Brown Sugar in rub


 

Dave L.

TVWBB Pro
I noticed that allmost all rubs, no matter what kind has brown sugar in it. I'm trying to make a good asian dry rub but it seems too strong. This is probably a real stupid question but do you think brown sugar will cut the taste of the strong rub? I'm afraid to add it and ruin the rub. Here is a recipe I thought of using. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbls. 5 spice powder
2 tps. garlic powder
2 tps. ground ginger
1 tps. wasabi powder
 
Dave
For most Asian inspired rubs I use palm sugar instead. Palm sugar is a common ingrediant in Asian cooking. It does add a sweetness but is not as "caramaly" as brown sugar.
Your rub appears to be too sweet and the 5 spice will be a bit overpowering.
1 - 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons of 5 spice maximum, I would also consider adding a bit of salt not a lot maybe a teaspoon. The salt greatly assists in the osmosis effet and helps to moove the flavours into the meat. It also assists in retaining moisture in the meat when cooking.

Let me know how strong the wasabi effect is with a teaspoon full.

Regards
 
I agree with Phil that you have too much sugar relative to your other ingredients. Regarding the use of brown sugar, although I agree with that you that it is a common component in bbq rubs, I prefer turbinado sugar. Since it is dry it works much better in rubs as is; brown sugar needs to be dried a bit which is a PITA. The flavor of brown sugar would be fine in your rub.

Salt can be added first directly to the meat, so it doesn't have to be a part of your rub.
 
A big thank you guys. I will cut back on the 5 spice and sugar and add a little salt. The only sugars in my house are white, brown, splenda and granulated maple sugar. I've used the maple sugar instead of brown sugar in a basic bbq rub and it seemed to work OK. Where can I get palm and turbinado sugar? Do stores sell it or are they only online? Or should I leave sugar out of the recipe?
 
Dave, you should be able to get turbinado or natural sugar in your local stores. For palm sugar, you may need to go online. Seek a balance in flavor with your rub. I agree with the others; cut back on the sugar and 5 spice, but you may want to consider adding lemon grass. Sugar will balance out the ginger and wasabi, the lemon grass will compliment the garlic.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
Dave, you should be able to get turbinado or natural sugar in your local stores. For palm sugar, you may need to go online. Seek a balance in flavor with your rub. I agree with the others; cut back on the sugar and 5 spice, but you may want to consider adding lemon grass. Sugar will balance out the ginger and wasabi, the lemon grass will compliment the garlic. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Paul good suggestion for the lemongrass, I prefer to use the lemongrass when making a Thai inspired paste rather that a dry rub, I have never tried dried lemongrass.

A basic Thai inspired paste is Lemongrass, Birds Eye (small Thai) Chilli, Garlic, Ginger, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Basil Leaves, Coriander Leaves and Root, Fish Sauce Rice, Wine Vinegar, Oil, salt and Palm Sugar.

regards
 
I came into this discussion a little late. Did anyone mention that you can find turbinado sugar in most supermarkets in a box that's called "Sugar in the Raw" or something like that.

Most Asian markets carry palm sugar.

Rita
 
Do Asian markets sell lemon grass also? And how much do you recommend? Maybe 1 teaspoon? I never tasted it before but it sounds really good.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Did anyone mention that you can find turbinado sugar in most supermarkets in a box that's called "Sugar in the Raw" </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Sorry, that's what I meant by natural sugar. I guess most sugars are natural...OK, so my mind was else where.
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Dave, yes Asian markets will sell lemon grass; most likely fresh. The quantity to use is based on fresh vs dry and the volume of rub you're mixing up. If using the dried, you'll need more than the fresh. Start with a little and keep adding until it tastes good to you. You can dry it out at low temps in your oven on a baking sheet, then crumble by hand or run through a coffee mill. You DO have a dedicated electric coffee mill for grinding spices don't you???
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It's a very handy and inexpensive piece of equipment to have. I use mine all the time. Hint for cleaning them out: run uncooked rice in them for a few seconds. The rice grabs all of the leftover spice and it's ready for the next grind. What are you planning to use this rub on?
 
Paul, I was going to make maybe just a cup or two and use it on spare ribs. I do have a coffee grinder but I will probably buy the dried for storage purpose. Another idea I had was using lemmon pepper instead. My wife already has that on hand. What do you think?
 
I'm not a big fan of lemon pepper, at least the story bought variety. The lemon grass will give you more of an "authentic" asian flavor.
 
Dave
Not a dumb idea, you only use the bottom 3 inches of the lemon grass, I usually ust the top part as a brush. You could try using it to produce a flavoured smoke, I don't know what it would come out like.

To use the lemongrass bruise the bottom 3-4 inches of the stalk with the back of your knife or flat side of your cleaver, (I use a cleaver a lot for my prep work) trim the bottom of the stalk about 1/4 - 3/8 inch, remove the outer leaves (generally 1 layer), slice the bottom 3 inches of the stalk very finely and use.
The initial bruising helps to release the natural oils which contain the flavour, slicing fine allows the oils to seep quickly.

Regards
 

 

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