The thought of sinking your teeth into tender, succulent beef short ribs is enough to make anyone hungry. But every rack of ribs you buy has excess fat and a membrane that should be removed. So what’s the best way to trim that fat and remove the membrane?

If you’re ready to get cooking — those beef short ribs won’t prepare themselves — let’s dive right in and learn how to trim short ribs efficiently.

Use a boning knife or paring knife to trim the fat. Then, turn the ribs over, grab the edge of the membrane with a paper towel for better grip, hold the ribs firmly with one hand, and pull the membrane with the other until it’s completely removed.

There are differing opinions about how much fat to remove and techniques for achieving the cleanest cut. We’ll walk you through trimming the fat and removing the membrane, offering practical tips to make the job easier.

The Best Knives to Trim Beef Short Ribs

The right knife can make all the difference when trimming beef short ribs.

A sharp boning knife is ideal for this task. Its semi-flexible blade fits well into corners and allows precise control, preventing cuts that are too deep or too shallow, which would leave excess fat and membrane on the meat.

If you don’t have a boning knife, Cook’s Illustrated suggests using a paring knife from your regular kitchen knife set. However, this may require more effort than using a specialized knife.

Blade sharpness is critical for all knives, especially those used to remove fat and membrane. A dull blade tears the meat instead of making clean cuts. You’ll also need to apply more pressure when cutting with a dull knife, increasing the risk of slipping and injuring yourself.

The membrane and fat are particularly challenging to cut with a dull or unsuitable knife. You need a thin, lightweight blade that makes quick, precise cuts through the excess rather than sawing through the meat.

Poorly trimmed short ribs not only look unappetizing but also waste good meat. Plus, cutting with a dull blade takes twice as long, making your job unnecessarily difficult.

How to Trim Beef Short Ribs

Short ribs come from the chuck, plate, or rib sections of the cow. These well-marbled cuts have a layer of fat on one side and a tough membrane on the other.

Unless you’re slow cooking the meat for several hours, you should trim some of the fat and remove the membrane. Here are step-by-step instructions to make this process easier.

Step 1: Trim the Fat on the Front Side

Hold the meat firmly with your hand or a fork to ensure steady, straight cuts. You don’t want jerky slicing motions that could break apart the meat and ruin your tender ribs.

With the fatty side up and the membrane side down on your cutting surface, make quick, precise cuts to trim the fat down to about ¼-inch thickness. Many cooks remove the silver skin along with the fat since it contains elastin, a protein that remains tough even after cooking.

Step 2: Remove the Membrane on the Back Side

After trimming the fat, flip the ribs so the side with the bones and membrane faces up. Make a cut along the bottom edge of this area, following it until you’re about ¼-inch from the bone’s edge.

With the cut in place, lift the knife at a 45-degree angle with the tip still inserted. Hold the meat steady with your other hand. Now, set down your knife (to avoid cutting yourself) and use your hand to pull the membrane away from the ribs.

You’ll need to pull and re-grip until the membrane is completely removed. For better grip, we’ll share a paper towel technique below.

Step 3: Ensure Complete Removal

Once you’ve removed the membrane, use your knife to make a “V” cut along the top rounded edge of the bones. Test if the membrane is completely removed by tugging at the edges. If nothing moves, you’re good to go!

Now imagine how delicious those perfectly trimmed short ribs will taste once cooked!

The Paper Towel Technique

Ask any butcher about their least favorite part of preparing beef short ribs, and they’ll likely say “removing the membrane.” This layer of tough connective tissue can be challenging to remove, even for professionals.

You might spend considerable time struggling to tear it away, eventually resorting to cutting it with a knife (potentially wasting good meat). Fortunately, there’s a simple technique that makes removing the membrane much easier.

First, flip your ribs so the bone side faces up. You’ll see that both the bones and membrane are on this side.

Grip the corner of the membrane with a paper towel, lift it slightly, and slide a fork underneath. The membrane’s slippery texture makes it hard to pull, but the paper towel provides better grip, making the task much easier.

With the fork’s tip under the membrane, slowly and steadily pull the membrane away from the meat while keeping the fork in contact with it. You’ll know you’ve removed all of it when it comes away with little resistance.

If some sections don’t come off with this technique, use your knife to cut away the remaining pieces. This approach is far easier than trying to remove everything by hand.

How Much Fat to Trim

If you remove too much fat from the ribs, they’ll end up dry and tough, making them difficult to cut and unpleasant to eat.

Conversely, leaving too much fat can result in uneven cooking, with some parts undercooked and others overcooked. A good rule of thumb is to leave about ¼-inch of fat.

When beef short ribs are properly trimmed, you’ll see a thin layer of white connective tissue on the meat, creating a nice marbling effect. When cooked, this produces perfectly moist ribs that need no sauce or gravy.

My mouth is watering already — how about yours?