A Butt Rub (for Jane)


 
Hmmm please pardon this pitiful engineer that needs really specific information to do anything.... and I would hate to ruin Fathers Day dinner for a bunch of people

-Do they need to be dried out any more
-Do I remove anything other than the stems before grinding
-Is a spice grinder a special thing or can I use a coffee grinder or food processor?
 
I use a coffee grinder for my spices. They do need to be dried to the point of suppleness but not completely hard; you can toast them briefly (5 seconds per side) in a hot cast iron skillet or other type skillet. You only need to remove the stems; if you prefer to remove the seeds for less heat, you can do that as well.
 
Although Kevin has always been prompt to respond to posts, he is working a private chef gig for a couple of months and not as available as he used to be. I thought it best to give you the information as quickly as possible so your dinner plans would not be compromised.
 
I really appreciate it Jane, I was going to order powdered from DA Gift Basket but they seem to be unavailable so I wasn't sure I would get it by Friday I have read all 6 pages of this post but as long as I am not being too much of a pain with simple questions....

I made the "Renowned Mr. Brown" two weeks ago and it was wonderful but the bark was just so darn hot and peppery that I'm trying to get away from the pepper flavor and high heat.
I suppose the minimal black powder in this recipe will accomplish that but I still want to make it less hot (not totally mild though) so I though I would try 1/4 cup each of the New Mexico, Guajillo and Ancho.

I bought 1-8 oz package of pods of each kind (FYI the local "Fresh Market" did have small bottles of powdered Ancho). So will the packages make 1/4 cup each of powder when I get done? Any other thoughts... Thanks again so much.

Robert
 
The only heat you will get is from the Hot New Mexico chiles. The other two are mild, they just have distinctly different characteristics. This rub as written is not hot, I would say it is medium which it sounds like you are looking for. I haven't checked out the Renowned Mr. Brown's rub, but if you could point me in the right direction, I can take a look and see what makes it so spicy.
 
One more thing. I have bought NM Hots, but now I exclusively only use extra hots. I wasn't getting the heat I wanted from the plain hot chiles. What I would do is make the rub as written. Taste it (it will always be hotter than when it is applied to food and smoked) and see if you want it milder. If so, you can add some more of the mild chile to it to tone it down. You can always add paprika to it as well, although I know Kevin never puts it in any of his rubs. Not enough flavor when you can get a more pronounced flavor from a specific chile.
 
Thanks!
The NM peppers package doesn't say what level of hot they are but I will try what you suggest, so now ... do you think will I get 1/2 C of powder out of the 8oz package?

Also the peppery rub is on the Cooking Topics/recipe page of the main VWB site and is called Southern Succor Rub
 
You should easily get that amount.

I like pepper (as in black pepper) but Southern Succor is pretty much only that. Whatever else it has going for it - and it isn't much - is not enough to balance the pepper. (The Jamisons (the authors of the book that contains the recipe) are some of the most overrated cooks/authors out there.)
 
Hi Kevin! Jane has been very helpful.

I used that rub on a butt for a party. All the plates were clean and everyone commented on how good it was, and it was very good just peppery! I think I'll like yours better though, I'll let you and Jane know how it turns out.

Thanks allot, Robert
 
Like Robert, I was intriqued by this recipe and plan on using it this weekend ... actually tomorrow night!

The recipe calls for 'dried thyme' ... is that ground?
 
Dennis: The dried I use is not ground, but slivers or a dried leaf that have a coarser consistency. It's similar to oregano leaf, which you can grind up in the palm of your hand if you want it finer.
 
Well, I didn't think about asking until I dumped 1/4 cup of ground thyme into the mix. I'm worried that might be too much. Agree?

All is not lost ... I could effectively add another batch of rub (double the recipe) and leave the thyme out of the second batch.

Thoughts?
 
All is not lost. I think you will be fine. Make the rub to the recipe and taste it. I'll let Kevin interject here. Although the ground will yield you more per 1/4 cup than the leaf, the difference is not that much.

The Southern Succor Rub does not have enough depth to my liking. I buy the bold peppercorns from Penzey's, which have a lot more aroma and spiciness than Malabar or Telicherry. A good start for butt rub is this recipe. You will be impressed, and use the leftover on chicken.
 
Morning all...

I was gathering ingredients and was wondering about the salt. I read somewhere that maybe regular salt tasted metallic, do you suppose non-iodized makes a difference? I used it in my last rub.
And what about Sea Salt, will that give a different flavor vs Regular or Kosher?

Hmmmm-Robert
 
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