So, I decided to brine some ribs. Not just for a few hours, oh no, I went for a full two weeks. Yeah, you heard that right, two whole weeks! I’d heard some folks talking about how brining can make ribs super juicy and tender, and I thought, “Why not go big or go home?”
I started by grabbing a hefty rack of pork ribs from the local butcher. These weren’t no skimpy ribs either, they were thick and meaty, just how I like ’em. Then came the fun part – making the brine.
I boiled up a big pot of water and tossed in a bunch of salt. I mean, a lot of salt. It felt like I was dumping half the salt shaker in there! Then I threw in some brown sugar. Stirred it all up until everything was dissolved and the liquid was clear. I also added some black pepper into it. I let the brine cool down completely.
- Get a big pot.
- Boil some water.
- Add tons of salt and brown sugar and some black pepper.
- Stir until it’s all dissolved.
- Let it cool down.
Once the brine was ready, I found a container big enough to fit the ribs and poured the brine over them. I made sure those ribs were completely submerged. It was like giving them a nice, salty bath. Then, I slapped a lid on the container and stuck it in the fridge. And there they sat, soaking up all that salty goodness for two weeks.
I gotta admit, I was a little nervous about how they’d turn out. Two weeks is a long time, even for ribs. But let me tell you, it was worth the wait.
When I finally took the ribs out of the brine, they looked… different. Plumper, maybe? I patted them dry with some paper towels and got them ready for cooking. I decided to just bake them low and slow in the oven. A simple dry rub. No fancy sauces this time, I wanted to see how the brine really affected the flavor.
The Result
Man, oh man, were those ribs amazing! They were so tender, I could practically pull the meat off the bone with my fingers. And the flavor! It was like the salt and sugar had seeped into every fiber of the meat, making it savory and slightly sweet at the same time. Even without any sauce, they were delicious.
I ended up eating way more ribs than I should have, but I regret nothing. It was a successful experiment, and now I’m a firm believer in the power of a long brine. So if you’re thinking about trying it out, go for it! Just make sure you have a big enough container and plenty of room in your fridge. And be patient, the wait is definitely worth it.
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