Setting Leftovers On Fire: The Best Ways To Reheat Ribs

Have your bought so many ribs that you cannot eat them all in one seating? The cost of food nowadays isn’t getting any cheaper, so it’s time to get practical.

You aren’t going to just throw away these precious mouthwatering baby back ribs, are you? Of course, not. You can always reheat them later when your stomach is rumbling again. Here’s how to do it.

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Best Way To Reheat Ribs

Preserving And Storage

First of all, you need to know how to preserve and store these leftovers.

1. Freezing

The freezer is the best place to store your food for more than a week or month! However, you need to remember that food gradually loses its nutrients and quality over time.

So, the longer time it is kept in the freezer, the more it oxidizes. This causes the meat to harden and the fats to go rancid. Oxygen is your number one nemesis here. So, you might as well start removing the oxygen from the food by packing it up before storing it in the freezer. The main goal here is to minimize oxidation and freezer burn

• Pack it with a vacuum sealer: If you have this high-tech appliance, put the food in the bag, place it in the machine and allow it to suck the air out. Then, seal it. Don’t forget to put the date on.
• Seal it in a zipper bag: Of course, not everyone can afford a vacuum sealer. So a zipper bag is fine. Place the meat in the bag, add the sauce, stock, or broth, and immerse the bag in a pot of cold water.
  Allow the air to be displaced in the bag, and then zip.
• Note: Do not use a smoker because it will dry out the meat’s juiciness.

2. Thawing

You could just use the fridge, but the process takes 6-8 hours or even longer, depending on the ribs’ cuts. It is true that meat is almost always better fresh, as frozen meat tends to be less juicy.

Thawing involves warming the frozen meat up so that it is safe to eat. Here are some safe methods of thawing meat:

• Fridge thawing: This is the easiest of them all. Leave the packed meat in the fridge. The way to calculate it is to leave the meat one day for every four pounds. That’s all. So, the heavier the meat, the longer it needs to be thawed in the fridge.
• Cold water bath: Fill a pot with cold water. Make it is big enough to fit all the meat inside it. Put the meat inside a zip bag. Leave the bag unzipped and then submerge it in the water. Ensure that the zipper is above the water level. Once all the air is pushed up, zip the bag. Leave it and make sure the water cold is replacing every 30 minutes. You can also stir the meat. This might take a long time because you need to immerse each pound of meat for 30 minutes. So if you have 10 pounds, expect the process to take 5 hours.
• Very cold water bath: Although this involves the least amount of fluid loss, it is still an effective and safe method. Place the meat inside a zip bag and then put the bag inside a cooler. Pour some cold water inside, then after an hour, add some ice. Do this every hour to maintain the temperature within 40°F.
• Hot water bath: This method is for thin cuts only. You can easily thaw a 1″ thick meat in a 102°F water in just 11 minutes.

Setting The Fire

These reheating methods are easy and quick but vary from one kind of rib to another. Therefore, it is best to know the kind of rib you are reheating before you choose a reheating method. But here, you’ll only learn to reheat 2 types of meat: Pork and Beef.

1. Pork Ribs

Pork ribs from a pig are more common and much cheaper than beef ribs. That’s why this dish is a bestseller in the finest restaurants. Although there are different kinds of pork ribs, the method of reheating is just the same for all of them.

• A. Spare ribs: This is from the pig’s underbelly and is the most available type. It comes with long bones and a thin covering of the meat on the outside. This is the fattiest and least meaty of all the parts. However, despite having the least meat, spare ribs are undeniably the most tasty due to the fat.
• B. St. Louis-Style ribs: These spare ribs are trimmed further, creating a rectangular-shaped rib rack, and are very popular.
• C. Baby Back: These are meatier and less fatty than spare ribs. They are also known as back or loin back ribs. Weighing about 1.5-1.75 pounds, they are sometimes called riblets.
• D. Country-Style: Unlike spare ribs, these are the meatiest and least fatty of all.

1. Thaw the meat for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. The time depends on the consistency of the cuts.
2. Take the ribs out of the plastic and wrap with foil.
   Note: You could alternatively use a pan with 4-5 tablespoons of water, broth, or beer, and then cover with foil.
3. Place the thawed meat in the oven and set to 275°F. Leave it there for 30-45 minutes.
4. If the meat is still frozen, cook the ribs for another 30-40 minutes.
5. If the ribs are saucy, open the foil, add some extra sauce and then cook for another 5-10 minutes.

1. Thaw the meat for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. The time depends on the consistency of the cuts.
2. Make holes in the plastic wrap.
3. Put it in a microwave on 50% power. Cook for 9-3 minutes if they are frozen or 4-7 minutes if they are thawed.
4. Open the wrap and place it on the plate.

1. Thaw the meat for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. The time depends on the consistency of the cuts.
2. Preheat the grill until it’s hot.
3. Remove the rib from its pack and then wrap it with foil.
   Note: You could alternatively use a pan with 4-5 tablespoons of water, broth, or beer, then cover it with foil.
4. Heat the grill to 250°F or a medium to low temperature and cook the ribs for 30-45 minutes.
5. If the ribs are saucy, open the foil and add some extra sauce. Then cook for another 5-10 minutes.

2. Beef Ribs

People crave beef because it is so tasty. Although it’s more expensive than pork, I prefer beef as it is so juicy, tender, and tasty.

Like pork, there are different kinds of beef ribs, but the reheating methods are the same for all these types.

• Baby Back: These are the large bones that remain from a roasted rib cut. They are trimmed into single portions and very tender.
• Short: This is the rectangular rack of a rib that has been cut from the shoulder. It has layers of alternating fat and lean meat throughout.
• Flanked-Style: Although it is similar to short ribs, it is cut lengthwise, which makes it meatier than short ribs.

1. Thaw the meat for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. The time depends on the consistency of the cuts.
2. Preheat the oven to 225-250°F.
   Note: The idea is to prevent the ribs from being overcooked, thus a low-temperature heat is recommended. It should not be too hot or too cold.
3. Open the wrapped rib and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Add a 1/2 cup of water or broth to prevent the ribs from drying up during reheat.
4. Put the ribs on a baking sheet and place them in the preheated oven.
5. Wait until they reach a temperature of 165°F. 
6. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature to make sure the beef ribs are thoroughly heated and are safe to eat.
7. Remove them from the oven.
8. Serve while hot.

1. Thaw the meat for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. The time depends on the consistency of the cuts.
2. Preheat the grill to 225-250°F.
   Note: The idea here is to prevent the ribs from being overcooked, thus a low-temperature heat is recommended. It should be not too hot or too cold.
3. Remove the thawed beef from the bag and wrap it with aluminum foil.
4. Put the wrapped ribs on the grill. Make sure that they are not directly on the fire.
5. Heat until the ribs reach an internal temperature of 165°F. To make sure that the beef is reheated well, you can use a meat thermometer.
6. Remove them from the grill.
7. Serve while hot.

There you have it! Your reheated rib leftovers! So, are you ready for the final step? It’s eating time! Meals like these are best eaten while hot. Hopefully, you’ll be able to reheat those mouthwatering ribs in no time.

Tell us what you think, including some of your own personal best ways to reheat ribs.