Paprika question


 
M

Matt A 3

TVWBB Member
I am doing a Penzey's order soon and they advertise 3 kinds of paprika: Hungarian Sweet, Hungarian half-sharp and California Sweet.

Does anyone have a recommendation as to which would be best? The prices are very similar.

To date I have used a large container purchased at Costco (can't recall the brand) but a lot of rubs contain paprika in fairly large proportions so thought higher-end might be worth it.

I was looking for some posts that discuss paprika and there were a few from as far back as 2004 and 2002 that were somewhat helpful. The one from 2004 seemed to conclude that the quality of paprika doesn't matter.

If anyone has input on this I would be grateful.

Thanks,
Matt
 
In my opinion, paprika is often used as color more than anything else. Sometimes its used to tone down the heat of chiles in a rub, and a few times it can actually contribute something.

In this case I'd suggest the half-sharp. (If you can also find it, Spanish smoked paprikas are worth having in your arsenal.)
 
People keep saying it is mostly for color, but all of my BBQ looks like anthracite coal when I remove it from the WSM!!
 
Matt-

I like the Hungarian Sweet myself, but I don't use it for BBQing.

Your location shows you're in Chicago... if you're anywhere near Oak Park or Naperville you could pop into one of their retail locations and sniff for yourself. God I love going to their store here!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In my opinion, paprika is often used as color more than anything else. Sometimes its used to tone down the heat of chiles in a rub, and a few times it can actually contribute something. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
True (and it is often used as a bulking agent). Imo, it contributes little to most rubs unless they are rubs for quick cooks. Paprika does not hold up to long dry heat cooking. The flavor dissipates. Inferior paprikas end up bitter but even the best can end up this way over time. It is far better suited to moist heat cooking.

For paprikas for your spice rack go with Hungarian sweet and Spanish smoked. My two cents.
 
I'm with Kevin on this one also. I hardly ever use praprika in a rub unless it is a quick grill and then used in combination with others. Smoked praprika in a brine adds some flavour and colour. It's more common use is in casserole type and middle eastern dishes. Overuse in rubs tends to give a strange bitter taste.
I prefer the Smoked for a complex depth of flavour.

Regards
 
When my local COSTCO discontinued carrying bulk paprika, I ordered a pound of Pensey’s Hungary Sweet Paprika for about $15. A week later when I was in Smart and Final, they had Trade Winds Paprika Molida (milled), 36 oz on sale for about $5. I didn’t notice $25 worth if difference. The Hungarian was a little stronger, but not noticeably “sweeter”.

I heard that the California Paprika is milder, but turns brown and bitter under heat.
 
Kevin (or anyone, really), if some rubs call for paprika, like the Mr. Brown rub on the main site here, do you advise leaving it out or substituting something else? If you substitute other spices, what do you use? I'm really new to all this, so I'm not sure what spices add what kind of flavors to food, but you definitely know what you're talking about, so I thought I'd ask.
 
two butts I did the other day one "mr. brown" for actually the very first time. Lots of people like it and it IS good, but I have to be honest, I wont do it again. I really don't know if it was paprika, or all that pepper or what but It just wasn't a taste I was used to. Lots of chile's you could use/try, but I'll let some recommendations come to you for Mr. Brown cause Im not sure what would mix in that recipie well for you. I've seen the ussuall/sort of ussuall chiles mentioned a lot but I sure enjoy using kinds you never hear of before.. some strange, some really good, mild.. but my favorite is any smoked spicy ones. Maybe depends on the person cause funny enough I really don't care for ancho much esp. in large amounts... esp. raw.
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. I kind of like wandering through the ethnic (i think its called) sections of stores and trying all the kinds if I can get them in small enough amounts. I like growing stuff like that but I never know what to do w/ them w/ food!, lol
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. Good luck!
 
I'd also love to know what people think of Chris' question. I don't use Mr Brown but I do use a bunch of other rubs that have heavy proportions of paprika.

If it is merely a "bulking agent" (and I can see how that might be the case), what else do people use?
 
Dan, I personally liked the taste of Mr. Brown. Of course, I use huge amounts of black pepper on most of my foods, so I really like the amount of black pepper in the rub. If I was sure it wouldn't throw everything else in the rub out of proportion, I wouldn't mind using more black pepper in the rub.
 
Chris-- Mostly I recommend subbing another chile (or a blend of chilies) for the paprika and, often, the cayenne, if any is in the recipe in question. I use chilies that have more flavor --flavor that will better stand up to dry heat cooking.

I have no idea why Mr Brown is so 'famous'. Imo, it is the perfect example of a poorly designed recipe --though I've no clue what the authors' intention was. It betrays a lack of understanding of ingredients, flavors and flavor development (though the authors display this lack reperatedly throughout their books), let alone any understanding of flavor dynamics. This is pretty common, especially among barbecue 'masters' who for whatever reason seem averse to actually studying the specifics of the details about which they write. (Paul Kirk is another who falls into this category, imo.) Kudos to them for their financial successes, despite the rather tranparent veil of ignorance.

(Here's another example that galls me: the use of dry mustard in rubs --what a waste. Mustard must have a fairly neutral liquid to cause the chemical reaction to create its flavor. Without this it is nearly flavorless (just taste plain dry mustard and compare to a taste of dry mustard that has been mixed with an equal amount of water). Dry mustard adds virtually nothing to dry rubs because it's dry. Even if one argues that the meat is moist enough to activate the mustard (this cannot be assumed) it is still not worth bothering with on most cases because heat is a destroyer of mustard's flavor --and is the reason why mustard sauces are not made over much heat. Not those for which the mustard flavor is to be preserved anyway.)

So, to give you an example of one way I might approach reworking a recipe see this thread.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I really don't care for ancho much esp. in large amounts... esp. raw. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm not sure what you mean here by 'raw'.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:

I have no idea why Mr Brown is so 'famous'. Imo, it is the perfect example of a poorly designed recipe --though I've no clue what the authors' intention was. It betrays a lack of understanding of ingredients, flavors and flavor development (though the authors display this lack reperatedly throughout their books), let alone any understanding of flavor dynamics. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't sugar coat it Kevin, tell us what you REALLY think
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Honestly, I have to totally agree. I tried Mr. Brown as well as BRITU when I first started out and will never do again...unbalanced flavors, too salty, no depth/layering of flavors….

I have learned much here from Kevin and others and mostly make my own rubs. Dried chilies are absolutely the way to go and never use store bought “chilie powder”… who knows what is in it…too easy to make your own. I’ve found that by far most rubs are too salty for my tastes and I am partial to a bit more sugar than often is described. I keep a variety of chilies on hand, ancho and chipotle powder. Using only chilies sugar, a bit of salt, pepper, onion, garlic one can have a great rub. Add in some herbs other spices such as ginger, cumin, cinnamon and coffee and away you go….the key is to try different ones, take notes and see what YOU like best. My tastes often vary with the time of year and what mood I am in that day. I rarely make the same rub twice
 
Thanks for the link, Kevin. I've read through all three pages, but I'm still left with many questions about peppers. There are so many different kinds that when you start throwing names out in threads, I'm like: "Is that a hot pepper? Mild? Somewhere in between? What does it taste like?" I'm a complete beginner when it comes to this stuff - I really just started cooking this past January, when I got my WSM. Before that, I could do hamburger helper and that was about it.

Do you know of any sites that have info on the different chili peppers? I'm looking for info on the relative heat of the pepper, as well as the taste. If some site even lists what ingredients certain peppers might complement well, or what ingredients certain peppers might replace, that'd be great too. I'd love to learn about this stuff, but have no idea where to start. I'm leery of just throwing a whole bunch of stuff together in a rub and then trying it, because every time I've used the WSM so far, it's been to cook for family or friends, and I don't want something that tastes awful when everyone is planning on a nice BBQ dinner.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Don't sugar coat it Kevin, tell us what you REALLY think </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Touché!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I'm a complete beginner when it comes to this stuff - I really just started cooking this past January, when I got my WSM. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Good for you.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Before that, I could do hamburger helper and that was about it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>There's a whole nuther world out there.

No, if you're new to cooking then you do need to start somewhere and being leery of 'just throwing a bunch of stuff together' is appropriate. Fine to start with recipes --from books, from the Net, from this site, either the Cooking Topics link, or from the recipe section where I and others have posted many. Keep the amounts you make reasonable so that you're making rubs often. This way you'll get used to the process and be able to try many sooner, helping you to hone in on your preferences.

See this, and integrate this suggestion into your learning process.

Start here for info on chilies. You'll learn much by simply going for it and cooking and by asking questions in this forum and/or others. There are a slew of cooks that have actual knowledge out there, despite their lack of book deals or TV shows.
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Chris, Kevin is absolutely right. When I first started a couple of years ago I made rubs from a BBQ cookbook. The amount of salt used was about a third of the recipe. From Kevin and the others on this forum I learned and am still learning about taste and proportions. I never use paprika anymore and I salt the meat first. I use different chiles that each have their own taste and heat index. They taught me to experiment with different flavors to suit my own taste. Remember, this isn't rocket science. Nine out of ten times the people who you are cooking for have no idea what is in the rub.
 
I just meant the powder is fine I guess, I pull one off of the plant and eat it you know "RAW" and I don't think there special, there fine. I don't know why anyone would chew on one raw, ..was just saying. I just grew them last year, of course I can't help going around eating all the stuff fresh off the plant.
 
That's fine. I was just wondering. Ancho is only ancho once the peppers are dried. In their raw form they are poblanos. No, not much wow on the raw flavor front -- but try them roasted then stuffed and battered (they are the nut for chiles rellenos; their thicker walls make them perfect for this), or roasted then cut into strips for rajas (put them on freshly grilled steaks or in sandwiches). Also, because of their thicker walls they hold up better to freezing: roast then cool and peel, dice then freeze for when the season is over. Excellent for chili, especially pork-based. (Try both chilis at the restaurant next to the truckstop in Cameo, at exit 47. I'll likely stop there on Wed, if my KC-Vegas thing works out.)

Raw, yes, they need work. Roasting will do it, as will drying to change them into anchos (let tehm get very ripe for this).
 
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