Butt Rub Clone


 
W

Wayne Truelove

TVWBB Pro
I wasn't sure I could post this here until I came across Chris A.'s post of the Bone Suckin' Sauce clone so I thought I'd ask for a clone recipe of Bad Byron's Butt Rub. I've tried several times and have come up with a rub 'usable' but I'd like to ask your help.

Here's a list of ingredients from their website:
Butt Rub® has more applications than can be listed here. With less than half the salt content of most commercially available seasoning salts, about half the heat of the commercial "CAJUN" seasonings and a wonderful balance of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, paprika (for color) and chipotle (smoked sweet red ripened jalapeños), Butt Rub® enhances everything in the kitchen!

Thanks!
 
Kevin - thanks for responding.

I've never thought of it as a cajun rub and I totally overlooked the 'cajun' reference made from the website. The recipe doesn't call for cayenne or cumin which I consider leaning towards the cajun flavor so I can only guess that the website was measuring the 'heat' in the rub to a mild rating. That said - I just like the taste of the seasoning, which has a strong black pepper flavor, and it works well for me on butts, ribs and chicken.

Any other Butt Rub 'fans' post and help me out.

The ingredients as listed on the jar are:

Salt, black pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, paprika, chipotle powder and microcrystalline cellulose (a natural anti-caking agent)

Again, thank Kevin.
 
Cumin isn't at all Cajun so I wouldn't expect that.

I asked because Cajun seasoning follows a fairly 'usual' flow. Chipotle is not a Cajun spice so there is a difference right there. But from your OP and the reference to 'Cajun' (I guess from the website) I wondered.

Anyway--if the jar does not list an ingredient like 'spices', then you can probably assume that the ingredient list is complete. (This is not always the case. Commercial manufacturers are supposed to list everything. For proprietary reasons they are allowed to group small quantities of various items as 'spices' rather than listing the individual ingredients--but some don't do that. This is not a very policed issue so they get away with it. We'll assume for the moment that the ingredient list is complete.)

Here's how to proceed: The ingredient list is more than likely a list based on volume or weight in descending order. For the moment disregard the salt. Start with the first ingredient and build from there; build, then tweak later. I would start with the following:

1 T ground black pepper

1 T granulated onion

2.5 t granulated garlic

2 t paprika

.5-1 t chipotle

[T = tablespoon t = teaspoon]

Mix well. Portion out about 1/3 of the mix then add salt to it. Start with 1/4 its volume and taste. Compare to the original.

Take another third and add 1/2 its volume in salt. Taste. Compare to the original.

Now you have to think about it. Drink some water to flush your mouth and then walk away for a while. Don't force your thoughts. See if anything comes to you in terms of salt balance or in terms of other flavors. Was the original more garlicky, less peppery or more--that sort of thing. Whatever you come up with (don't push it--it can take some time), tweak the last third of your mix accordingly. Taste then compare.

See what you come up with. If it is wildly skewed from the original let me know and I'll give you some other paths to try. If that is the case then it is likely there are ingredients included that are not listed on the label (this is not uncommon).

A few things to remember: Paprika has little flavor in this sort of application. It will not be a thing you have to mess with. The heat here comes from chipotle (as does the smoky nuance) but 'heat' is different from 'pepper' flavor which, of course, comes from the black pepper. 'Sweetness', if presesnt, will come from the onion. If more sweet or less is needed then adjust the onion.

Let me know what you discover.
 
I will certainly give your 'mix' a try and let you know soon. Thanks for the technique of how to add the salt as well....I've always stared with salt since it was listed first on the jar.

I'm guessing you are still in CA due to the time we are posting so I wish you a safe and 'inexpensive' gas trip back home!
 
Nope. Went from southern Calif to Vegas to Chicago to Wilmington, Del in 5 days. Richmond the next day and now in Atlanta. On the way to SW Louisiana tomorrow then New Orleans then Dallas. I kind of move around...

Yes, try that sort of approach. Going with the salt after the fact is more likely to allow you to taste more fully the difference(s) in salt level and in the various levels of the other spices.
 
WOW - you do move around! I'm sure you've been asked before, but what do you haul? Besides A$$!

'Hot'lanta.....I drive by there going camping in north Ga, Tn, SC, Nc area but on I-75....good grief...put the hammer down or get off the road!

18 wheels and 70 feet of steel has an advantage no doubt....my uncle drives for Wal-Mart and has been a truck driver all his life...the stories he tells...ok...I'm rambling....I'll let you know on the rub mix vs the original soon!
 
Yes, let me know. I'm wondering if there are other items not included on the label but know way of knowing without trying some myself.

I just posted about my trucking gig here, btw.
 
All set to try the rub clone and realized that my onion and garlic are powders instead of granulated. I did a quick search to find the difference and found a mathematical equation:

.5tsp minced = .25tsp granulated = .125tsp powder

Does this sound solid?

So, I guess if a recipe calls for 1T of granulated onion then I could substitute with .5T onion powder?

Thanks.
 
Possibly--and technically, yes--but I often find that in terms of flavor the measures are much closer.
 
Well, since I'm trying to match/clone a rub I suppose I should just wait and buy granulated spices instead of guessing - creating rubs is new to me so I'll keep it as simple as possible for now and stick to the original ingredients.

Appreciate your input and I'll keep you updated.
 
Wayne, why spend money when you don't have to? If I were you, I would use up the powdered stuff you have now, and then when it runs out, buy the granulated spices. I agree with Kevin, and would use the same amount of powdered onion and garlic requested in the recipe. Don't forget the center of the Butt will not be seasoned so a little extra of spices won't hurt. Everything at the end will all be mixed up and you'll probably have to add more rub.

Erik
 
Erik - Good point! What can it hurt right? Just curious - do you happen to use Butt Rub as well?

I'll use the powder and post on how it comes out.

I'm guessing density, fine grind and less of a fine grind, is the main difference between granulated and powder.

Thanks for your input Erik!
 
Wayne, I haven't tried the Butt Rub but it does sound like something I would use, although I would add a few more ingredients. I have a butt sitting in the refrigerator and since this recipe has received such good reviews, I am going to give it a try. Pork swimming in molasses sounds appealing to me, so we'll see.

Yep, powders are definitely much more fine, leading it to be hygroscopic. Some company's add anti-caking agents to make sure it doesn't clump up (from the absorption of moisture), therefore certain powders might not be as strong as granulated spices. That's why, as Kevin mentioned above, the ratio between granulated to powders might be correct, however there might be differences in strength or potency of the spice.

Erik
 
Using the powders, here are my first results.

Made the batch per KK's recipe and then portioned out 1/3 and added 1/4t of salt to the 1/3 portion. Onion flavor was over powering and the color was way off. The black pepper taste was fine but no garlic or chipotle flavor coming through. Added another 1/2t of salt and got a taste of salt finally...added one more 1/4t and that was too much. Made notes and dumped all!

Tried new portions to the recipe:

1-T Black pepper (same)

1-t onion powder (reduced by 2t)

1-T garlic powder (increased 1/2t)

1-T paprika (increased 1t)

1-t chipotle (increased 1/2t)

Portioned out 1/3 again and added the 3/4t of salt as before....getting close but maybe a little too much heat. Black pepper taste is there but the slow burn on the back of the tongue is a tad too much. Thinking of adding 1/4t of onion powder next time or cutting the chipotle 3/4t. Taste buds are spent for the day.

I'll post again tomorrow. It's only six ingredients and shouldn't be that difficult but it sure is FUN!!

EDIT: 1/3 portion = 1T + 1/2t
 
Sounds like progress. Remember the cellulose in the original. It has no flavor but an equal portion of the original compared to yours might be slightly less potent because of the bit of volume it adds.
 
Good point Kevin!

Bought new small jar of Butt Rub today to make sure I was comparing 'fresh' ingredients to mine...not that mine are the freshest nor best...just bought it. I can't get the color deep enough red on my mix and I'm guessing it's due to the type/quality of paprika. Also, there is a slight texture difference due to the original using granulated onion and garlic as opposed to me using powder - sounds good anyway!

Made new batch using the modified recipe I posted yesterday and listed below are my changes and what I consider very close to the original. Again, I am new at making rubs and my taste buds do not have a culinary degree but here goes:

1-T black pepper (same)

1-t onion powder (same)

1.5-T garlic powder (increased .5t)

1-T paprika (same)

1.5-t chipotle (increased .5t)

To the 1/3 mix portioned out, I had to increase the salt as well..another .5t to the 1/3 mix.

I know am posting against what I said yesterday of reducing the chipotle and the salt level but the new Butt Rub was more fresh I guess. Anyway, I asked the wife to taste as well and she agreed it is very close but both our taste buds are shot so I'll go at it again tomorrow and post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top