27 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
27 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
Extra Meaty: 145°F (63°C) for 36 Hours
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Low and slow = extra meaty and tender.
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At this low temperature, ribs retain plenty of moisture as they tenderize. The result is an extra-meaty rib that has the texture of a moist pork chop, but is still tender to the tooth. It pulls away from the bones nicely with just a little tug. I've never gotten meat with this texture using more traditional means of cooking, so if you really want to see what sous vide can do, this is the way to go.
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Traditional Barbecue–Style Texture: 165°F (74°C) for 12 Hours
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Relatively hot and fast = traditional barbecue texture.
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At 165°F (74°C), you end up with meat that's a little more loose and shreds more easily, though it's by no means dry. This is meat that pulls off the bone and almost melts on your tongue, washing it with porky flavor and leaving behind shreds with a more significant chew. The texture is very much like that of traditional barbecue, though a little bit moister.
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You can extrapolate from these two temperatures and timings to figure out what other combinations in between will yield. Cooking at 152°F (67°C) for 24 hours was a close runner-up, resulting in a texture that's a little more tender than the 145°F ribs, but a little juicier than the 165°F ones.
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So, while ribs cooked at 145°F will take about three times as long to tenderize as ribs cooked at 165°F, they'll end up with a meatier, more succulent texture that eats almost like an extra-tender steak. Ribs cooked at a higher temperature will have a more traditional barbecue rib texture, with well-rendered fat and meat that shreds as you eat it.
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For Extra-Juicy Ribs, Turn to Salt!
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With temperature and timing addressed, I turned to the next question: the rub. I mixed together a basic spice rub using our guide to spice rubs as a template, adjusting the flavors until I got something I was happy with. I ended up with a combination of paprika, mustard seed, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, coriander seed, and red pepper flakes, along with brown sugar for sweetness.
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A couple of questions came up immediately. Some sous vide recipes recommend against adding spice rubs to the bag as the meat cooks, because they can alter the flavor in a negative way. I have never found this to be the case, whether I'm cooking a steak, vegetables, or ribs. Spice rubs work just fine in sous vide bags.
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The other, more important question was that of salt. Specifically, when and how much to add. Salt can have a profound effect on the texture and flavor of meat proteins. As salt sits in contact with meat, it will dissolve some muscle proteins, which in turn helps the meat retain moisture better. That's the reason a ham has that particular juicy and tender texture—which is great in ham, but not always desirable in barbecue. I tried cooking a few different sets of ribs side by side.
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From <https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/the-food-lab-complete-guide-sous-vide-pork-ribs.html> |