No Pull Back

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rp ribking

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
OTBS Member
Oct 29, 2009
990
26
Northern, Indiana
Has anyone had this problem: spareribs that are done but the pork has not pulled away from the end of the bones. I normally have them pull away 3/4" or more from the edge. This is the 2nd time I have had this happen. The pig was slaughterd 10 days before I smoked them. Any ideas????????????? I smoked on a WSM for 6 hours.

Thanks RP
 
There was a recent discussion on this subject. It seems some folks actually look for ribs that do not bull back. Myself, Mine always pull back. There should be someone along shortly that may be able to explain this.
 
It happens and is desired by some folks.
Personally I use pullback as a sign of when they are done and have gotten used to it that way.
Someone recently remarked that having pullback on your ribs comes from the ribs not being cut right or too high cooking heat but yet the last set of spares I did had almost no pullback at all and were the same regular ones I get from the grocery stores AND I cooked them at 300 the entire time so my guess is that it just sometimes happens.
 
or it has something to do with the quality rib you are getting. Less pull back better quality of rib. I am sure BBally will respond here shortly. Since his response I now look at ribs a who lot differnetly. If you have been watching the Pit Masters you will notice they have very little pull back and there turns do not have any pull back.
 
I don't know if quality is the word I'm looking for...but what I've noticed, is that more pull back means less meat on the ribs. When I buy the best spares and BB's I can find, there is usually less pull back, and more mean on the tops of the slabs. The few times that I DID get more pull back, it seemed the ribs were more dry than what I like, and didn't have as much meat. I don't know if that is just a coincidence - or if I cooked them slightly different.
 
I don't recall havng any ribs that didn't have any pull back but if theytasted good and all of that I really wouldn't care if they didnt pull back or not.
 
It sounds like pull back it pretty much a personal preference kind of thing. I don't care either way as long as the rib is tender, juicy and tastes good I could care less if there is pull back or not.
 
You are correct. "Cover" is what determines pull back. Although one heat may also be a factor. Cover (for me cover is quality as I prefer my $1.99 per pound buying more meat then bone) is most important. Can be from an unfinished animal, or a poor cutting at the slaughter house. But cover is definately the factor I key on the most for preventing bone creep. AKA pull back.

To many people pay no attention to meat quality and yields. They think $1.99 per pound is good pricing, it may be, but most likely it is not, here is why:

Cover is important cause in the catering world, prie per pound of yield is everything. People don't eat bones (alright most people) so if you are cooking $1.99 per pound ribs with a 40 percent yield (0.40 pound of meat per pound purchased.) You actually have $4.98 per pound yield.

Take a look at John Morrell or IBP ribs at $2.50 per pound ribs but with good cover they produce a 65 percent yield. (0.65 pound of meat per pound purchased) You are now producing $3.85 per pound yield.

While it may not look like the $2.50 per pound is the best deal, knowing yields from different cut shops by watching what happens to the meat you purchase allows a very different calculation. At you own home you would save $3.39 on three pounds of rib meat consumed by knowing what the yields are and selecting the highest yield per pound.

But for me in Catering. If I am feeding of 400 people, I know I need 200 pounds of meat yield. I spec John Morrell or IBP, so I get to order 310 pounds of ribs to get my 200 pound yield.

I have $775.00 tied up in rib costs for the feeding.

A competitor that makes these mistakes either runs out of food (kiss of death in catering) or over orders because they know the low yield but always go for the low price.

The competitor will have $995.00 tied up in the $1.99 per pound type ribs. And it adds up from there... they also have to prep more racks, use more spices, cut more finished ribs.... etc etc.

And that is why I have purchased the equipment of four other food service companies at auction for 10 cents on the dollar. They tried to compete thinking it was about low cost food selling for a higher price than purchased. But it is yield that counts and seperates the winners from the also rans!
 
Thanks for all of the info, it really helped, the reason I was a little worried is that I'm the official rib smoker at work and I smoked 12 racks of those ribs for the workers at work. The ribs were IBP select trim $1.59lb.

By the way everybody thought they were FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!

RP
 
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