Sugar in the raw for rub


 
Who uses Sugar in the Raw (sometimes called Turbinado) in their rub? I always used brown sugar, but often leave it out due to it burning over long cooks. Does Raw Sugar work better for this? I like the taste of sugar in my rubs, but don't like it when it burns.
 
I use turbinado in some pork rubs.

Unless you're cooking at high temps the sugar isn't burning though the bark can appear black or nearly so.

Try turbinado. It often helps in this regard.
 
I would think that brown sugar would burn at about the same temp as turbinado, right around 350, is it not?

The main advantage of turbinado is that it is a dry sugar, while brown sugar is a "wet" sugar, and many recipes recommend baking the brown sugar first to dry it out so that it doesn't cake with other ingredients in the rub. For me that is way more hassle than I want to deal with, so I use turbinado.
 
It's been said here and elsewhere (and I probably have said it somewhere myself) that turbinado has a higher burn point. I'm not sure that's really true. Sugar burns at 350 and I don't really see a reason that turbinado would be exempt. What I do find often, and others seem to find similarly, is that turbinado takes longer to color significantly and longer to burn (should temps be high enough to support actual burning and not simply deep coloring).

The evidence, such as it is, is anecdotal. I've been meaning to actually test it--for years(!)--but never seem to remember. If it tests out, my guess is that is likely to be a structural issue allowing for more time rather than a situation where the actual burn point temp is higher.
 
I don't recall using brown sugar in any rubs yet. Only turbinado or refined white sugar if I'm out of the other. Brown sugar, being sticky and clumpy never seemed like the thing to use to me.

I don't usually have regular brown sugar on hand though I do have Demerra. Perhaps I'll give it a go instead of turbinado sugar in my chili rub for my beef blade smoke tonight.

Demerra is supposed to have a higher acid content it might work out real well.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David Lohrentz:

The main advantage of turbinado is that it is a dry sugar, while brown sugar is a "wet" sugar, and many recipes recommend baking the brown sugar first to dry it out so that it doesn't cake with other ingredients in the rub. For me that is way more hassle than I want to deal with, so I use turbinado. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Same here.
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Made my rub with Demerra and got the beef rubbed and in the smoker. Sticky as Demerra is it worked out fine, I'm excited to see how it tastes actually.

I mixed all the 'dry' ingrediants first then added them to the sugar. Little bit of mixing and mashing small sugar clumps with the back of the spoon, no big deal.

I applied this rub by sprinkling by hand and pressing it in to the meat with the back of a spoon. As I felt a small clump about to pass through my fingers I just broke it up between my fingers while sprinkling.

Sticky actually seems to be a good thing, I like the way the rub really bound together whereas dry sugar often just rolls off leaving whatever else was used in the rub on the meat surface.

As I was making it I recalled a time I had used Demerra previously but dried it out first then ground it with mortar and pestel. lol at too much work for naught.

Couldn't swear by it but it seemed more rub stuck to the meat and there was less on the pans when it was finished than with dry sugar. I'll be trying it a few more times and I might be switching from turbindo to brown or Demerra.
 

 

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