When you first cooking sous vide ribs, it is an experience that will make your mouth water from the anticipation. The results create a texture like no other that is sure to please.
The power of using the sous vide cooking technique means one thing, fail-proof food with restaurant quality Ribs. Today, we cook low and slow in a temperature-controlled water bath for 48 hours. So good!
⬇️ Table of Contents
The Sous Vide Dining Experience
👨🍳 Have you ever been out to dinner and ordered something that blew your mind? Possibly thought to yourself, how in the world did they cook that so perfectly?
Answer: using Sous Vide technique
🍽 What Is Sous Vide
Sous vide (/suːˈviːd/; French for 'under vacuum') is also known as low-temperature long time (LTLT) cooking.
Sous Vide Method: placing food into a food saver, sealable plastic bag. The removing the air from the bag and sealing. The bag is placed into a water bath using a chosen temperature.
💭 How to Make Sous Vide Ribs
When shopping for ribs, you honestly can use any kind of ribs you enjoy; even beef ribs work. I suggest shopping at your local butcher shop, such a great way to support your community and find some excellent cuts of pork.
To start, rinse the ribs under cold water. Always rinse the ribs off under cold water before preparing them.
🔪 Removing The Rib Membrane
When cooking ribs, you want to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. I like using the end of a spoon to work your way underneath the membrane and starting on the edge, working inward to get a grip. Once you get a piece exposed, use a paper towel for gripping and pulling the membrane right off.
Shopping For The Ribs
Purchase the meatiest ribs with the thickest sides - No one wants a skinny rib.
Inspect the ribs next. Cut off anything that looks out of place. Look for fat pieces on the underside that should be cut off.
Two Sous Vide Bag Types:
- Use a food saver machine to seal and remove the air.
- Use Ziploc freezer bags. The key reason: cheaper and they work. No machines to remove the air are needed.
Proceed by cutting the ribs in half. I like cutting them on the backside/rib side. It is easier to see what you are cutting into. #safe
Place the ribs in a large Ziploc bag or use a food saver machine and seal them, removing the air. Season the ribs before sealing.
Season the ribs with your favorite dry rub - I like the 2 Gringo's Chupacabra Dry Rub - I also like adding a little bit of soy sauce too.
Machine Settings
Set the sous vide machine temperature to 140 degrees to begin. Then press the "ON" button. The water will begin to circulate and the temperature will increase.
The machine takes a while to heat up. I like getting hot water from the bathtub. Our water is around 130 degrees out of the facet.
Removing The Air From The Sous Vide Bags
The Ziploc bag while holding the bag upright, lower it into the water making sure to keep the opening away from the water. As the bag submerges, the air is pushed out. Once the air is out, close/seal the bag.
You can watch the process here: Short video - Click To Watch
With a clip, secure the bags to the opposite side away from the sous vide machine. This ensures the bag will not come in contact with the sous vide machine motor/heating element. It is possible the bag could break open, filling with water.
Sous vide the ribs for 8 hours, then turn the temperature down to 130 degrees until 48 hours have elapsed.
You can cook the ribs for 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours. They all work well. The longer cooking time equals a more tender rib.
What To Serve With The Ribs
Faqs
The ribs will end up tougher.
Lowering the temperature acts as a long meat "resting" period.
While at 130 degrees, the ribs will become very tender.
Honestly, they are equally as good as the 48 hours. The added value for going a full 48 hours is the ribs turn out extra tender.
I'm a believer in the brand Anova. I have had mine for 4 years and still going strong.
Here's what I suggest:
Amazon link: Anova Culinary AN500-US00 Sous Vide Precision Cooker (WiFi), 1000 Watts | Anova App Included
📖 Recipe Card
Sous Vide Ribs
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Rack Baby Back Ribs 0r Spare Ribs
- 4 Tablespoons Dry Rub Signup for our newsletter to receive our secret BBQ Dry Rub
- 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
Instructions
How To Make Sous Vide Ribs
- Fill a large temperature-safe water tub 80%.Secure the sous vide machine to the temperature-safe tub. (see machine manual)Set the temperature to 140 degrees and turn the machine on. Tip: The machine is on when the water begins to circulate.
- Rib preparation: Start by rinsing the ribs off under cold water. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Inspect the ribs and cut off anything that looks out of place. Fat hanging, etc.Check and see if the membrane has been removed.The membrane is the silver skin on the underside of the ribs.
- Removing the rib membrane: use the back of a spoon handle. Position it underneath the membrane right by the edge of a rib. Move/position it underneath the surface of the membrane. Then grab a paper towel get a grip on the membrane and pull it back away from the rack of ribs.
- Season the ribs: season the ribs once you get them in the bag. You'll waste nothing this way. Then close the bag and shake.
- Sealing the ribs: two options.1) use a food saver machine and seal and remove the air.2) place the ribs in freezer zip lock bags. With the bag open, lower the bags into the water bath making sure zero water enters the bag.The air in the bag will leave the bag from the pressure of the water. Once the air is removed, seal the bag.
- Secure the bag using a clip to the end of the temperature-safe tub. Secure the bags to the opposite end away from the machine.
- Key step: after 8 hours, lower the temperature to 130 degrees from 140 degrees.Cook for an additional 12 hours. Or so, you can easily do 12 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours. No problem.
- To finish the ribs, place them on a roasting rack. Paint on some of your favorite BBQ sauce and place the ribs under the broiler and give the ribs additional texture. The caramelizing of the BBQ sauce is one of the best parts.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to remove the rib membrane, or risk having a chewy rib on the meat next to the bone on the bottom half.
- If you season the ribs aggressively the ribs will taste over powered and the flavor of pork ribs will be lost. You can always add more season after the sous vide cook. I like adding BBQ sauce and putting the ribs on the smoker for a while to get some smoke flavor.
- Putting the ribs under the broiler in the oven with BBQ sauce to get some texture. Keep an eye on the ribs. The sugar in the BBQ sauce wants to caramelize, but will burn very fast. Takes about 5 to 7 minutes. I keep the oven cracked so I can see what's happening. The BBQ sauce will start to bubble and begin to brown. Stop short of over browning and becoming burnt.
Shelly
I made the 48 hour ribs over Memorial Day weekend and thought they might be the best ribs I have ever eaten. I have been to many great rib joints around the US so that is saying a lot. So, here it Labor Fay weekend and making again. Only a few hours left! Thank you!
Steven Pennington
Shelly that makes me happy to read. What a great and special weekend for cooking out. I'm honored you and your family and friends were able to enjoy on Labor Day. All the best, Chef...
Shelly eichner
It’s Shelly again. This time I am making 7 racks of ribs in two containers. It’s a bit tight but will move them around over the 48 hours. Can’t wait to share with friends.