Unpopular opinion: competition ribs aren’t cooked enough and need to be more fall off the bone. Come at me
Unpopular opinion: competition ribs aren’t cooked enough and need to be more fall off the bone. Come at me
by theToolOfAMouse
50 Comments
No_Strength_6455
Okay
Big-Box-9170
Competition BBQ is subjective to the tastes of the judges, regardless of how good it is. I’d rather just worry about my own personal preference and that of people that I’m cooking for. You do you. Who cares.
Responsible-Ice-2254
I cook them even longer. The only judge I have is my wife, who always asks me to make ribs.
IEnjoyANiceCoffee
Competiton ribs are cooked just the way the person who cooked them intended or likes. Same for fall off the bone.
I prefer ribs not fall off the bone. I will eat ribs that fall off the bone.
Ta da
CherodJerry
My elderly mother likes crock-pot ribs, too.
TheVanillaGorilla413
Properly cooked ribs stay on the bone, until you bite it and then it pulls off cleanly, coming off the bone easily but not falling off.
TwinFrogs
They’re probably held to a time limit for judging.
raoadrash9
Pull on the bone with a pair of pliers. If they are done the bone will slide out. Might have to wiggle it a bit
[deleted]
[deleted]
agravain
competition ribs are cooked for the contest they are participating in. You go with the rules you are given
eating ribs are cooked however *you* want them.
squeeshka
Competition bbq sucks if you want it as a meal. There. I said it.
IllustriousPace8805
Tomato tomato
Fall of the bones are overcooked trash
Sekshual_Tyranosauce
I’m not going to argue with how you like to cook your food. To me, fall off the bone is a synonym for mushy. But you make them the way you enjoy!
Even_Win1100
Who cares if it falls off the bone.
JakeyPurple
I like them more than one way. As long as the person doing it does a good job.
Simms623
Cook them how you like them!
Typical-Cobbler5711
Competition ribs are done the way they are because it’s difficult and requires some element of skill, experience, and understanding to know when they’re done to that level.
Fall off the bone are “easy” because you just cook them longer and hotter, and when they start falling apart they’re done. There isn’t a huge amount of skill required for them, whereas competition is cooking it to a specific standard.
Some people like them each way, and that’s fine. I go back and forth on what I prefer but I know most people I cook for prefer fall off the bone so that’s what I cook too.
If you kind of break it down, competition cooking isn’t about creating the best final product, but moreso demonstrating who has the most control and ability to execute on their plan and the standards the judges set out. It’s about creating the most tasty piece of meat, it’s about who can execute the plan to the highest level of success. Sort of like how Michelin star restaurants make excellent tasting food, but it’s more often about who can create the most intricate, well crafted menu and then execute on that intricate plan. The food ends up tasting, for the most part, remarkable but that’s because the design of the course is well thought out and then executed well.
SafetyRadiant7237
There’s no smoke ring and the bark is inconsistent
SafetyRadiant7237
They look tough as hell
FlyingTerrier
I like them soft. I am not paying or putting all that effort in to chew!
But the issue is people like to gatekeep online and think competition style is best because they saw it on TV.
Everyone do what you and your family like. Enjoy!
mtinmd
Everyone has different tastes. None are wrong, but to act like your preference is the right one is wrong.
Skysoldier173rd
Most competition meats don’t look appetizing to me
regreddit
And I will parboil ribs, Internet judges be damned, I’m not cooking for you, I’m cooking for me. I grew up in the deep South where parboiled ribs were very much a thing and when I get nostalgic I’ll do a slab that way, brings fond memories. Parboil in salty water for 45 minutes to an hour, then rub and onto the grill on low for 45 minutes saucing the entire time.
h8mac4life
true story bruh
TheCzarIV
I want tender. I don’t want to have to saw, and I also don’t want all the meat to fall off when I pick up the rib. It’s a fine line to walk. But I do tend to agree that competition ribs are generally a bit undercooked for my liking.
LazyOldCat
I’ve got a crockpot if I want fall off the bone, and a butt has more meat, but to each their own.
rocketcitygardener
Totally agree. Comp ribs are about the ability to hit that specific texture. I, like you, prefer more fall off the bone.
SergiuM42
Those ribs look disgusting
Kool_Southpaw
Remember: in competition you’re trying to get someone to take one single super flavorful and memorable bite. If you ate half a rack of competition ribs it would make you sick lol
CoatingsRcrack
I feel like fall off the bone makes it more like pulled pork so just do pulled pork instead. Save the ribs for the competition…😂
Fine-West-369
Agreed
shockandale
Comp ribs are too sweet.
Turbulent_Ad9508
For me, eating ribs is eating meat off the bone… like eating corn off the cob. If you cook either correctly, it will come off with minimal effort.
Fall of the bone ribs is like slicing the corn off the cob into a pile on your plate.
Boneless rib meat and cobless corn are just fine in other situations, but not on a summer day sitting on my plate.
stlouisraiders
I like a little softer than competition style but “fall off the bone” just isn’t good for me. I think it’s people who are used to ribs from an oven or crockpot.
Simple-Purpose-899
Competition ribs are perfection for me. Miss me with overcooked mushy 321 bullshit ribs.
OppositeSolution642
I share your unpopular opinion. I don’t do competitions, but I do make good ribs.
Kvossy
The way YOU make your ribs is the BEST way
Dr_Asshole_PhD
100% agree. I never even knew fall of the bone was the “wrong” way to make ribs, I only ever enjoyed ribs as a kid this way, and as an adult anytime I’ve ordered ribs somewhere they were fall of the bone.
Seems like this is one of those things where the BBQ elitists like to enforce their will on people, but in reality the overwhelming majority prefer it the “wrong” way lol.
prettyokaycake
trash tier bbq – get your teeth fixed
chcknngts
Unpopular opinion: ribs that fall of the bone are mushy and kinda gross. I want them to still have some bite.
StraightDrummer2641
Make them the way you like. Your the best judge
Affectionate_Rice520
My ribs my way, somebody wants to bitch or complain they can do it themselves
Own_Car4536
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If I buy something, im gonna cook it how my family wants to eat it. Not how some internet dork wearing black gloves tells me I should eat it. BBQ is comfort food and makes people feel good. Stop forcing your family to be subjected to what social media tells you to do or what people do in BBQ competitions. Your family doesn’t want to sit around hungry while you put your nitril gloves on and slice your ribs on a wood cutting board with 12″ carving knife lol
Strict_Avocado8611
I agree !!!!
Party-Independent-38
I like “bite off the bone”. Like just a little effort to get the meat off and a clean bone. If I’m pulling my rack off the smoker and it’s falling apart,..that’sa not good
Underwater_Karma
Competition ribs are cooked to a standard that’s difficult to do, to demonstrate skill.
They’re not cooked to a culinary standard of “best ribs”
Disassociated_Assoc
Never had comp ribs. Never had a rib as good as what comes out of my back yard either. I like them tender, but not fall off the bone.
basement-thug
When you figure out how to cook them until they are falling apart, but can then draw them back just enough to be on the bone but still be as tender… that’s when you’ve figured them out.
Mediocre_Run_2756
I have tried cooking a few different times/temps/methods and I have come to the conclusion that what is perfect for me is a fine line. I like an easy pull off the bone, but I have over-done a few that are simply too mushy. A little bite is preferable. Happy smoking!
Dalton387
Cooking is subjective. Cook then how you and your family like them and it’s right.
In a competition, there is a theoretically agreed upon ideal. You can turn in what you want, but if you don’t meet the criteria they look for, you’re unlikely to win.
50 Comments
Okay
Competition BBQ is subjective to the tastes of the judges, regardless of how good it is. I’d rather just worry about my own personal preference and that of people that I’m cooking for. You do you. Who cares.
I cook them even longer. The only judge I have is my wife, who always asks me to make ribs.
Competiton ribs are cooked just the way the person who cooked them intended or likes. Same for fall off the bone.
I prefer ribs not fall off the bone. I will eat ribs that fall off the bone.
Ta da
My elderly mother likes crock-pot ribs, too.
Properly cooked ribs stay on the bone, until you bite it and then it pulls off cleanly, coming off the bone easily but not falling off.
They’re probably held to a time limit for judging.
Pull on the bone with a pair of pliers. If they are done the bone will slide out. Might have to wiggle it a bit
[deleted]
competition ribs are cooked for the contest they are participating in. You go with the rules you are given
eating ribs are cooked however *you* want them.
Competition bbq sucks if you want it as a meal. There. I said it.
Tomato tomato
Fall of the bones are overcooked trash
I’m not going to argue with how you like to cook your food. To me, fall off the bone is a synonym for mushy. But you make them the way you enjoy!
Who cares if it falls off the bone.
I like them more than one way. As long as the person doing it does a good job.
Cook them how you like them!
Competition ribs are done the way they are because it’s difficult and requires some element of skill, experience, and understanding to know when they’re done to that level.
Fall off the bone are “easy” because you just cook them longer and hotter, and when they start falling apart they’re done. There isn’t a huge amount of skill required for them, whereas competition is cooking it to a specific standard.
Some people like them each way, and that’s fine. I go back and forth on what I prefer but I know most people I cook for prefer fall off the bone so that’s what I cook too.
If you kind of break it down, competition cooking isn’t about creating the best final product, but moreso demonstrating who has the most control and ability to execute on their plan and the standards the judges set out. It’s about creating the most tasty piece of meat, it’s about who can execute the plan to the highest level of success. Sort of like how Michelin star restaurants make excellent tasting food, but it’s more often about who can create the most intricate, well crafted menu and then execute on that intricate plan. The food ends up tasting, for the most part, remarkable but that’s because the design of the course is well thought out and then executed well.
There’s no smoke ring and the bark is inconsistent
They look tough as hell
I like them soft. I am not paying or putting all that effort in to chew!
But the issue is people like to gatekeep online and think competition style is best because they saw it on TV.
Everyone do what you and your family like. Enjoy!
Everyone has different tastes. None are wrong, but to act like your preference is the right one is wrong.
Most competition meats don’t look appetizing to me
And I will parboil ribs, Internet judges be damned, I’m not cooking for you, I’m cooking for me. I grew up in the deep South where parboiled ribs were very much a thing and when I get nostalgic I’ll do a slab that way, brings fond memories. Parboil in salty water for 45 minutes to an hour, then rub and onto the grill on low for 45 minutes saucing the entire time.
true story bruh
I want tender. I don’t want to have to saw, and I also don’t want all the meat to fall off when I pick up the rib. It’s a fine line to walk. But I do tend to agree that competition ribs are generally a bit undercooked for my liking.
I’ve got a crockpot if I want fall off the bone, and a butt has more meat, but to each their own.
Totally agree. Comp ribs are about the ability to hit that specific texture. I, like you, prefer more fall off the bone.
Those ribs look disgusting
Remember: in competition you’re trying to get someone to take one single super flavorful and memorable bite. If you ate half a rack of competition ribs it would make you sick lol
I feel like fall off the bone makes it more like pulled pork so just do pulled pork instead. Save the ribs for the competition…😂
Agreed
Comp ribs are too sweet.
For me, eating ribs is eating meat off the bone… like eating corn off the cob. If you cook either correctly, it will come off with minimal effort.
Fall of the bone ribs is like slicing the corn off the cob into a pile on your plate.
Boneless rib meat and cobless corn are just fine in other situations, but not on a summer day sitting on my plate.
I like a little softer than competition style but “fall off the bone” just isn’t good for me. I think it’s people who are used to ribs from an oven or crockpot.
Competition ribs are perfection for me. Miss me with overcooked mushy 321 bullshit ribs.
I share your unpopular opinion. I don’t do competitions, but I do make good ribs.
The way YOU make your ribs is the BEST way
100% agree. I never even knew fall of the bone was the “wrong” way to make ribs, I only ever enjoyed ribs as a kid this way, and as an adult anytime I’ve ordered ribs somewhere they were fall of the bone.
Seems like this is one of those things where the BBQ elitists like to enforce their will on people, but in reality the overwhelming majority prefer it the “wrong” way lol.
trash tier bbq – get your teeth fixed
Unpopular opinion: ribs that fall of the bone are mushy and kinda gross. I want them to still have some bite.
Make them the way you like. Your the best judge
My ribs my way, somebody wants to bitch or complain they can do it themselves
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If I buy something, im gonna cook it how my family wants to eat it. Not how some internet dork wearing black gloves tells me I should eat it. BBQ is comfort food and makes people feel good. Stop forcing your family to be subjected to what social media tells you to do or what people do in BBQ competitions. Your family doesn’t want to sit around hungry while you put your nitril gloves on and slice your ribs on a wood cutting board with 12″ carving knife lol
I agree !!!!
I like “bite off the bone”. Like just a little effort to get the meat off and a clean bone. If I’m pulling my rack off the smoker and it’s falling apart,..that’sa not good
Competition ribs are cooked to a standard that’s difficult to do, to demonstrate skill.
They’re not cooked to a culinary standard of “best ribs”
Never had comp ribs. Never had a rib as good as what comes out of my back yard either. I like them tender, but not fall off the bone.
When you figure out how to cook them until they are falling apart, but can then draw them back just enough to be on the bone but still be as tender… that’s when you’ve figured them out.
I have tried cooking a few different times/temps/methods and I have come to the conclusion that what is perfect for me is a fine line. I like an easy pull off the bone, but I have over-done a few that are simply too mushy. A little bite is preferable. Happy smoking!
Cooking is subjective. Cook then how you and your family like them and it’s right.
In a competition, there is a theoretically agreed upon ideal. You can turn in what you want, but if you don’t meet the criteria they look for, you’re unlikely to win.