Gameday Ribs, Part 2

Part 2 of this series will deal with how to trim your ribs. For those who missed part one, it is required reading before going any further. Here it is.

The first thing you will need to do is create a large area where you can make a mess. If you have a significant other who is a germophobe, I recommend that you not use your permanent cutting board. I just cover a large area of the counter with paper bags.

You will need a sharp knife. I got a set of these Shun knives for cheap on Ebay and they are SUPER sharp.















Take the ribs out of their packages and briefly wash them down, patting dry with paper towels. You will now need to trim the "flap" from the top. Here is a photo of the flap - I am holding it in my hand.















You need to utilize a very complex and demanding technique to get this off, it is called CUTTING. Just cut it off as close as you can to the slab like you see here.















Now a very important step, removing the membrane. The membrane is a tough strip of fat that covers the ribs. You will need to remove it so the dry rub can penetrate the ribs overnight. You may remember eating ribs at certain restaurants and you get this dry sort of skin that is hard to chew - that is the membrane that they did NOT remove. Steve H. says that when smoking the ribs all day that you do not have to remove the membrane - it just dissolves over time. I don't have the luxury of a smoker, so I remove it. You take the dull side of your knife and pry under one end. It almost looks like skin or a very thin layer of fat. DO NOT remove the "second" membrane as I like to call it. There is another membrane under the primary layer that actually helps hold the rack together in the oven. You will see what I mean if you do this. Anyway, here is a photo prying the membrane up.














Once this is done, grab a paper towel and peel it off from one side to the other. It comes off in one piece usually. But if it doesn't, just keep prying and peeling until you have it all off. You can now see the secondary membrane exposed.















Trim any excess fat off the ribs. Don't get too carried away, but if you have some large blobs hanging off there, just cut it off.















Now your ribs are ready for the application of the dry rub. But wait! You have been working very hard and you need nourishment, vitamins and energy to continue. Please take a break using the technique seen below.















Now that you have restored your energy, the next very complex step is to apply the rub to the ribs. Here is how: DUMP IT ON AND PRESS IT IN, as seen below.






























Here is a photo of the finished product.















Put the ribs into a container with a lid (doesn't have to be air tight) overnight in the refrigerator.














In the next part I will bake the ribs and show preparations for transport to Game Day.