Vinegar baste


 
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Darrell Hill

TVWBB Member
Has anyone out there tried basting ribs with vinegar prior to applying a rub? The whole idea was that the vinegar would help the rub stay in place. I tried it out and the resulting ribs seemed to have a tougher bark than usual. I hate to assume that the reason for toughness was due to the vinegar, but I also don't want to make the same mistake twice. I guess the bottom line is "does vinegar act as a toughening agent"?
 
What a lot of people do in competition is use a light coating of regular table mustard before putting on the rub. It gives the rub something to stick to and it won't flavor or affect the meat. Works real good.
Dave
 
Hmmm... I usually don't have any problem with rub sticking to ribs or any pork.

On the last butt I did, I dusted it with rub, slathered on yellow mustard, then dusted again with rub. I didn't notice a difference in the flavor of the meat but it seemed to enhanced the bark.

On ribs, I use a 2:1 Apple Juice to Apple Cider Vinegar baste (sprayed on). On butt, I use 1:1.
 
What Dave says is true about the mustard not being perceptible in the finished product. I've done it both ways-- with and without-- and don't find it makes much difference as far as rub flavoring penetrating the meat.

Now as to what vinegar would do to bark, I would think you would have to soak it in vinegar for some period of time to have it have an effect on the outcome, and I would expect the acidity of the vinegar to chemically "cook" the outer layer of meat. My guess is that the tougher bark you observed might just be coincidence.
 
I hadn't actually considered it "basting" as such, but I always rinse my ribs with a good shower of cider vinegar after I remove the membrane. Probably not necessary, but it removes some of the musty smell that ribs sometimes have upon their removal from cryo. THEN I pat them somewhat dry, smear with mustard, and sprinkle the rub on. No, there's not really any difference to speak of with or without mustard, as Doug says, but then my husband likes to claim that mustard slather is his "secret process", so I keep doing it. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I've never noticed any toughening effect from using a vinegar rinse on the ribs before further prepping, myself

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time
(and preparing to feed ribs, fried turkey, and grilled chicken to a hundred this weekend... wish me luck!)
 
The mustard seems to be a technique that was part of Paul Kirk's teachings and has been used by many that have taken his class.
John Willingham teaches that he wants the rub and the natural juices of the meat to make up the bark, so he uses no mustard.
I've used both and at this point don't find any advantage to using mustard.
Jim
 
On my ribs I just rub lightly with canola oil and then apply the rub. The oil will help the rub on and also keep the outside moist until the natural juices start to flow.
 
I massage the meat with olive oil before the rub because I am pretending I am Italian. I was born on a US Army base in Italy so this is as close as I can get.

The rub holds pretty well and I have convinced myself this is a good thing.

Pork Eat World
Sonny
 
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