Just like any other great past time, there are going to be myths about ribs. Here is a couple that we are able to debunk for you.
- Boiling your ribs will make them tender. Don’t do this! Would you boil steak? Essentially when you boil meat, you just make soup. The water you boil them in will pull out the flavor and the meat will become mushy. Vitamins and minerals will also be removed when the meat is boiled. The most flavorful way to cook your ribs is through roasting. If it is an issue of time, then either microwave or steam your ribs, but don’t boil them if you want any flavor in them!
- Fall off the bone ribs are the best. While judges will agree that having tender ribs is good, they should still be slightly chewy. If they are falling off the bone, it was because they were boiled or overcooked.
- The juices you see from steak are blood. This is not true. Blood is drained from the animal when they are slaughtered. The juices you see is actually a liquid rich in a protein called myoglobin. If it were blood, it would be much darker and thicker.
- Use tongs, do not use forks. Do not fret if you wind up poking holes in the meat. A steak is roughly 70% liquid, so poking a hole in a 16 oz. steak might cause you to lose 1/4 ounce of the juice, but this is fine because you still have about 9 ounces left. When you cook, evaporation can cause you to lose 20% of the juices, which is more than three ounces.
It’s important to know the facts when grilling so that you can create the best tasting meats possible. Keep these myths in mind the next time you fire up the grill, and your family and friends will be coming back for more!
