All natural?

[Larry D.]

The local Food Lion store advertised St. Louis cut spares for $2.49 per pound this week, so I went to the store to get some. I should have known better - in spite of "All Natural" on the label, there was also (in much smaller print) a note that the ribs were "enhanced" (or adulterated, depending on your point of view) with up to 12% pork broth and natural salt. I don't consider artificially hydrated ribs to be all natural. I suppose the manufacturer would argue that pork broth and salt are natural. Then again, all God's creatures are natural so I could make the same argument about ribs that were crawling with maggots. I'll buy my ribs somewhere else.

 

[bbquzz]

I would side with your thinking Larry, natural is natural and enhanced "ain't" natural.

 

[boozer]

There's a cost factor too, unless they're subtracting 12% of the weight before pricing. 2.49 is a good price for ribs, terrible price for pork broth.

 

[bigwheel]

Well yall need to get a grip here. Pumped ribs are best..thats why they get pumped. Try Hormels from Super Target. Dont overthink things.

 

[Bob In Fla.]

Well yall need to get a grip here. Pumped ribs are best..thats why they get pumped. Try Hormels from Super Target. Dont overthink things.

I like to know EXACTLY what mine are pumped with.

THEY pump them for preservation and "shelf life".

Also, like boozer sez, they're charging you meat prices for salt water and a little pork "broth".

No thanks.

 

[bigwheel]

Know back when we were comp cooking I spent two years of my life driving across town to get special unpumped ribs (thanks to all the good theories of folks who hang out on chat forums like this) only to have my entry consistently snubbed by the judges whilst other folks were using Hormels and kicking my coola. So I joined the club. Found some Hormels on sale for .99 and bought nine racks..about 50 bucks worth..and put them in the freezer to be used two racks at a time. Well by the time the ribs were gone the 50 buck investment had translated to about a thousand in winnings. Made a big believer out of me. Kroger has a very good pumped rib too..called Moist n Tender or something like that. Tyson ribs are nasty. Dont use those.

 

[Bob In Fla.]

Know back when we were comp cooking I spent two years of my life driving across town to get special unpumped ribs (thanks to all the good theories of folks who hang out on chat forums like this) only to have my entry consistently snubbed by the judges whilst other folks were using Hormels and kicking my coola. So I joined the club. Found some Hormels on sale for .99 and bought nine racks..about 50 bucks worth..and put them in the freezer to be used two racks at a time. Well by the time the ribs were gone the 50 buck investment had translated to about a thousand in winnings. Made a big believer out of me. Kroger has a very good pumped rib too..called Moist n Tender or something like that. Tyson ribs are nasty. Dont use those.

All that was what? 50 years ago? With concrete blocks and a rusty chain-link fence stretched across the blocks?
Times change. Techniques that were winning 4 years ago are now middle of the pack. People and their cooking are getting better and better every week.

 

[bigwheel]

I still can beat yankees like a drum. Bring em on.

 

[boozer]

Well, this thread is turning out to be a lot of fun! I say, the only way to solve this is a cookoff. I volunteer to judge!

 

[bbquzz]

I can't speak for ribs, but, Butts with no enhancements are noticeably better than the WW enhanced. I'll take any of my proteins with no enhancements when I can afford them.

 

[boozer]

Them Tysons chickens are hilarious. 5.5lb chicken! 1.19-lb! Great, how much without the 2.5 lbs of salt water in the cryo-bag that looks like a water balloon with a chicken suspended in the middle? Oh, the organic free range smart-chicken? Those be $4.89-lb. Uh, a happy medium?

 

[Bosko]

Tyson....... that is some.........fowl.............Fowl

 

[bigwheel]

Butts is butts. I cant tell no difference.

 

[boozer]

No they taste the same. The difference for me is the cost. I buy a lot of damn meat and it's already damn expensive. I ain't paying for no damn water! Lol

Edit: just did some quick calculations. For a rinky-dink bbq operation like mine, 20 butts a week at $1.89, is about 453 bucks. Make 12% of that salt water that's $54 dollars a week lost. Even for 1 butt that's 2.25 or so, coulda had a beer...

 

[Bob In Fla.]

No they taste the same. The difference for me is the cost. I buy a lot of damn meat and it's already damn expensive. I ain't paying for no damn water! Lol

Edit: just did some quick calculations. For a rinky-dink bbq operation like mine, 20 butts a week at $1.89, is about 453 bucks. Make 12% of that salt water that's $54 dollars a week lost. Even for 1 butt that's 2.25 or so, coulda had a beer...

:partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman::partyman:

 

[bigwheel]

Good point. Do you buy ungraded briskets? The food salesman son says a lot of bbq places like those since they are cheaper and tend to be leaner than the graded models.

 

[Bob In Fla.]

Good point. Do you buy ungraded briskets? The food salesman son says a lot of bbq places like those since they are cheaper and tend to be leaner than the graded models.

Leaner briskets mean tougher and drier briskets. Less taste, too.

Didn't you learn what ol' Belly Maynard used to say..."Fat is where the flavor is at"

 

[bigwheel]

Well thought that was Joe Ames witticism n the fat. Thought we were strving for yield here? Fat dont translate out into edible meat.