Tough Pork Ribs? NO PROBLEM! How do you make them tender? (2024)
Howdy & a happy weekend everyone!
We’ve come to the weekends and there’s finally time away from work to sit-back, relax, grab a beer, watch football… or JUST COOK UP SOME AMAZING PORK RIBS!!!
I love pork ribs. Everybody loves a good pork rib. It’s the go-to hearty food when you have a gathering with family and friends, right up there with burgers, wings and steaks.
Now the regular Asian and Singaporean do love a good pork rib too, and we have plenty of delicious recipes that do justice to this wonderful ingredient besides the usual grilling! Also, it doesn’t really matter if you do not own an oven or a grill, there are actually really interesting recipes that require minimal cooking equipment to still make absolutely delicious pork ribs. I will be sharing some of these uniquely Asian and Singaporean recipes with you on this blog so make sure to stick with us!
Back to the question then: So how do you actually make pork ribs tender in the process of cooking?
I’ve heard many a disgruntled people – friends, fellow foodies, family all complaining about their pork ribs not being tender after cooking them. The pork ribs come out tough instead of the tender chewy goodness.
How can it be???
They found the perfect celebrity recipe, bought all the necessary ingredients, measured the quantity perfectly, followed the cooking instructions and yet, the end product isn’t what they expected. It’s a major downer especially when you’ve put in so much effort for that get-together.
Well, there are tons of logical explanations why the ribs don’t turn out the way you want them to be. The most obvious explanation would be LACK OFEXPERIENCE. An experienced chef is able to make adhoc minute adjustments in the moment whilst cooking. In the cooking process, they are constantly re-evaluating and improving their dishes through the use of their 5 senses: touch, see, smell, taste, even hearing!
The regular us just want a fool-proof recipe to follow… how hard is that??? We know we aren’t chefs. We don’t have the time to experiment as we have so much to do at work. So we read reviews online before attempting a recipe that is easy enough to follow yet can impress.
One thing I noticed in many a modern recipe is that they obviously leave out the intricate details in order to make the recipe look easy enough to attempt. It’s only when one embarks on that particular conquest that one realizes the things that can go very wrong very fast…
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Generally, Pork ribs benefit from a lengthy cook time over low temperature. So don’t just chuck them in the oven immediately and you don’t have to necessarily use the grill from start to finish. It can be hard to control the temperature if you’re not experienced enough which will result in burnt and tough meat.
Very quickly, do follow these rule and method that I’ve experimented with in order to achieve that tender yet chewy texture found in the PERFECT PORK RIB:
“Boil your meat first”
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in the ribs and turn the heat low. Allow the ribs to simmer for about 45-minutes until just tender but the meat is not falling off the bones. Remove ribs from boiling water and set aside.
You may now start following the recipe you found online. Take note to adjust the cooking time on the grill or in the oven. Once again,Pork ribs benefit from a lengthy cook time over low temperature.
If it’s going into the oven:Set the oven at 170-180 Degree Celsius. Place the tray/pan with the pork ribs in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30-minutes first before turning the pork ribs and baking for another 30-minutes. To finish, after 1 hour, remove the tray/pan from the oven and put it back onto the stove. Turn the heat up high and when the sauce starts to bubble, turn the ribs over and over to glaze them in their own sauces that will thicken and sufficiently coat the ribs.
Rule to follow if you’re using the grill:DO NOT grill the ribs completely over direct high heat! Doing so will burn and dry the ribs out. While a few minutes over a high flame can leave a nice finishing char, the majority of cooking should happen over low or indirect heat. This guarantees more even cooking, and will help lead to more tender ribs.
So there you go! I hope this helps you make that perfect pork rib whichever recipe you’re using! Do try out the recipe I shared on this blog too,Gordan Ramsay’s Sticky Pork Ribs 😉 Happy cooking!
Steam method. If you want to lessen the time required in the previous method, you can try steaming. After coating your meat, transfer it to the oven or a steamer and cook it over low until extra tender. The moisture will help pack in flavors and break down tough fibers.
Moist, gentle heat and a wet vinegary sauce can save dry ribs. Here's what to do: Make a 50/50 mixture of your favorite BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar and coat the ribs in this mixture. Then wrap the ribs tightly in foil and put them in a low oven (say 300°F) for about an hour.
The secret to incredibly tender ribs is baking them low and slow. Baking ribs in the oven is so easy. 95% of the cooking time is spent relaxing while your ribs transform into fall-off-the-bone perfection.
When using a slower method like the grill, smoker, or oven, you'll need about 3-5 hours. Slower methods can be ready in as little as 30 minutes - however, keep in mind that the longer you cook your pork back ribs the more tender and succulent they'll be.
Dry brining with baking soda is an ideal route for making slabs of ribs or roasts because it isn't time-sensitive! With this method, you can tenderize your cuts of meat with baking soda in the morning and have them ready to cook in for your afternoon barbecue or an appetizing feast at dinner.
You soak the ribs in vinegar for a couple of hours, drain and dry with a paper towel, and then marinate with a rub (brown sugar and some spices). The vinegar adds flavor and the acidity tenderizes the meat. Is white wine vinegar a good substitute for balsamic vinegar?
Rub both sides of the ribs well with lime juice. Remember, we're not making this taste like lime, lime is a natural meat tenderizer. Lime is a natural meat tenderizer.
How do you make pork soft and tender? Soak your pork in a salt-based brine before cooking it using your desired method. Pork chops need to soak between 12–24 hours, an entire pork tenderloin needs to soak for 6–12 hours, and an entire pork loin requires 2–4 days of soaking.
Stop, change, or take a break from any activity that causes pain. Put ice or a cold pack on the area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. After 2 or 3 days, if your swelling is gone, put a heating pad set on low or a warm cloth on your chest.
Contrary to what most people think, ribs should not be "fall off the bone" tender. The rib meat should pull away from the bone with ease and should be about as tender as a very tender steak; if you can't even cut the ribs without them falling apart, they're too tender.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in the ribs and turn the heat low. Allow the ribs to simmer for about 45-minutes until just tender but the meat is not falling off the bones. Remove ribs from boiling water and set aside.
For easy, fork-tender pork ribs, start the ribs in the oven. Place them in a baking pan, pour your favorite pork marinade recipe overtop and cover the pan with foil. Bake the pork ribs “low and slow”….. low oven temperature (300 degrees) for 3 hours.
A quality, instant-read thermometer will give you a great deal of information on what's happening inside those ribs during the cooking process. The light connective tissue in ribs begins to break down around 195 degrees F. Anything under that temperature and your ribs will be chewy, stringy, and tough.
Braising is an ancient means of cooking tough cuts of meat to tenderize them, and is also quite simple. Start with meat, and brown it well. Browning gives the whole braise flavor, especially the meat itself. Those Maillard-browning byproducts are what make everything taste meaty, so don't skimp on the browning stage.
The reason you would boil ribs before cooking them is simple. This process helps tenderize the ribs and makes them more juicy. It not only shortens the cooking time significantly, but it also helps make the meat far easier to chew.
If you cooked your ribs by coating them with sauce, then add another layer of the sauce to keep the meat moist, or add a little liquid, like broth, co*ke, or beer. Place your leftover ribs in a pan and cover with foil. Cook them for some time and then remove the foil and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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