Question about Rubs

[Paul H]

If you cover a piece of meat(brisket or pork butt) with rub are you sealing the meat off from absorbing smoke? Once the bark develops does that prohibit the amount of smoke getting into the meat also?

 

[Doug D]

Smoke doesn't get into the meat, at least not that much. The smokering is evidence of about how far in it could possibly penetrate. It is not absorbed into the meat per se, but rather, in being deposited on the meat, is being adsorbed to a small degree. When meat is pulled or sliced, smoke particles deposited on the outer parts are distributed to previously unexposed inner parts, just as are rub and bark, adding their flavors to more of the overall product. So, to answer your question, no, I wouldn't say rubs prevent anything smoke-wise. Think of what we do with the WSM more as using smokewood in barbecuing to impart additional flavor, rather than how smoke is used in a cold-smoking or curing process.

 

[Randy P.]

Paul,

I agree with Doug. I have experimented with different preps a few times and noticed very littel difference. I took two butts and coated one very lightly with my rub and took the other and covered completely to where I couldn't even see any meat. Cooked them both in the same batch on the WSM with apple and cherry wood. Could not tell any difference in the amount of smoke flavor or the size of the smokering but there was a big difference in flavor becasue of the extra rub. I have also tried very litte smoke, say 2 small chunks and I have done as much as 10 bigger chunks added over a hour or so and still didn't notice that much difference in the smoke flavor. I don't think you can oversmoke a peice of meat with the right wood. Now a strong wood would be too much at some point, but I am still learning and experimenting with smoke and flavor so others might have a better answer.

Randy
J.R.'S Smokers

 

[Paul H]

Doug, my next question would be- if you smoked a pork butt for say three hours and then finished the cook by wrapping it up foil then would the smoke deposited on the meat be washed off when the meat rendered inside the foil?

 

[Doug D]

I'd agree with more not being necessarily better when speaking of smoke. I think balance is a better goal, just as with rub components. As to washing away smoke in foil, I always mix everything but unrendered fat back into pork butt when I pull it, so I don't feel I'm losing anything.

 

[Steve Petrone]

Paul, reguarding foil-the smoke flavor would not wash off. The usual reason to foil is to speed the cook. The bark that forms on a butt is heavenly-I would hate to cover a butt up in foil to cook for hours and lose that bark. Resting softens the bark, thats ok.