Dry Rub Recipe


 
A

AdamM

New member
Hi folks. I am working on developing my own paprika-based dry rub, but the the end result looks burnt. Can you help me figure out what may be causing the meat to turn black? The ribs were smoked at 235 and the spatchcocked chicken was smoked at 275. I used yellow mustard as glue, and did not spritz, sauce or foil the meat during the cook. The rub ingredients in decreasing order are:

Paprika
Black Pepper
Brown Sugar
Stevia
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cinnamon

My best guess is that stevia is the culprit. I might also reduce the amount of Black Pepper in the rub, but would that make a difference? Any help you can provide is appreciated.

Rub on its own:


Ribs Before the Smoke:


Chicken Before the Smoke:


Ribs After the Smoke:


Chicken After the Smoke:
 
Last edited:
Three things:

No idea how stevia works, brown sugar could be doing it, and I think it all looks perfect!
 
Try turbinado sugar, mix it half/half with the brown sugar, leave out the stevia and maybe less pepper in your rub mixture.
 
What was the thought behind using stevia in combination with brown sugar, as opposed to cane sugar with brown sugar?
 
Like Angie H. recommended, I like to use a Tubinado and Brown Sugar mix, also dose the rub taste burnt? My Ribs, Pork Butts, and Briskets will come out pretty dark but they aren't burnt. I do a very light smoke on chicken and usually just cook it on a Performer at 325/350.
 
As others have pointed out, the most important question is, does it taste burnt?

People always remark that my smoked meat looks burnt, as the bark really looks black, especially in pics. But it's not burnt, and doesn't taste like it is.

If you like the taste, you're good. If not, decrease the brown sugar, or the cook temp.
 
Thank you everyone. To answer you questions, it did not taste burnt, which is fine when cooking for myself, but appearance is important to me too. I'm not a competitor, but I'd really like to emphasize the mahogany color on pork and wow my friends and family. Do you have any suggestions on what types of spices enhance that color?

Stevia is the only white sweetner that I have in the pantry. I'm not bound to it, and have no issue removing it. I guess I am wrong, but I always thought Stevia was a brand name for turbindado sugar... I also don't like how clumpy brown sugar can be. Have any of you used non-sugar sweeteners like dehydrated honey or citrus powder?

One thing I'm confused about with reducing the amount of brown sugar is that most rub recipes I've found online call for double the amount of brown sugar that I actually used. A lot follow the 8-3-1-1 rule, which I did not (too much salt).

I will reduce the amount of Black Pepper though. I used equal parts BS to BP, and even though I liked the heat, it overpowered the sweetness too much and I also think contributed to the color.

Thanks again. I plan on cooking again this weekend and will gladly update if interested. But need the help.
 
AdamM said:
Can you help me figure out what may be causing the meat to turn black? The ribs were smoked at 235 and the spatchcocked chicken was smoked at 275. I used yellow mustard as glue, and did not spritz, sauce or foil the meat during the cook. The rub ingredients in decreasing order are:

Paprika
Black Pepper
Brown Sugar
Stevia
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cinnamon

My best guess is that stevia is the culprit. I might also reduce the amount of Black Pepper in the rub, but would that make a difference? Any help you can provide is appreciated.
Click to expand...
If I had to guess, it's the onion & garlic powder that's actually turning black on your cook
 
I second what Angie said about using turbinado sugar. I use it in my rubs. This is the pork butt I did Sunday. As you see it is very dark but no burnt taste at all. In fact it was delish.

 
I think the company that makes stevia makes the turbanado. If so fine. If its the artificial sweetener stevia take that out. I think your rub looks great as far as color. Also you can't go wrong on black pepper.
 
ChuckO said:
If I had to guess, it's the onion & garlic powder that's actually turning black on your cook
Click to expand...

Interesting. Garlic/onion powder are the last items two spices I would have looked to as the culprit. Do you recommend any savory spices that do not turn black?
 
Has any one used dehydrated honey in their rubs? I wonder if it would be a good sugar substitute for sweetness?
 
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