qfan
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by qfan on Jul 18, 2007 11:11:44 GMT -5
Up here in Canada they slaughter hogs younger than in the US, so we feel we have to cook back ribs in competition although our preference is side ribs (they're too thin and have no meat on the bone up here). The back ribs have done well for us and I have a butcher who will cut them fresh off the whole loin for us. The problem is that on the finished product there is a bone or cartilage that sits right between the bones on one end, only higher up. When they cook and we go to slice them, the knife inevitably hits this bone/cartilage and we have to 'swerve' to avoid it making for an ugly, uneven cut. On 'commercial' back ribs, this bone/cartilage isn't there, so it can be successfully removed, but I'd rather not buy cryovac'd commercial product if I can get fresh from my meat supplier, but this bone/cartilage thing is driving me crazy at turn-in time! What exactly is this bone/cartilage, can it be removed without compromising the appearance of the ribs, and if so, what instructions should I give my butcher? Qfan Dizzy Pig BBQ Canada
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Post by BBQ Butcher on Jul 18, 2007 13:48:15 GMT -5
Up here in Canada they slaughter hogs younger than in the US, so we feel we have to cook back ribs in competition although our preference is side ribs (they're too thin and have no meat on the bone up here). The back ribs have done well for us and I have a butcher who will cut them fresh off the whole loin for us. The problem is that on the finished product there is a bone or cartilage that sits right between the bones on one end, only higher up. When they cook and we go to slice them, the knife inevitably hits this bone/cartilage and we have to 'swerve' to avoid it making for an ugly, uneven cut. On 'commercial' back ribs, this bone/cartilage isn't there, so it can be successfully removed, but I'd rather not buy cryovac'd commercial product if I can get fresh from my meat supplier, but this bone/cartilage thing is driving me crazy at turn-in time! What exactly is this bone/cartilage, can it be removed without compromising the appearance of the ribs, and if so, what instructions should I give my butcher? Qfan Dizzy Pig BBQ Canada Morning Qfan...good to see you! I que with the Oval Rulers BBQ Team on occasion and, YES, we have run into that 'mystery bone' a couple of times. Both times these were commercial cry-o-vac'ed ribs from IBP. And yup, they have a tendency to ruin the final appearance. Canadian and US meat cutting is slightly different, but not that much. I'm going to assume your butcher is cutting your backs from a box of pork loins. I can't make out from your description if the bone is coming from the 'shoulder' end or the 'sirloin' end of the loin, as each end does have a bone or two that shouldn't be there. If the 'mystery' bone is in the smaller shorter rib end, it is part of the Blade bone. If it's at the end with the longer bones (Sirloin end) the 'mystery' bone is more than likely part of the "Button Ribs" (Flat circular shaped bones located at the sirloin end of the loin. The button ribs consist of the last 4 to 6 bones on the backbone that do not have actual ribs connected to them. The meat on the button ribs consists of meat that covers each rib and connects them together). Other than asking your butcher not to cut so far at either end, I don't know what to tell you. Down here the average Back Rib will have 12-14 bones and I will remove the 1st two thick ribs and one of the longer thinner ribs before I even cook them. That way I'm cooking a 10 rib rack which leaves me plenty to pick and choose from in the comps (we'll cook4-6 racks of these). I have seen on occasion part of the Breast bone being left on the Regular Spareribs, but never on the Back Ribs. However, I wouldn't be surprised at anything any more Packers can get more per pound with the bone in ribs than they can with the boneless loins, so they will leave more on the money cuts. Not sure if I answered your question....next time you have one of those Back Ribs, shoot me a picture, if you don't mind. Keep up the good work with the rubs and the comp cooks ;D Steve/Rumrunner
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