I am planning on cooking some ribs tomorrow and am wondering is I can apply the rub today, 24 hours before hand or, do I need to wait till the day of the cook.
Which is to apply the rub 2 hours before going on the smoker. However, I've since found that foiling the ribs provides for more tender ribs and I now follow the recipes which call for foiling the ribs for 1 hour.
Worked fine for me Bruce. Some of the guys who compete might squeal but none of my guests have ever complained.
You probably already know this but just make sure you peel that back membrane. You might also want to give the "competition ribs" recipe on this site a look. A lot of folks (myself included) really like it.
As I recall you can rub that recipe right before you put it on the WSM. At least I've done it that way once or twice and it's turned out pretty well.
I recently did some ribs and rubbed 1/2 the night before and 1/2 an hour before cooking and no one could tell the difference. Both were good. After that experiment I don't think I'll go back to the overnight rubbing. Just a quick splash of worcestershire sauce a light slathering of yellow mustard and a healthy sprinkle of rub !!!!
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Finney:
Or cut back on the salt. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I second that. I halve the amount of salt and rub an hour or two before putting them on. I usually prep the ribs, rub them, and then assemble and fire the WSM. By the time it's all ready to go, they've been sitting for an hour or two, depending on how distracted I get during set up
Once upon a time, I applied the BRITU rub like 8 hours before the cook. After cooking, the ribs turned out "hammy".
I learned from Jim Minion that the salt in the rub had essentially "cured" the ribs. Ever since that experience, I apply the BRITU for 2 hours or less prior to cooking
I've learned that lesson too. Now, I just put the rub on right before I go out to start the fire, stabilize it, and assemble the cooker. That half hour to 45 minutes works fine for me.
Remember that an important part of the rub process is to ... RUB the rub into the meat to help with penetration.
The more surface area and muscle fibers you expose to the seasoning, the better. I've seen people just sprinkle it on, flip, and sprinkle. I on the other hand, am a little more aggressive!