Help! Ribs too dry/tough!

[VeraBlue]

Please don't boil your ribs!! Please just slooooooooooooowly roast them!

 

[kitchenelf]

I hope Jean doesn't mind - but these are the best ribs ever!

BROWN SUGAR & BOURBON RIBS

Recipe By :a Chef's Journey via Bon Appetit, July '05
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : GRILLING

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
BASTING SAUCE:
1/2 c packed golden brown sugar
1/2 c apple butter
1/4 c bourbon whiskey
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
3 T. apple cider
2 T. Dijon mustard
RIBS:
1 T. coarse kosher salt
1 T. packed golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps dry mustard
1 1/2 tsps dried thyme
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 2-2 1/4 lb. racks baby back pork ribs
---------
1 lg onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
6 thin rounds peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 c apple cider

FOR BASTING SAUCE:
Whisk all ingred. in medium bowl to blend.

FOR RIBS:
Mix first 7 ingred. in small bowl.
Using small sharp knife, loosen membrane from underside of each rib rack & pull off (or score membrane).
Rub 1 T. seasoning mix into each side of each rib rack.
Place ribs in large roasting pan.
Cover & chill at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 325° F.
Lift ribs from pan.
Scatter onion, cinnamon stick, & ginger in pan.
Pour in Cider.
Return ribs, meat side down, to pan; cover pan with foil.
Roast ribs till meat is tender and begins to pull away from bones, about 2 hours.
Uncover; cool at lease 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. (I left longer before using)

Prepare barbecue (med-high heat).
Grill ribs, till heated thru and slightly charred, about 5 min. per side.
Brush generously on all sides with basting sauce.
Grill till sauce becomes sticky glaze, about 3 min. longer per side.
Transfer rib racks to cutting board.
Cut racks tween bones into individual ribs.
Arrange on platter and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

O.K. - I could not stand to throw the wonderful 'goop' in the bottom of the roasting pan away, so -
I strained the juice and added enuf more cider to make 2 cups. Reduce to ~ 1/2 cup to a nice syrupy sauce.
Pick the cinnamon stick pcs. and ginger pcs. out of the onion and saute the onions till just starting to caramelize.
I served the ribs with no more basting sauce, but topped with the onions and drizzled the reduction over all.
IT IS WONDERFUL!!

Description:
"Be sure to remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs so that the seasonings can penetrate & fully flavor the meat."

Now you're just being silly! (this is a favorite saying a friend and I have when we talk yummy recipes that make us drool!!!!!) This is now filed and I can't wait to try it!!!!

When I buy the country style ribs they are on the lean side - they don't need too low or too slow or they will dry out. I more or less keep mine in a marinade/braising liquid while cooking too then finish on the grill if I feel like it (soy sauce, brown sugar, spring onions, dry sherry, garlic, ginger, dark sesame oil, sesame seeds - yummy!)

 

[Harborwitch]

When we make a batch of the rub we quadruple the recipe and keep it on hand as a dry rub for all kinds of pork. I don't care how many of these we make there's never any left for lunch!

Taking the membrane off is really important. Hmmmmmm may just have to make these this weekened. Last time my kids were here we had fresh caught striped bass and all kinds of goodies.

 

[Lococatlady]

Ribs to tough!!

Wrapping them in foil is the best method. Put the seasoning of your choice on them. Wrap them with foil, being sure to roll the bottom edges up good and tight. Let them bake in the oven for about an hour and a half to two hours. Then put them on the grill for about 30 minutes to brown and get the hickory smoke in them. Turn about every ten minutes so as not to burn them. You can baste them with your favorite sauce while they are on the grill or after you take them off the grill.

You should have some very tender and tasty ribs.

Enjoy!!!

 

[college_cook]

Boiling is one of the easiest ways to overcook and dry out your meat... hard to believe since your are cooking in water! If you prefer to cook in water I would reccommend a slow simmer, never a boil, especially for ribs!

 

[Ardor]

Would yoghurt be a good tenderizer for ribs?

 

[bethzaring]

...but I'm going to try marinating them in Whiskey, yahoo!

Me Too!!

 

[JDP]

Thanks for the responses! I didn't realize the wide variety in "ribs", so your questions/insights are spot on


1st time I bought them from a regular supermarket. They were on on sale, and very fatty - some bone but not a lot.

2nd time I bought them from Sam's club - much leaner and looked much higher quality. they were boneless, too.

i may give the foil method a shot. however, i really liked the relative ease of the boil method. seems to only work with the fattier kinds of ribs, though.

When you speak of ribs most people think of a bone in product that requires a low and slow method. It sounds like you bought a bonless country style rib which is a completely different meat. I never boil my bone in ribs and the meat you bought would not benifit from it either. It can be cooked fast on the grill similar to a pork chop. It will have great flavor but still could be a little tough. Another method would be to brown them off and then braise them in the oven with your chosen bbq sauce. Another popular method here in Wisconsin with the German influence is to put them into a crock pot with onion, caraway seed and sauerkraut. This will yeild a moist and tender meat.

 

[NightsinCalifornia]

Yea, thats what I do MOST of the time. Throw the ribs in a crock pot and let them steam away. Mostly just use boneless ribs, as I like them better.A recipe I use often is this one..

Crockpot ribs with pork ribs, garlic powder, sweet and sour sauce, and peppers. A recipe for sweet and sour slow cooked country style ribs.
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless country-style ribs
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic power
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup sweet and sour sauce
• 1 large sweet bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

PREPARATION:

Place ribs in slow cooker; add onion powder, garlic powder, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours; drain. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook 2 hours longer.
Serves 6 to 8.

 

[Harborwitch]

This isn't really a recipe - but it's what we did one night after deep fried avocados. These are fall off the bone tender - must be the rum!!!!!!

1 rack of pork ribs
1/2 c. Malibu (or any coconut rum)

Remove membrane from the underside of ribs. Place ribs and rum in a zip lock bag and let marinate at least 2 hours. Let ribs come to room temp.

In small bowl combine 1/2 c peach jam, 3 Tbs. water, 1 Tbs Jerk Pork seasoning (I used Penzeys), 1/2 tsp very finely minced lemon grass, and hot chile sauce to taste (we used Blue Dragon). Combine well and set aside.

Remove ribs from rum, season well with salt & fresh ground pepper, and place on grill. When ribs are close to done start brushing with the jam mixture and repeat until the ribs are done.