Rib rub

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The other night I tried the BRITU and I thought about cutting back the salt and should've done it. Man that was some salty stuff. If I can find a commercial rub that does the trick I would definately buy it. I've tried Stubbs (didn't float my boat), obie que (nothing there), and texas rib rangers (not bad but I get the feeling there is something better). Can anyone recommend a commercial rub or homemade rub that I might like? I generally like some sweet to my ribs with a little kick to it. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
 
I can't remember exactly what goes into the rub I use. I am out of my home state at the moment and can't get to my recipes but it comes from 'Weber's Big Book of Grilling'. The rub has cinnamon and allspice in it. Not sweet but complex;-)

Mike
 
I'll second the recomendation on Paul Kirk's book. The chapter on how to build your own rub is great. It's a lot of fun to try and identify what you like, make a trip to Penzey's (in person or online) and then cook with your new rub.
 
This talk of rubs has created some questions for me. I have modified the BRITU recipe. But I would like the opinions of other people besides family members. I have thought of posting my modifications and getting input from the people on this list. My problem is most of my family and friends don't know good ribs. Their idea is if it is boiled and drowned in sauce then it is a good rib.
 
Discernment comes with experience when it comes to ribs. Keep up the good fight and just keep showing them what really good ribs are. You may want to use other rubs and sauces. Konrad Haskins on this site has his own rub and sauces that have done well in competition. Paul Kirk and John Willingham have good rubs and recipes Dr. BBQ on this site has a great rub and a sauce on the way( I think). Hawgeyes BBQ has several varieties you can experiment with.
 
start w/ BRITU
less salt
more cayenne
add cumin

in addition to before cooking, also sprinkle some on ribs 15 min before they're done
 
I have never found BRITU to salty unless it was a solution added ribs it was applied to. Lots of rubs will be too salty.
Jim
 
I temd to like a thick coating of rub, thus must reduce salt in the rub. I made mistake of using solution added enhanced ribs ... once.
 
Man, it's hard to argue with Jim M., but I'm gonna. I don't buy enhanced ribs and I still find the BRITU recipe too salty. I use half or quarter the amount of salt in BRITU and find it works great for me.
 
Same here. I use 1/2 of the called for salt and use kosher. Works for me /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
My favorite commercial rib rub is Cowtown "The Squeal" Pork Rub, I think you can get it from Hawgeyes.

As for home-made rubs, one of my favorites is Alton Brown's rib rub from "Good Eats" on FTV. Here's the recipe:

8 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

FTV gives those amounts. In the TV Show, Alton said the basic ratio is 7 parts brown sugar, 3 parts kosher salt, 1 part chili powder, and 1 part made up of all the rest put together. That's the ratio I've used when making this rub and it's very tasty. I recommend making it fresh right before use because the brown sugar clumps badly, otherwise dry out your brown sugar in a low oven for a half-hour or so before making the rub.
 
I will second Hawgeyes. Placed an order for 4 rubs yesterday and they were at my door today. Until now I had made my own rubs but seemed to be stuck in a rut. Buying a few rubs seemed like a good way to experiment and see what else I like. I ordered Dixie Dust, Smoking Guns BBQ, Texas Rib Rangers, and Bonesmokers. Funny but earlier I just took a smell of each and all but Dixie Dust smelled pretty similar. Just took a taste of each and must say, they are all very unique in flavor. Now I can't wait to sample each on ribs/butts. Right now, I am thinking I made a great investment and hopefully this will open my eyes to some new rub flavors /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
And Konrad, please send me a link to your rub, would love to try some.
Jamie
 
Salty is relative smokers need more salt than non smokers. How the rub is applied and if lots of apple juice spray is used will affect saltiness. There are 100 details all of which affect the final flavor.

You can give 10 people identical eveything including recipe and instructions and you will get 10 different tasting products.
 
And one thing I have noticed is that Kosher Salt lends as less salty taste than regular table salt. From what I know, Kosher salt by volume would not be as much as table salt (hence a cup of Kosher would not be as much of a concentration as a cup of table salt). Also I have noticed that when making a rub, Kosher tends to fall off more (due to large particle, leading to even less salt on the finished product.
Any more info, just ask Alton Brown /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Jamie
 
I like the Wild Willy's Number One rub from the Smoke and Spice book for ribs. I've noticed though that too much of this rub makes them too salty.
 
I find it bizarre that someone says "it was too salty" and another person argues against that claim. If something is too salty for me ... then it's too salty for me. For example Mc Donald's french fries are too salty for me in spite of being prepared exactly to the recipe each and every time. I simply don't like that much salt, and I certianly don't want someone to tell me "just use more ketchup to cover it up."

If a rub is too salty for you either use less salt or less rub. No shame in that.
 
I seem to recall reading in a cooking magazine that Diamond Crystal kosher salt, because of the size of the crystals has about half the salt per volume of regular table salt. Morton's Kosher is about 1/3 less than table salt. That could make an enormous difference. I always use Diamond Crystal, and have never found the BRITU rub too salty. I imagine that it would be too salty with plain table salt.
 
Another thought on salt: you can always add more but you can't take it away. Better to err on the side of too little salt then add more at the table while eating.
 
BRITU is a rub that is not to be applied heavily and only for a short time prior to the cook (couple of hours max). If you apply it to solution added or to far in advance it will be to salty. You apply BRITU much lighter than you would most other rubs.
The reason you find salt in a rub is because of the chemical reaction it causes and is part of producing top notch BBQ. If you have no salt in a rub your finish product will be very different, most recipes will not work as intended.
Jim
 
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