Ribs and Rub


 
M

Michael W

New member
I've done a few cooks on the WSM now. Brisket, pork shoulder, cornish hen....and ribs.

My problem is with ribs. They always taste way too overpowered from the rub. I've tried a couple different rubs and still get the same result. Maybe I'm putting too much on? Any suggestions? It is always way too salty.

Any help would be great!
 
I'd suggest either cutting down the amount or trying a different rub. The only rub I use on ribs is TexasBBQRub original, which is low in salt, and I pile it on thick.Sometimes I put a thick layer of Turbinado sugar on top of the rub, but not always. And I put honey, Texas Pepper Jelly or apple butter on spares if I foil them. Anything mixed with, or added on top of the rub, can dilute it or change the taste some.
 
Thanks Guys. I tried ordering the Texas BBQ rub a while back but they don't ship to Canada. Maybe I'll just have to cut back. I tried making my own and tried some of Steven Raichlens rub. Just seems too salty.
 
If you can find the rub recipe by Dr. BBQ, Ray Lampe, it's pretty good. I've made it a couple times. Just cut down the amount of salt to a level you like.
 
Michael,

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Just seems too salty. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm reading 2 things from this thread; "overpowered" and "too salty". I think you've got the solution; make your own rub. A good method that's been suggested around here for years, is to omit all salt from your rub. Salt the meat 1st so you know precisely what amount is going on. Then you can adjust the amount of rub you want to add. If you want more flavor from the rub; add more. But this way you are not adding more salt to the meat.

One thing you might try is cutting your ribs into sections before smoking. Mix up a rub that you like (taste it while you're blending the spices; look for balance and complimenting flavors) and apply varying amounts to each cut section. Keep track of each section with something like tooth picks (1 tp = light rub, 2 tp = moderate rub, etc.) When done smoking; do your taste test.

Paul
 
I willing to bet the problem is with the ribs you are buying rather than the rubs you are using. If you're using ribs that are "enhanced" with a large amount of salt water solution added in the packaging, you'll end up with very salty ribs by following the recipe of most rubs. You definitely need to cut back on the salt content.

See this thread and others for more info:
Enhanced Ribs Thread
 
Are enhanced in a solution? These were right out of the butchers cooler.

I think maybe I am putting too much on, but I am just rubbing some in and tapping the rack on the cutting board to knock off excess.
 
Go with Paul's suggestion. Make your own rub without salt. 15 or so minutes before you want to apply the rub (which wil be not long before cooking), sprinkle the ribs with salt. (To figure out how much simply imagine the ribs were aready cooked but cooked without salt. How much would you sprinkle on were the ribs just served to you? Go with that.) Sprinkle both sides.

Over several minutes the salt will draw moisture to the surface. When the ribs look nicely moist sprinkle on your saltless rub. The moisture will cause the rub to stick nicely. Sprinkle both sides.

Cook those ribs. If you'd like more rub flavor you can add more the next cook, knowing that you are not adding more salt as well, since you will again salt first. Ditto if you'd rather less rub. The salt level stays the same since you do it separately; the rub amount can be varied at will.

'Out of the butchers cooler' doesn't necessarily mean a thing. If the butcher purchased (the very, very common) 'enhanced' pork that the producers have been pushing for a while then it has been injected with a salt solution prior to his purchasing it. Ask at the counter if the pork or, specifically, the ribs he buys he buys already enhanced.
 
Thanks Kevin,

You might be right. I thought they would have to be pre packaged to be enhanced. Should I avoid the enhanced ribs or can they be ok?
 
They don't need to be pre-packaged. But it is also possible that they were and that the butcher simply removed them from the packaging first.

Most of us here, I would say, shy away from so-called enhanced ribs because it is hard to really know upfront what their salt level will be like. But, yes, they can be okay. If the solution used is more salt intense then it can be necessary to barely use salt at all (necessitating a salt-free rub). If not so intense then it is quite possible to simply salt more lightly upfront, then use a salt-free rub. Some just go very light with a commercial salted rub and like that fine.

Tell the butcher you are trying to figure out what kinds of dry rubs to make and how much salt you usein them depends on whether the meat you buy is enhanced with a salt solution. "Is this pork enhanced? Just wondering." If so, gauge accordingly. If not, try the salt-first method noted upthread with a salt-free rub over it. To be sure, when you buy the meat trim off a small piece. Cook in a little plain oil till just cooked through then taste it. Enhanced meat will taste already salted enough or at least slightly salted, depending on the solution used; it's unmistakable though.
 
just wanted to say (not talking about salt) that you can taste your rubs you make but it will change a lot after a long smoke/cook. Which is partly why im in a never ending process of making the perfect rub.. and still failing after all this time,
icon_biggrin.gif
. Just thought I'de throw that in, I read that up top. (I bet you knew that) just saying it may not be that easy is all.
 
Ribs are thin and delicate. One too much of anything, will quickly over power them. I went to Bel Air MD last year for their BBQ comp. I tasted some ribs from a team competing there and the ribs tasted like cinnamon sticks. No pork flavor at all, just cinnamon, not good in my book. When making a rub for ribs, less is more IMO. You don't want to cover up or lose the pork flavor. HTH
icon_smile.gif
 
really good advice already here, not much to add but I think ribs are great without any rub at all and ya, they can get lost in rub and sauce .. once you have the salt issue beat just keep trying, experiment, build up from a little S&P till you find what you like
 
I have a different view. The biggest complaint I have about ribs from commercial places is the utter lack of flavor. I can't do rubless ribs. It seems like such a missed opportunity; two bites and I've had enough. Not that ribs need to be heavily or even moderately rubbed, but, to me, the flavors of meat and smoke just flatten so quickly and easily that I can't abide it. (Reminds me of some of the worst ribs around --Kreuz in Lockhart-- that taste of a little salt, a fair amount of cheap food service pre-ground black pepper, smoke and little else.)

I do not at all care for ribs that are sauced while being cooked however.

I do agree that a good method can be to build up from virtually nothing -- though I think it can work better in reverse, especially if one starts with quality ingredients.
 
Shawn, I bought my ribs at the midtown Co-op on 11th ave. Do you have any idea if these would be the "enhanced" ribs? They were from the meat counter, not pre-packaged Maple Leaf or anything like that.

I guess I'm maybe getting this idea from books and TV that real BBQ must be heavily crusted in rub. I've also found that when I was down in Texas the pork ribs seemed a lot meatier then what I've found up here.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Michael W:
Shawn, I bought my ribs at the midtown Co-op on 11th ave. Do you have any idea if these would be the "enhanced" ribs? They were from the meat counter, not pre-packaged Maple Leaf or anything like that.

I guess I'm maybe getting this idea from books and TV that real BBQ must be heavily crusted in rub. I've also found that when I was down in Texas the pork ribs seemed a lot meatier then what I've found up here. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I buy spares from Co-op often when they do the $1.99/lb sales. I have yet to run into enhanced ribs around here that come 'packaged at the store in styrofoam trays'.

I like the large back ribs we can get from Costco around here too ... good price, meaty, less fat. The meat from those isn't quit the same feel in the mouth as side ribs (which are my fav) but I'd suggest giving them a try too, perhaps those are what you had in texas.

It's funny no one asked yet, were you doing spares back ribs or small (baby) back ribs or those 'Danish Ribs'? If it's the Danish ribs they have had around here save your money, they aren't worth doing IMO ... no flavor or off flavor, little to no texture. Baby backs also can't carry as much rub and sauce as meaty spares of large meaty backs.

Maybe you will like sauce OR rub or it will take you some time to find the rub & sauce combo you like.

I can enjoy ribs, steak, chicken, turkey and other meats with only S&P. I didn't say that's all it needs, that's a personal taste thing and my taste is always right for me, yours is right for you.

If your taste is telling you it's too salty, take the salt out of the rub. I'm pretty sure you didn't get enhanced ribs. Taste the sauce (if any) you are going to use. If it's salty to you skip salting the meat or adding it to any rub altogether.

One other question... did you smoke the tar out of the ribs? I mean like really pour the smoke to it? You don't need volumous clouds of smoke billowing out of the WSM in order to get smoke taste ( acommon rookie mistake). What was your smoke source, how much did you use and when did you use it during the cook?

What kind of texture did you finish with, fall off the bone, mush, pull clean with a gently tug, no pull clean with a tug, or tough?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I've also found that when I was down in Texas the pork ribs seemed a lot meatier then what I've found up here. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Son, we don't tolerate no wimpy pigs in Texas.
icon_wink.gif
 
They were side ribs from Co-op. The last few times that's where I've got them.

Didn't smoke them too much, infact I think I could have used more. I used 4 chunks of cherry wood right at the start of the cook. Cooked at about 250 for 5 hours. Slightly dried out and pretty much fall off the bone. Would have liked a little firmer.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">My problem is with ribs. They always taste way too overpowered from the rub. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

man, anybody who reads my posts knows I suffer from the complete opposite problem.

I make all my own rubs. Last time I went to the store to grab something pre-made for a flight to fla that included a rib cook, I couldn't find anything. ended up whipping something up last minute at home that we ended up loving (despite it needing MORE FLAVOR) and now pretty much use exclusively.

When you don't make your own rubs, your cant control salt or msg or sugar for that matter.

Paul K's suggestion is great. the only way to figure things out is with side to side comparisons. Occasionally do a cook just for yourself, set aside some time, and figure out how to cook things the way you like.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top