Had some baby backs from a local place this week and they were different than any ribs I have had. I'm thinking they were cured, they weren't overly salty but the texture was of cured pork. Just wondering if anyone had done this before, again I don't think they were cured for too long because they weren't overly salty. It's something I may subject one rack to next time I do baby backs, just wondering if it was something the people regularly do.
Never heard of it
I ran across a recipe a few days ago for brined ribs that had a bit of #1 Cure in the mix..
In Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing (Rytek Kutas) there is the following recipe for "Smoked Back Ribs" that is cured in a brine and smoked, page 327 in the 4th edition.
For about 25 lbs of back ribs:
2.5 gal cold water
1 lb salt
1.5 cups powdered dextrose
0.5 cups Insta Cure No. 1
Mix ingredients with water until they are completely dissolved. Place back ribs into the brine and remove to the refrigerator for about 2 days. Remove from the brine and allow to drip-dry at room temperature for about 1 hr. Place in a 120 °F preheated smoker with damper wide open to allow further drying. When ribs are dry to the touch increase smokehouse temp to 160 °F. Apply heavy smoke and hold for 3-4 hours until the ribs are golden brown. Remove and let cool at room temp for 1 hr before placing in the refrigerator overnight.
Sorce ...I have had cured ribs good but babybacks are always good..
seemore
The ribs you bought were probably enhanced pork. Many meat producers are injecting a brine solution in their pork products. Try and stay away from those product, especially if you plan to cure the pork.
I have cured spareribs and smoke/roasted them. I have a post somewheres on this board, but it's been some time and can't locate it. At the time I think I called them "Bacon on a Stick". I used a dry cure, to save space. You can use Morton's Tender Quick or use the Basic Dry Cure (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?441-Basic-Dry-Cure-Morton-s-Tender-Quick-substitute) recipe to cure the ribs in 8-12 hours. Rinse well and smoke/cook like you would any baby backs.
Ribs are mostly bone, so if you use Tender Quick or the Basic Dry Cure you can get away with using 1/2 tablespoon per pound. The first time I made them I used 1 tablespoon per pound and they were way too salty. The taste was nothing that special - it just tasted like "Bacon (or Ham) on a Stick."