I made some St Louis cut side ribs tonight using ten point 5's recipe. I was happy with the flavour and texture of the ribs but would like to make another batch that is a bit less salty. I used a rub I bought at Costco (Kirkland signature sweet mesquite rub). Next time I want to try Jan's rub. If I reduce the salt ratio a little (1/3 sugar, 1/3 spices, 1/4 salts), am I still going to get good results?
Thanks for any advice
Jim, when I buy factory rubs (store bought) one of
the first things I do is dump it in a bowl and remix it.
Then pour it back in the bottle to use.
some of the spices will settle during shipment.
Thanks Classicrockgriller, I was thinking of running mine thru a coffee grinder or blender as it fairly coarse at the moment.
I'm with you on that one.
I hate to eat spices. ;D
Salt is a terrific flavor enhancer, so it is difficult to tell what the effect of reducing salt in a rub will have until you try it. Many salt free or low sodium seasonings add more black pepper, chili pepper and/or citrus for additional flavor enhancers.
If you haven't tried Jan's Rub at all, you should mix a small batch and test it on chicken or even hamburgers or pork chops to see if the salt level is too high for your taste. I don't like too much salt and I don't find Jan's Rub salty.
Just a side note: when I am smoking meats I try to avoid rubs that have a smoke flavor added. I rarely add sauce, but will try to avoid sauces with smoke flavor added. Though there are a few sauces with smoke flavor that have a very mild smoke taste that I will occasionally use. I don't want to added smoke flavoring competing with the smoke that I have applied to the meat.
I take CRG's method a little further. I will add some sort of powdered chili and black pepper and maybe a couple of "secret" ingredients to cut down the % of salt in the really salty rubs. Then I put back in the bottle.
Taking Caney's lead a bit further, when you get into the details of taste, sweet (i.e., sugar) is the basic counterpoint to the other classic three (sour, bitter and salt). If something is too salty, a bit of added sugar helps bring things back toward a more agreeable taste balance. If you are using a commercial rub follow CRG's advice, then do the wet finger taste test. Wait patiently and follow the flavor profile as it unfolds. If you are overwhelmed by the saltiness, take a small amount of rub and blend it with a bit of sugar (white, brown, Turbindao, etc.) and re-taste. Do this until you feel you have the basic balance right. Then move on to tweaking other seasonings.
Thanks for all the advice. I'll try these on the next smoke
I tried Jan's rib and it was excellent. Will use that more often now.