Mr. Brown Recipe - How peppery is it? Any alternative ways 2 limit the pepper?


 
M

Michael Spurling

TVWBB Member
Hi all -

Planning on doing a couple of butts this Friday - Going to try to use the Mr. Brown recipe for the first time. ( I've done a lot of butts before in the past , but Ive always used commercial rubs - I wanted to try something different for a change.

I'm a little worried that the rub/taste of the meat may be too peppery for me and the people I am serving.

Am I worrying too much? I like some heat but dont want to burn my mouth off or have a harsh taste to deal with.

What are peoples opinions on the taste / heat with this rub/recipe?

Has anyone done some modifications to the recipe to decrease the peppery taste or to lighten the heat factor?

All thoughts and opinions welcome.

Thank you.
 
it's really peppery, hot with black pepper especially if you use the southern sop recipe with it down to the last bit

try a differnt rub like Kevin's 'A Butt Rub for Jane' or it you still want to use Mr.Brown cut down substantially on the pepper in the rub and southern sop, sub some of paprika out for mild chile powders (grind your own mild new mexicos) .... use some celery pepper in place of some of the pepper, skip the cayenne and so on to bring down the heat level
 
I agree with Shawn on this one, it's extremely peppery if the recipe is followed closely. I wasn't crazy about it and likely won't do it again but instead I'll stick to experimenting with regular dry-rubs.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Greg M. (cheapcharlie):
I really don't want to sound obtuse, but couldn't you just use less black pepper? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

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Dave,

That same scene came to mind when I read that. Then they killed the young man that could prove his innocence..
 
Besides an occasional Jerk pork butt Mr. Brown is all I ever do. I've been making it that way for years and while I do like hot food I have a couple of friends that are pretty wimpy when it comes to that, and can't remember anyone complaining.
If you any reservations just take Greg's advice and cut back on the black pepper and maybe cut out the cayenne. You can always make things hotter, but it's tough to cool them down
(like my last batch of Jamaican beef patties) patties)
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I find that it is not too peppery or hot, just enough to give it some character. I follow the recipe and do NOT use the southern mop on it.

Served it to 300 people for my daughters graduation party in May and it went over very well, judging from the amount that was eaten, checking out the finished plates for uneaten portions and the requests to help me "store" the leftovers.
 
I use this recipie all the time and have never found it too hot or "peppery". Never any complaints either, even from the kids.
I do not employ the mop.
I put it on quite generously as well. When you think of it, the bark is distributed throughout the final product, and that really dilutes it.

Burt
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">What are peoples opinions on the taste / heat with this rub/recipe? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
My two: It's about as boring as it could be, save for the pepper. But pepper, imo, shouldn't be all that prominent - inless that's the point, as in steak au poivre or an obviously pepper-oriented rub. (I've made a few.)

Other than the pepper there is virtually no flavor to speak of. The dry mustard imparts nothing, neither does the paprika. Heat from the cayenne, sugar, black pepper and salt are all it's really about. It misses on too many levels and too many ways - for me.
 
thanks everyone for all of your input - I think Im going to pass on the Mr. Brown and use one of my usual commercial rubs; but I am going to use the Chris Lilly injection for the first time on my butts.

Will let everyone know how it goes.
 
Kevin, thanks for the links, as Im typing I am 2.5 hours into BRITU and I wish I could start over with one of your rubs! Im new to smoking and this is my third try (chicken, overnight butts and BRITU today). I typically prefer my ribs dry, but am going to be true to the BRITU and sauce them.

Next weekend, Im going to try the third rub on a butt. I really want to inject the butt first, do you do any injecting or basting when cooking butts?

Thanks for your input, I have spent all day reading in between checking my lid temps, this site is a great resource and was the main reasons I purchased my WSM.
 
I don't like pre-sauced ribs either but it's worth trying things at least once.

I neither inject nor mops butts as I've never seen the point. Adjustments to flavor/moisture/texture are so easy to make during pulling that's what I do. I use this.
 
Kevin, thanks for the response, had the ribs tonight and the were very good, although I think my dusting was too light. They would have benefited from more rub. Im glad I glazed the ribs and got that out of the way, my next batch will be dry with your finishing sauce on the side. Reading your posts has opened up a new appreciation of experimenting off of the "beginner topics" on the front page. (although the beginner topics gave me the confidence to buy the smoker and start smoking!) Thanks again. Here is a picture of todays smoke, BRITU ribs, Fresh Pork Sausage and some BBQ rubbed Tofu for my wife.

 
Mike,

If you're ever cooking for a big group, and have several butts / chunks-o-shoulder that are all roughly the same size - there's nothing keeping you from trying two different rubs simultaneously. Just try to avoid having them drip onto eachother. Also, if you're cooking at higher heat, try to avoid rubs with a lot of sugar in them, since it can burn (I use turbinado "sugar in the raw", which is supposedly less prone to burning.)

This way, you can make some spicy or hot for the pepper-freaks in your group, and some more mild for the rest. I find that giving your guests choices usually scores some points!
 
As someone who enjoys a good deal of pepper I don't mind the Mr Brown rub. While there's certainly something to be said for more subtle tastes, sometimes a POP is what you are looking for. My wife usually whips up some mustard sauce or "bastardized peidmont sauce" so that tends to be the dominant flavour anyways. In this case, something like the Mr Brown rub does add something.

I would still suggest people try it using 2/3 or 3/4 of the called for pepper on first run... Don't forget, that rub will really only be a dominant flavour on the bark. I like to have a couple bowls when I pull so I can make one with heavy bark and another with minimal.
 
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