The Great Silver Skin Debate

What I conveniently left out of that story was what happened to the enormous, beautiful, meaty beef ribs that I cut off before roasting the prime rib.

There was absolutely no chance those were going to waste.

I seasoned them with the same G&C spice blend, nestled them alongside the prime rib roast, poured in some of my G&C jus, and let everything roast low and slow together in a 250-degree oven.

While I'm not quite at the point in my recipe development where I'm focusing on the beef ribs I hope to serve someday at G&C BBQ Company, there was no way I was passing up an opportunity to experiment.

As expected…

They were phenomenal.

Tender, incredibly beefy, and exactly what you'd hope a giant roasted beef rib would be.

But as I was eating them, I found myself thinking about a debate I had years ago with one of my chefs in culinary school.

The topic?

Silver skin.

For anyone unfamiliar with the term, silver skin is the thin, silvery-white membrane made primarily of connective tissue that covers portions of many cuts of meat. Unlike fat, it doesn't melt during cooking. It's incredibly strong because it's made largely of collagen and elastin. While collagen can eventually soften with long, slow cooking, elastin largely remains intact, which is why silver skin often stays chewy even after hours in the oven or smoker.

That's why so many chefs insist on removing it whenever possible.

The argument is straightforward.

Removing silver skin allows seasonings to penetrate the meat more effectively, gives you a more tender bite, and eliminates the unpleasant chew that can remain after cooking.

Makes perfect sense.

But I've never been entirely convinced.

Take baby back ribs, for example.

Many cooks remove the membrane from the back of the rack before cooking. Others swear that leaving it on helps hold the rack together and keeps the meat just a little juicier during a long roast.

Personally?

I've always left it on.

I've never found it objectionable on pork baby back ribs, and I've always liked the structure it gives the finished rack.

Beef, however, may be a completely different story.

The silver skin on these beef ribs was far thicker and much more noticeable than what you'd typically find on pork ribs.

While the meat itself was outstanding, there were definitely moments where I found myself trimming away tougher pieces as I ate.

That has me wondering whether the right answer for beef ribs is different than the right answer for pork.

Maybe silver skin should stay on baby backs.

Maybe it should come off beef ribs.

Or maybe I'm completely wrong.

One of the things I've learned throughout this entire G&C project is that the internet is full of opinions, culinary school teaches another set of opinions, and experienced pitmasters often have an entirely different perspective.

Sometimes they're all right.

Sometimes they're all wrong.

And sometimes the only opinion that really matters is the one your customers have after taking the first bite.

So now I'm curious.

What do all of you think?

If you're cooking pork ribs, do you remove the membrane or leave it alone?

If you're cooking beef ribs, do you approach them differently?

I'm genuinely interested in hearing the arguments from both sides because, sooner or later, beef ribs are going to become another major G&C recipe development project.

When that day comes, I'd rather start with more than just my own opinion.