Why You Should Never Boil Ribs Again (And What To Do Instead)

Every rack of ribs I've watched ruined in Memphis started the same way — in a pot of water. Somebody standing over it telling me they're tenderizing the meat. They're not. They're pouring the best part of it down the drain, and most people have never been told why. In this one I go through what boiling actually does to a rack, why "fall off the bone" and tender are not the same thing, and the way an old man at a pit off Third Street showed me to do it instead. Real times, real temperatures, no guessing. What's in this video: - Why spare ribs and baby backs are not interchangeable - The membrane on the bone side, and the fifteen seconds it takes to fix - Where the collagen actually goes when you boil a rack - Why a pot of water caps you at 212 degrees and what that costs you - The overnight dry rub, and how heavy is heavy enough - 250 degrees, three hours open, ninety minutes wrapped, thirty minutes back - The bend test — how to know without a thermometer - Why sauce goes on at the very end and never at the start If you grew up eating this food, tell me in the comments how your family cooked ribs. I read every one of them, and half of what I know came out of a conversation just like that. More of this every few days. Subscribe if you want the next one.