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Total Members Voted: 44

[dk117]

Hopefully this is a straight forward question.   Pork ribs, babyback, St. Louis.  I stopped removing the silverskin membrane a while back, and my ribs keep getting better and better.  I'm confident I overcook vs competition standards, but the silverskin holds the ribs together to my liking and is not a problem when eating.

My go to lately has been a light molasses glue, McCormick's sweet and smokey rub, 225 for three hours, foil with apple cider vinegar for an hour, finish uncovered for another hour maybe 30 mins.   Dry has been great, added some sauce this last weekend and it was also great.   I find myself moving to simpler cooks and getting superior results.  Thus the question of who's still removing the membrane.  Was a big deal for a while and I no longer find it necessary. 

[dk117]

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[dk117]

I really need a new phone/camera, but I'm a firm believer of this thread is worthless without pictures. 

DK

[pmillen]

I've always removed it 'cause that's what I read to do.  Now, I'm reading to not remove it.

I have trouble making decisions.

[yorkdude]

I always used to up until about 5 years or so ago, now I don't.
Not sure I can even really tell to be quite honest if there is any difference either way cooking them and the membrane doesn't really bother me.
We don't cooks ribs very often at all anymore though so maybe that is why it is less important to me.

[02ebz06]

I remove it, at least best I can.
Some ribs are stubborn though, so what is too difficult to remove, stays.
Not sure what difference there is, except when you look at the membrane after you remove it, you have to ask yourself "Why would I want to eat that?"
Not saying there is anything bad about it, just doesn't look that appetizing.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I remove it on baby back ribs as it is really easy to do and I don't like the membrane on the back of them.  I eat everything off the bone and don't want to deal with the plastic like texture of the membrane when cooked and left on the bone.  I rarely make STL style, but when I do, I leave the membrane on because to me it is more challenging to remove than on a baby back.  It may be because it seems to be thinner and breaks easier.  It also may be why there seems to be less of it on the rib when I pull them off the grill too.

[Canadian John]

 I leave it on and for the most part eat it unless there is a thick hard to chew piece. That being the case, i'll discard it

 WHY do I leave the membrane on?   1st - There is virtually no meat meat under the silver skin, so removing it to apply any rub or seasoning is redundant.

                                                      2nd - It helps retain moisture. As ribs are cooked bone side down (the membrane side). For the very few times that the cook is direct, this has more significance.

                                                      3rd - Less work. My butcher always offers to remove it. So that doesn't apply in my case.

[GREG-B]

I usually remove it because....well, it's in the way, sorta.  Cooking some Thursday so might leave it on and report my results.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I usually remove it because....well, it's in the way, sorta.  Cooking some Thursday so might leave it on and report my results.

Do me a favor.  Cut a rack in half and cook one half with membrane and one without.  LMK if you can assess if the one with is juicer.

[okie smokie]

Membrane off for me.  Not sure about moisture content, but have not noticed much difference.  Logic suggests that membrane on would be more moist, but as we all know, logic and fact are often not the same. Anyone done some studies? 

[GREG-B]

I usually remove it because....well, it's in the way, sorta.  Cooking some Thursday so might leave it on and report my results.

Do me a favor.  Cut a rack in half and cook one half with membrane and one without.  LMK if you can assess if the one with is juicer.

Doing 3 racks of Baby Backs.   I'll do 2 wit and 1 witout.    Not real good on posting pics of cooks but I'll make an extra effort to do that. 

[BigDave83]

I have taken it off and still do at times but leave it on most of the time,I do season it well. I also don't wrap, so it usually comes out kind of crisp and now tough/chewy.  I think if I was a wrapper I would probably remove it as it would not dry out and get crisp.

My mind tells  me like Canadian John that it helps keep moisture in, but I have no proof and as we all know some just have more fat in them to keep the moist. It seems like most of the BBQ places I go to and get ribs it is left on.

[Bentley]

I quit taking it off too!

[Th3Batman86]

I always take it off. But I do not wrap ribs either. I find that it can get leathery if left on and then you have that to try and chew on.