BBQ Rub, What Is The Point?

Speedy113

I have tried all brands of rub and have noticed that after a long time in the smoke the flavour disappears from the final product, so apart from colour, why do we use a dry rub?

Thatgrimguy

In butts and brisket it's more about the bark you are building. In anything else the flavors definitley shine through.

lkapigian

Layer your rub throughout the cook and at the finish....when doing this avold rubs with salt, better yet, make your own...
Don't get hung up until only applying before the cook....use more than one flavor throughout to build upon your initial base rub

SoCalTim

My rubs are my 'calling card' ... your signature if you will. I see you only have 7 posts under your belt on the forum, so I can't tell if your a newbie when it come to bbq or an old timer .. so no disrespect if you feel I'm taking down to you. Just answering your question the best way I know how.

JohnInCarolina

There is no point.  It's all a scam to get you to buy random aggregates of salt, pepper, and various other sundry spices.  You've been lied to.

Also, Soylent Green is people!

nolaegghead

"Rub" sounds sexy.  Plus it usually has salt in it, which is all that matters.

Speedy113

SoCalTim said:

My rubs are my 'calling card' ... your signature if you will. I see you only have 7 posts under your belt on the forum, so I can't tell if your a newbie when it come to bbq or an old timer .. so no disrespect if you feel I'm taking down to you. Just answering your question the best way I know how.

When you taste a rub out the bottle its very flavourful and it seems to me after a wrap or too long in the smoke, all that taste is no longer there. I am a newbie and certainly don't feel you are talking down to me, i'm intrigued to know if its just me that thinks this, or as a couple of others said, maybe i need to add more throughout the cook and not just the beginning.

Speedy113

nolaegghead said:

"Rub" sounds sexy.  Plus it usually has salt in it, which is all that matters.

I did write "rub my meat" a few times, thought i better change it

gdenby

The original reason was most likely that it helped preserve the meat.

Likewise, the smoke, which has some formaldehyde in it.

The original 'Q from the Caribbean, used wood from allspice bush. Flavorful enough by itself. Mesquite, another strong flavor. Juniper, also strong. Maybe you are using enough smoke that other flavors are being masked.

Basic rub has salt and sugar. Those flavors won't go away. Cayenne, or any other pepper that has lot of capsaicin will not diminish. Some of the rest of the standard stuff, black pepper, paprika, onion and garlic powder, fade or mellow under heat. Mustard isn't pungent unless its wet w. water or vinegar.

FWIW, lots of rubs, and/or ingredients are pretty stale when bought. Buy fresh from quality vendors, or grind/pound your own from seed, etc. As @lkapigian wrote, add them later in the cook as well as at the beginning.

Austin Egghead

Lately I have been just salting the beef and or the pork meat several hours (6_12) before cooking.  The yield has been very tasty and moist meat, even tuff cuts turn out juicy and favorable.  
I like to put the commercial rubs on the roasted veggies about 15 minutes before they are ready to come off the egg.

fishlessman

add some when your pulling not sure what you mean by color but all my butts are black

Carolina Q

I have never used a commercial rub for pork BBQ. Ever. So I can't comment on any of those. I have a favorite homebrew rub that I have used on almost every butt I've ever done. I love the flavor I am left with after the cook and pulling/chopping the meat so I just keep doing it. I don't add more rub after pulling.

However, I have also cooked a few using just pepper and salt (more pepper than salt). Same smoke wood (hickory or white oak which is milder) There is a very definite difference in the result. The s&p version is delicious (tastes a lot like, well, smokey pork ) while the one with what most would call a "real" rub definitely has a more complex flavor. The added seasonings most definitely come through. At least I think so. The bark is more pronounced too, from the sugar in the rub.

Bottom line, I love 'em both. But it's pork barbecue... what's not to love?!

blind99

a long, low and slow cook with heavy smoke may not need much more than S&P seasoning. 

I use rubs on things I grill quickly without smoke, too.  blackening seasoning on mahi mahi, raging river on salmon... tons of different flavors to try.

SoCalTim

Speedy113 said:

SoCalTim said:

My rubs are my 'calling card' ... your signature if you will. I see you only have 7 posts under your belt on the forum, so I can't tell if your a newbie when it come to bbq or an old timer .. so no disrespect if you feel I'm taking down to you. Just answering your question the best way I know how.

When you taste a rub out the bottle its very flavourful and it seems to me after a wrap or too long in the smoke, all that taste is no longer there. I am a newbie and certainly don't feel you are talking down to me, i'm intrigued to know if its just me that thinks this, or as a couple of others said, maybe i need to add more throughout the cook and not just the beginning.

Rub's are meant to 'compliment' your meat, not overpower ... like smoking, it is and can be very subtle.

But hey, if you don't want 'rubs' on your meat(s) ... by all means, don't apply any.

fishlessman

maybe i go overboard with rub but i can definitely taste the hotter ones. add rub til meat disappears, then add mustard, repeat with rub til mustard disappears

bhedges1987

For Brisket and ribs I think rubs shine.

johnkitchens

@SoCalTim I had to cook pork chops for 50 people at school Sunday evening. I used Casa Seasoning on them and they got rave reviews. 

Rubs make a BIG difference! 

jtcBoynton

Speedy113 said:

SoCalTim said:

My rubs are my 'calling card' ... your signature if you will. I see you only have 7 posts under your belt on the forum, so I can't tell if your a newbie when it come to bbq or an old timer .. so no disrespect if you feel I'm taking down to you. Just answering your question the best way I know how.

When you taste a rub out the bottle its very flavourful and it seems to me after a wrap or too long in the smoke, all that taste is no longer there. I am a newbie and certainly don't feel you are talking down to me, i'm intrigued to know if its just me that thinks this, or as a couple of others said, maybe i need to add more throughout the cook and not just the beginning.

Raw rub will taste different from cooked rub. The flavor of the rub will "mellow" during cooking, but it doesn't go away.  The flavor of the rub is supposed to blend with the flavor of the smoke and the flavor of the meat.  

It is a flavoring agent, so add what tastes good to you.  One of the advantages in using an unsalted rub is that you can as much or as little of the rub as you want without under or over salting.  Also some people will add some rub near the end of the cook in order to "brighten up" the flavor.

Fred19Flintstone

I use run on breasts & butts.  The rest is Wilma's job.

SmokingPiney

A good dry rub really helps building the bark......and it does add its taste to the meat. Sometimes I'll add a little more rub towards the end of the cook to amp up the flavor a bit.  

What I don't get or do is use a rub on a hot and fast sear. Some I know do it..........and to me it's just incinerating the spices. 

frognot

If rubbing meat is wrong, I don't want to be right.

YukonRon

With pork, I usually add the salt with brining up to 24 hours. Then after patting dry,  I use Soy sauce as the base to hold the dry rub (my own blend) which has no salt, and let sit for 24 hours. Then cook using peach smoke. I use soy sauce on steaks with garlic,onion and coarse ground black pepper. Chicken: olive oil salt and pepper. Light smoke is used.
Brisket: salt and pepper only. Pecan and cherry smoke