Peeling it off is actually the hardest part of this entire trimming job—it can be slippery, making it hard to get a hold of, and even with lots of practice, there are still some racks that have membranes that just don’t want to come off. But I think it’s worth the trouble. To start it off, use a knife or fingernail to pry up a corner of the thin membrane from one edge of the ribs. Grab that with a paper towel—for grip—and slowly pull it upwards. Once a good portion of the membrane is free, you should be able to to pull the rest off in one quick motion.
After that, I’ll feel around the ribs to see if there are any excessive pockets of fat, especially hard fat, and trim those down. Fat is good in barbecue, but when there’s too much it won’t render enough during cooking and you’ll end up with overly fatty ribs, which are not a good thing.
