a narrow knife to remove it. Place the blade of the knife against the ribs and tuck it under the flap. Trim the breast completely and trim any visible fat on that part of the back of the ribs so the ribs are flat.
Remove rib tips and sternum.
We will now turn to the tips of the hard ribs and sternum that sit on the edge of the grill. It is the thickest part of the entire rib and is filled with cartilage and the sternum. must go
If you’re having trouble figuring out where the sternum and spare ribs meet, try folding the rack. Bones don’t bend, if you can see the flesh bend as well that should give you a good idea of where to work.
Cut along the grid between the spikes/sternum and the main grid. This should allow you to remove it on a break.
Remove the membrane
This phase can be difficult. If you’re also interested in learning more, check out my guide on how to remove the rib membrane.
The membrane is a white skin that sits over the ribs. It can become a problem when cooking as it can prevent the smoke from fully penetrating the meat and keep the fat and juices from breaking down to help us form the flavor.
While some people claim it doesn’t matter, I always prefer to remove it. I find that this allows grilled ribs
Use your knife to get under the corner of the membrane, then try to hold the corner with a paper towel. Slowly remove the membrane from the ribs, trying not to break it.
This may take some practice, but after a few tweaks you’ll be a master in no time.
Don’t worry if the membrane breaks. You can keep repeating the process, using your knife and paper towel to grab the skin.
Remove excess fat
With the main parts of the ribs removed, there should now only be small pockets of fat and gristle that need trimming away.
Now that the membrane is gone you should be able to see some patches of grease residue. These can be removed with a knife or scraped off with a teaspoon.
Once you’ve done the same for the back, flip the rack over and do the same for the front. Also cut off any loose pieces of meat around the edges. These tend to burn quickly when cooked, so they don’t need to be stored.
The finished product
You should now have a perfectly trimmed piece of pork rib ready for a nice BBQ smoke.
Apply your favorite dressing and prepare to cook them up your best barbecue ribs recipe. If you need ideas, here are some of our purchased recipes.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
