Overheard a customer say ribs should be boiled first, took a minute to respond

Some guy at the counter last Saturday told his buddy he boils pork ribs for 20 minutes before grilling to 'get the fat out'. I just stared at my cutting board for a second, then offered him a sample of our smoked rack. Has anyone else run into this kind of backyard wisdom that makes you question everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.julia17d ago

...and honestly I feel a little bad because I almost choked on my own spit trying not to laugh. I've been behind a smoker for like eight years now and every time I hear someone say boil ribs first, a tiny part of my brain just goes 'well, what do I know?' Then I remember that one time I tried to sear a steak in a wet pan and turned it into a sad, gray hockey puck, so maybe I'm not exactly the final word on grilling either. That said, boiled ribs sound like the kind of thing you'd serve someone you don't plan on seeing again. I get that people want to cut the fat, but that's what the low and slow heat is for, you know? Anyway, I hope his buddy got a sample of your rack, that's the real cure for bad advice.

pat_harris17d ago

Read somewhere that a chef said boiling ribs is like washing a steak. You're just pulling out all the flavor with the water. Low and slow on the smoker is the whole point, that's where the magic happens.