Vinegar to clean Ribs?
- Thread starter Vinny G
- Start date
Robert Clark
TVWBB Pro
I do it all the time. I use apple cider vinegar, dry really well, light coating of mustard then rub.
Rinsing meat before cooking is not recommended by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service because it can spread bacteria to other surfaces like the sink, faucet, counter, dish cloth, your hands, and anything else you touch. Any bacteria on the meat will be destroyed if cooked to a food safe temperature, but bacteria spread to other surfaces may not get adequate sanitizing. Fruits or veggies you place in the sink after rinsing meat can carry bacteria into the salad that you feed your family. See Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety? for details.
Gary Wiviott recommends a vinegar rinse when cooking pork. (This question can be directed to him when his Q&A starts on Monday.) He recommends it to remove any odor and stickiness that results from the meat being in Cryovac. He also says vinegar is a natural antibacterial agent. Maybe so, but it's not clear that vinegar will kill all bacteria on contact. There is the chance that bacteria is spread to other surfaces during the vinegar rinse, and then again when the pork is rinsed in the sink under cold water.
I never rinse meat before cooking. I just pat it dry well with paper towels before applying whatever I'm going to put on the meat. If the meat was in Cryovac and any off smell does not dissipate to my satisfaction within a few minutes, I return it for a refund.
Also, Ray Lampe, "Dr. BBQ", recommends a rib rinse in one of his books to remove bone dust that results from ribs being bandsawed during meat packing. I've never noticed bone dust to be a big problem, but a quick wipe with paper towels should take care of most of it and is preferable to a rinse in terms of food safety.
Regards,
Chris
Gary Wiviott recommends a vinegar rinse when cooking pork. (This question can be directed to him when his Q&A starts on Monday.) He recommends it to remove any odor and stickiness that results from the meat being in Cryovac. He also says vinegar is a natural antibacterial agent. Maybe so, but it's not clear that vinegar will kill all bacteria on contact. There is the chance that bacteria is spread to other surfaces during the vinegar rinse, and then again when the pork is rinsed in the sink under cold water.
I never rinse meat before cooking. I just pat it dry well with paper towels before applying whatever I'm going to put on the meat. If the meat was in Cryovac and any off smell does not dissipate to my satisfaction within a few minutes, I return it for a refund.
Also, Ray Lampe, "Dr. BBQ", recommends a rib rinse in one of his books to remove bone dust that results from ribs being bandsawed during meat packing. I've never noticed bone dust to be a big problem, but a quick wipe with paper towels should take care of most of it and is preferable to a rinse in terms of food safety.
Regards,
Chris
Robert Clark
TVWBB Pro
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Vinny Grue:
Rob
Will white vinger be just as good? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
YES
Rob
Will white vinger be just as good? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
YES
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Vinny Grue:
Sorry. I should of wrote,is there any reason for putting on vinegar to ribs before puting on the rub.
Chris thanks for telling me about the washing saftey! But I have a question now on doing a brine then. Say chicken, wouldn't you rinse with water after the brine?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>The more common approach is to apply a thin coat of mustard (or a mustard slather containing mustard and other ingredients) because it sticks well to the ribs, then the rub sticks to the mustard.
If you used only vinegar, some of the rub ingredients like salt and sugar will liquefy and run off the meat, but I guess if you applied enough rub it would stick. Again, mustard is the usual approach. Just plain old yellow hot dog mustard will do, and believe it or not you won't really taste the mustard after the ribs are barbecued.
As far as rinsing off brined chicken, yes, lots of recipes suggest rinsing the meat after brining, but you still have the food safety issues described above. Do so carefully and sanitize all surfaces thoroughly.
Regards,
Chris
Sorry. I should of wrote,is there any reason for putting on vinegar to ribs before puting on the rub.
Chris thanks for telling me about the washing saftey! But I have a question now on doing a brine then. Say chicken, wouldn't you rinse with water after the brine?
If you used only vinegar, some of the rub ingredients like salt and sugar will liquefy and run off the meat, but I guess if you applied enough rub it would stick. Again, mustard is the usual approach. Just plain old yellow hot dog mustard will do, and believe it or not you won't really taste the mustard after the ribs are barbecued.
As far as rinsing off brined chicken, yes, lots of recipes suggest rinsing the meat after brining, but you still have the food safety issues described above. Do so carefully and sanitize all surfaces thoroughly.
Regards,
Chris
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Maybe so, but it's not clear that vinegar will kill all bacteria on contact. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Vinegar does not kill on contact -it takes some time. It is a good anitbacterial agent for many applications (I clean with it; I never use chemical cleaning agents (like Chlorox) on or near food surface areas) but, as Chris aptly notes, it is totally unnecessary to wash ANY meat or fowl with water or vinegar before cooking. Cooking correctly will make food safe to eat. No need to wash (and possibly contaminate other surfaces) any meat before cooking.