onion and garlic in rub


 
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Steve Petrone

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Many rubs have equal amounts of onion powder (or salt) and garlic powder (or salt).
Has anyone done a taste test to try a rub with onion (no garlic) and the other with garlic (no onion)? I have blindly followed those who seem to always use equal parts of each.
 
No, but I love onion and garlic so no reason not to put both in for me. Although, I can't distinctly pick out those flavors in the rubs for that matter.
 
I wouldn't use onion salt or garlic salt in a rub, the fact that I personally don't like to use much salt in rubs notwithstanding. I am reluctant to use onion or garlic powder in rubs if I am making a batch that I will not use the entire amount immediately-- it takes very little in the way of humidity for these two ingredients to turn a stored rub into useless rock. For that reason, I'm likely to leave out onion powder altogether, and use only granulated garlic when garlic is required. Even if I use either of these two in a rub, I keep them to a minimum so as not to overpower everything else. And that's not to say I don't like garlic-- I'm prone to adding fresh garlic a bit late in the cooking process, so as not to overcook and bury its flavor in the mix.
 
Doug, not to side track this thread but have you ever used those little packets of silica(?) that they pack to keep things dry in your bottles of onion powder. Had the same thing happen to me. I thought this might work.
 
I almost always (but not always) use both in rubs and usually they are in equal amounts (but not always; sometimes I use more onion than garlic and occasionally skip the garlic.

I like both in rubs because both go so well with meats and with each other. In paste rubs I use them as well (sometimes one fresh the other dried).

I don't use much sugar in rubs (usually <10-12% by volume for most; 0-2% for beef) and both garlic and onion add a natural sweetness which I like very much, and one that I think goes especially well with the natural sweetness of meats.

I don't use powdered versions of either (although habit often makes me call them 'powders'). I use granulated versions, never those with salt, to avoid the clumping/caking issue.
 
I gather that granulated onion or garlic is stronger than the powder. Is there a conversion measure from powder to granulated like there is for kosher versus regular salt?
 
Actually they are pretty much equivalent in flavor and measure. Powders are simply the granulated versions ground more finely.
 
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