Late Thoughts On Mustard

Citizen Q

Been reading back through the past week and I see a lot of talk about mustard, pros and cons, so I thought I'd get my 2 cents in since I don't think anybody else has mentioned the same results.
I find the main benefit of a good mustard slather is in the bark. Most of my shoulders and briskets done without mustard have had up to a 1/4 inch thick layer of completely inedible bark all around, while those done with mustard tend to have a much softer "skin" on top and a more crisp, yet chewy & delicious bark underneath with all the seasonings still firmly adhered to the meat. I think the mustard gives the meat a thin layer of insulation as I've also noticed that spare ribs and baby backs seem to be much more moist and meaty when treated to a slather. I have never done a side by side comparison, and it's been so long since I've done any of these cuts without mustard that my opinion may be slightly skewed, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Oh, good, the Tylenol PM and Benedryl is finally starting to kick in. [p]Night All,
C~Q

WooDoggies

<p />Citizen Q,[p]Hey Sean, how were you cooking those cuts where you were getting the inedible bark and what were you coating them with?[p]I haven't used mustard in a long time and find that most rubs mixed with about 50% raw sugar will give you a beautifully flavored and very edible crust.[p]John

Citizen Q

WooDoggies,
It's been a solid 5 years since I first converted to mustardology, and in that time most of my methods have been through many many changes and tweaks. Currently, I wash and pat dry the fresh meat, coat with rub, wrap and set overnight in fridge. While the fire gets established, I unwrap and slather with yellow salad mustard and sprinkle any leftover rub. Egg is set up with 3 split firebrick side by side with 1/4 gap between bricks on the main grid and a v-rack over bricks. Briskets and shoulders both get same treatment at 200 deg dome 18-24 hours with a kick to 250 dome after 170 internal temp to finish at 195-200 internal. I've always used a 200 dome, but started out in the beginning doing the meat direct and recall doing my first slathers direct as well and noticing a big difference in the finished product. Like I said, my thinking may be skewed, most of my ideas come from combining different bits and pieces from this forum into my own peculiar methods, and I've got it down to just the way I like it best, so far.
As for rub ingredients, I used to make mine about 50% brown sugar, but over the past 2 years or more I've gone sugarless, at first out of neccessity (diabetes and Dr Atkins), but then I just liked my rubs better without it. The other ingredients and proportions are a secret recipe that I cannot divulge. It's not that I won't divulge the secret, I can't. I can't even remember what goes in as it's all a matter of fate, depending on how fast my fingers can grab the little jars and on how fast the lazy-susan in the cabinet is spinning as I grab for them. Proportions can vary widely as "that looks like enough" is my basic standard of measurement, that's why my cookbook will never sell.[p]Cheers,
C~Q