Food to salty

[Duckchops]

I just bought the Bradley digital and used it for pork ribs the first night. Second night I did chicken. Third night I did beef ribs. Great smoke flavor on the pork ribs but kind of salty. I thought it might have been the rub.  I tried it on the chicken and not at all salty. Well, I tried it on the beef ribs and they were almost unedible. The thing is I cooked everything around the same temperature 225. The pork ribs I did for around 4 hours or so. Chicken Around the same. The beef ribs 6 hours.  Is it the rub or am I using to much smoke? Hickory pucks. 4 hours of smoke for chicken and pork?  5:30 hours for beef?

Thanks for any help!

[MPTubbs]

I'm guessing the rub.

Smoke has NO salt in it.

[pensrock]

Smoke is not salty so in my opinion it must be the rub.  ???

[Paddlinpaul]

Do you make your own rub or is it store bought? Ingredients are listed by order of quantity, is salt near the top of the list?

[harper072554]

It definately had to come from the rub... I always read what is in my rubs and spices... I know some spices will have salt on the first item, and I have tried it and it was way too salty...

[ronbeaux]

Salt boils at 2575F degrees. What you put on there will stay on there unless diluted with water. If your rub has too much salt in it it will not leave while cooking unless it is washed off by the juices of the meat. My opinion is that the salt soaked into the beef and pork where as it ran off while using it on the chicken.

For beef and pork I try to use a rub that is lower in salt. Instead of a normal 1 to 1 salt sugar content with other spices thrown in, I use a 1/2 to 1 salt to sugar ratio, then add the spices I want.

Bottom line. You can always add salt, but never take away.

[harper072554]

ron you are very right... I forgot that until you posted it...

[MrsHoss]

Salt boils at 2575F degrees. What you put on there will stay on there unless diluted with water. If your rub has too much salt in it it will not leave while cooking unless it is washed off by the juices of the meat. My opinion is that the salt soaked into the beef and pork where as it ran off while using it on the chicken.

For beef and pork I try to use a rub that is lower in salt. Instead of a normal 1 to 1 salt sugar content with other spices thrown in, I use a 1/2 to 1 salt to sugar ratio, then add the spices I want.

Bottom line. You can always add salt, but never take away.

Thanks, that some good information. :)

[Duckchops]

I kind of figured. The thing is I had already thrown out the empty rub bottle, but it was salty. I was watching the BBQ cook shows and saw they put so  much rub on their food. It just never occured to me to think about the salt content. Who would have thunk it.  :) What a goofball! Thanks everyone. :-[

[hal4uk]

Hey Ron...  Hold my beer a minute...

(and stand back)..
I'm gonna do my own test on the boiling point of salt...

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Duckchops;

Welcome to the forum.

If you can check the label on the ribs, see if it is "enhanced"; but those words won't be on the label. I don't see it as often lately as I have over the past year, but many meat processing plants are "enhancing" (injecting) their pork with a brine solution to help keep it moist, give it flavor and extend the self life, and I'm sure to increase their profits. If it is enhanced it has to state the ingredients on the label; usually sodium phosphates, and what percentage of the weight is brine.

Depending on the percentage, the higher the more salt flavor you will get. It usually makes it taste salty to many, and a few like myself it give the meat a bitter metallic taste. I now always check my pork labels and avoid enhanced pork like a plague.

[York]

I always look for a low salt rub. Right now I am using Big Ron's Rub. I have never had any complaints from  the family about the rub.

[NePaSmoKer]

Salty smoke?

How do ya do dat  :D  :D

[JT-MO]

I was going to say exactly what hab said above, look and see if your meat was enhanced.

I actually bought some meat from walmart a week back and it said something like "brined" on the package.
So that already has salt in it, and then you add more when you put on the rub. I usually look for a low salt rub to use, and then you can use a lot of it like the cooking shows do.
If I am cooking meat that I got from hunting then I know there is no salt already on it, so I may use more during cooking.

[hal4uk]

WalMart/Sams seem to inject everything.

They have chicken breasts as big as turkey breasts - that just ain't natural.

I buy butts and ribs at Sam's, and they seem to be fine, but I imagine they pump them some too.

I know some people here like their beef, but I had Ribeyes from there that did not taste like beef.
Did some googling and found out they DO inject their beef.  I'm sure it's harmless stuff, but it makes it taste strange.