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You had a fun cookout recently, or you had an enormous feast with your family whether you ate dinner at your kitchen table or outdoors. There is so much food left that you have plenty of leftovers. One of the leftovers you have is those ribs that your family or friends could not finish. Leftover ribs were something you wanted to avoid because reheating them can take away their moisture, texture, and delicious taste. You fear you would end up with a stringy mess if you were to reheat your ribs.
However, that does not have to be the case. You can enjoy your ribs even after reheating them as they can still maintain the delicious taste and moisture. That means there is a proper way to store and reheat your ribs, so they taste as good as new. Let’s firstly talk about how to keep your ribs before reheating them correctly.
The Correct Way To Store Your Leftover Ribs So You Can Reheat Them Well
You have leftover ribs. What do you do with them? You know that you need to place them in the fridge or the freezer, but you need to take a few steps before throwing them in there if you plan to reheat them. That is because the way you store your ribs will impact how they turn out after you heat them again. You know that the first thing to do is to make the plan to place your ribs in the freezer or the refrigerator as soon as you know you want to reheat them again.
The longer you leave them out at room temperature, the longer they will have the chance to oxidize, which causes decomposition. That means harmful bacteria can breed in the ribs, which will make them inedible even after reheating. Heat does not kill off every kind of bacteria, which is what you want to avoid in the first place. Therefore, that means you swiftly must take action so you can store them in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible.
Cut your ribs into single-size portions and wrap them tightly around aluminum foil. Then place your ribs into sealed containers, including zip lock bags, or better yet, place them in a vacuum-sealed bag. Not only does that help keep bacteria at bay, and it helps the ribs maintain the moisture. After you do that, place the ribs immediately into the freezer or the fridge.
If you plan to eat your ribs within 48 hours, then you can place them in the fridge. If you don’t foresee you and your family eating the ribs for a week, you need to put them into the freezer. The freezer will keep the bacteria at bay, which will keep the ribs edible as the fridge will only keep bacteria at bay for a short time. You will have to decide when you plan to eat your ribs beforehand, so you store them in the correct place.
When you are ready to eat your ribs again, you will need to take additional steps before reheating them, so they maintain the moisture, texture, and flavor. Let’s now talk about how to correctly reheat them, so they are as good as new.
Preparing Your Ribs Before Reheating Them
You need to reheat your ribs in the oven, or the microwave is taking steps to allow the ribs to maintain their moisture. I don’t recommend microwaving because it can dry the meat. However, I understand that people are often in a rush, which is why I will give you instructions on how to reheat ribs there. That is by coating them with a layer of the same barbeque sauce you used for them the first time. Then you will need to add a splash of water or broth to help moisten it. Let’s now talk about the steps to take to reheat them in the oven after taking that step correctly.
Reheating Your Ribs In The Oven
After adding moisture to your barbeque ribs, you will want to put the rack in the lowest area of the oven. You do not wish the ribs near direct heat to dry them out even after moistening them. Then preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 121 degrees Celcius. Put the ribs onto a cookie sheet or a pan, cover it up with a sheet of foil, and place it into the oven. Heat your ribs for about 10 to 15 minutes, and you will want the internal heat to measure at 145 Fahrenheit or 67 Celcius.
When it reaches that temperature, you can remove the foil and keep the ribs in the oven for about ten more minutes. That will help the sauce caramelize, which will make your ribs more crispy. However, do not worry, as it will not dry your ribs out at this point. After that time is up, your barbeque ribs are ready to go! You can always add spice to them after taking them out, and they will be moist and delicious. However, what if you are too busy and you need to microwave them? There is a way to reheat barbeque ribs in the microwave correctly. Let’s talk about that now.
Reheating Your Ribs In The Microwave
I don’t recommend reheating the ribs in the microwave only because it can remove moisture quickly. However, I understand people are often busy, and there is a way to reheat ribs well in the microwave, keeping most of the water and flavor. Therefore, moisten your ribs before placing them in the microwave-safe container. You know you cannot put foil in the microwave. Instead, you will want to help lock in the moisture as much as you can. You can do so by taking two sheets of paper towel and soak them with water.
Place one soaked paper towel sheet on the bottom of the container and the other on top, covering the ribs. The moistened paper towels will not only help lock in the moisture, but they will keep the sauce and fat from splattering inside of the oven. Then put the microwave on for two to three minutes on the medium power setting. You will then want to check the internal temperature, which must be at 145 Fahrenheit or 67 Celcius.
If they are not at that temperature, you will want to cook them up for 30 seconds until they are. After they reach the desired temperature, you can serve them.
Conclusion
When you have leftover ribs‘, you worry because you don’t think they will taste good if you reheat them. Reheated barbeque ribs can become stringy and dry, which does not make them enjoyable. That is why there is a correct way to reheat your ribs so that they maintain the moisture, the delicious flavor, and the texture that they had when you cooked them the first time. The step-by-step process to reheat them correctly is very easy to follow. You can reheat them in the oven or the microwave. However, the oven is the best apparatus to use if you can do it! Either way, you can enjoy your leftover barbeque ribs as much as you did initially. Enjoy!