cant stay asleep after eating rudys bbq

grok

Anyone heard if this? Whenever I eat Rudy's brisket -- which is oak smoked -- at night, then go to bed a couple or more hours later, I always wake up after 3-4 hours in sweats and can't get back to sleep. I feel it in my system and also get thick saliva. I usually only eat a spinach based salad with the bbq, rarely any of their sides, since I try to stick to the Paleo diet. I don't have any trouble at all with any bbq I make myself, so I suspect it might have something to do with the oak...

Chubbs

How many times has it happened?

grok

Every time since I moved 2 years ago to a neighborhood in Round Rock about 2 miles from one, making it very convenient. I used to eat a lot of sugar and alcohol in the past which always led to less than optimal sleep, but now that I've made those things rare treats, it's a lot easier to isolate problem foods. I only notice it if I eat it for dinner.

The thick saliva thing - I've noticed an almost immediate reaction when I chomp down on a particularly charred fatty end piece..like my throat will close up slightly. Maybe it's just a reaction to high levels of carcinogenic stuff. With the egg, I use lump with only some wood chips for short smoke times, but I think they might use whole oak chunks the entire cook. If that’s it, it's too bad 'cause that charred fat tastes so good

Eggcelsior

Try drinking extra water. It sounds like you could be dehydrated or reacting to high salt content. I also wonder if they use MSG in their rub. Perhaps you are reacting to that. You could always ask.

Lit

Heart burn maybe?

Skiddymarker

Eggcelsior said:

Try drinking extra water. It sounds like you could be dehydrated or reacting to high salt content. I also wonder if they use MSG in their rub. Perhaps you are reacting to that. You could always ask.

SWMBO has a reaction to MSG that is very similar to what you describe. @Eggcelsior may be onto something there. For many the risks associated with MSG are almost urban myth overstated, for others they are quite real. 

henapple

Stop eating it...

Eggcelsior

Henapple may be on to something...

foneman

No urban myth for MSG and me!! I get severe migranes whenever I eat any amount of MSG. They usually start anywhere from 2 to 6 hours after consuming it. It may also be listed on the ingredients as autolyzed yeast. 

Griffin

My guess would be something in the rub.

I could be wrong, but I think I heard somewhere that Rudy's uses pitts like Southern Pride that are gas fired and just toss in a log every now and then for smoke. I do remember hearing that their pitts are idiot proof and that a high school kid could be taught to run them in an hour or two. Doubt its the wood.

 

henapple

We ate at Jim and Nick's and my son broke out in hives. The doctor said it was probably a spice... Last year someone gave me a thank you gift. Yep, a huge j&n package. Hope @sancho65 liked it.

TexanOfTheNorth

henapple said:

We ate at Jim and Nick's and my son broke out in hives. The doctor said it was probably a spice... Last year someone gave me a thank you gift. Yep, a huge j&n package. Hope @sancho65 liked it.

Why ask a doctor when you can post your medical questions on a forum about cooking? 

MattyMc

Meat sweats!! Colleagues complain about the meat sweats after 5,000 calorie business dinners at steakhouses.

nolaegghead

Some people are very sensitive to MSG...(the salt of glutamic acid - a non-essential amino acid and the source of the umami flavor in food).  SWMBO is.  She gets palpitations.  I've cut MSG out of anything I'm cooking.  I few times I added something with a lot of MSG, like cilantro bullion cubes.  Sure enough, SWMBO has a reaction and asks if there was any MSG. 

I was skeptical for years...used to buy big bags of it from the oriental market.  Since then I've thrown it away and just use small amounts of naturally occurring glutamates such as those found in soy.  I don't have any reaction to it, actually love the umami flavor, but she does, so it's banned from our house.

nolaegghead

And yes, she does have a hard time sleeping if she eats significant amounts of msg.

grok

Thanks for the ideas... I actually have some of their rub, and it doesn't contain msg, but that doesn't rule out them using it anyway
After all, if you check the nutrition info on the creamed corn, a serving has several grams of transfat. Even the butter potatoes has transfat. How hard is it to add butter to potatoes.. guess they add some shortening or something? Yeah.. I think health takes a back seat there

I'm going with "stop eating it"

FlyingTivo

Clearly its an allergic reaction to a component of the rub. Next time you go to Rudys, take a pill of Allegra 180mgs 2 hrs prior to eating and you should not have a reaction or a very small for that matter. This is just to test if its an allergic reaction, IT IS NOT A MEDICAL TREATMENT!!!

I love Rudy`s!

Felipe

aem

Is it just the brisket? Or all their meat?

grok

it's just the brisket. Chicken and ribs are fine. And I use their rub at home all the time, so beats me

nolaegghead

Take some sleeping pills before bed after eating Rudys.  Problem solved.  (And then hope you wake up the next day. )

boatbum

I love RUdy's . Great place. In austin next week -- by the way - drinks are on me.

aem

If it's just the brisket, do you get extra moist?  Maybe it's too rich for you.  Or, maybe they use nitrates to get a smoke ring.

Mickey

boatbum said:

I love RUdy's . Great place. In austin next week -- by the way - drinks are on me.

So many better places than Rudy's to eat BBQ in Austin.

aem

Mickey said:

So many better places than Rudy's to eat BBQ in Austin.

Perhaps, but the Austin Rudy's have consistently GOOD (maybe not great) BBQ at a reasonable price without having to queue up for two hours for the chance of getting in.  IMHO their ribs are excellent.  I love their breakfast tacos.  Their lean brisket is okay, but the extra-moist outside-cut is pretty dang good.

I made a point of specifying Austin Rudy's, because I've been very disappointed with Rudy's in other parts of the state.  K&N Management runs the Austin Rudy's, along with Mighty Fine Burgers, while other locations are not.