How much is ....

Grader07

How much is to much rub to put on a brisket or butt?  Doesn’t seem to matter how much you put on the results are only slightly different.  I usually coat in thin coat of mustard to help it stick but meat only seems to hold so much...  maybe injecting would be beneficial too???

jtcBoynton

Too much is when the flavor balance of rub, smoke, and meat goes too much in any one direction.  You can build up more rub during the cook by adding more (with moisture to make stick).  Also try using salt free rubs - the available surface area will then be taken up by more flavoring.  You will need to salt beforehand.  Generally salt free rubs give you more flexibility in adjusting flavoring.

gdenby

If you are not noticing a change from the quantity, perhaps the rub(s) are stale.

I can't say much about brisket, as I don't cook many. But injection seems to be pretty common. Also, most brisket rubs seem to have lots of blck pepper in them. The flavor from that can bake away. Myself, I tend to put fresh ground pepper on anything just a few minutes before serving.

I've tried injecting butts, but most of the solution just dripped out. I do sometimes add the rub into the pulled meat. Paprika, like black pepper, seems to loose most of its flavor w. long cooking.

lousubcap

I apply a solid coating of rub to the protein aiming for a nice bark.  I have never felt like it was too much or too little as the quantity applied is fairly consistent (full coverage).  Said another way, I really haven't experimented with various rub thickness cooks.  FWIW-

JohnInCarolina

The videos Aaron Franklin has up on YouTube for both brisket and pork butt should give you a pretty good idea of a baseline for how much rub to apply.