When is the best time to Rub?

[jonnyp]

I've read several different articles about using Rubs.  Some say do it just before you cook and some say Apply 24hrs before and let it soak in.
I thought I would ask the experts!

[Tenpoint5]

Yep that will work just fine using that time to put your rub on!!

[TestRocket]

Whenever I can I always apply my rub the day before and wrap it tightly in plastic in the fridge for the night. Then let it sit out and hour or so to come to room temp before I put it on.

[Tenpoint5]

I have done it both ways and really couldn't tell a difference. It all depends on how much time I have.

[FLBentRider]

I performed this experiment:

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=15310.0

[Sorce]

FL beat me to it, I go find that post, come back here and he's already got it. I thought that was a pretty interesting read.

[Quarlow]

FLB do you have the recipe for WTS's rub?

[jonnyp]

Thank you FLB,
This definatly made me feel more confident.

[FLBentRider]

FLB do you have the recipe for WTS's rub?

from the Smoke & Spice book the "Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub", great on everything!

Rub Ingredients:

    * 3/4 cup paprika
    * 1/4 cup coarse black pepper
    * 1/4 cup coarse salt
    * 1/4 cup sugar
    * 2 Tbsp chilli powder
    * 2 Tbsp garlic powder
    * 2 Tbsp onion powder
    * 2 tsp cayenne

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?525-WTS-Brisket&p=834#post834

[Caneyscud]

I don't have the ref. space to let 2 to 10 briskets sit in their rub overnight.  Besides, if you don't have Willie Wonka TV Teletransporter, that flavor won't get far into a piece of meat.  Take a butt put rub on it - smoke it - then carefully with a cleaned knife on each cut, cut a section of the middle out - more often than not, not smoky, no spice, but a heck of a pork flavor. 

Or take a section out of the Rendezvous' book, put rub on before the cook, and during the cook.  Can I say spicy.   Then they mop with a vinegar and rub mixture during cooking, then sprinkle some more before serving.

[beefmann]

24 to 48 hours if yiu  have the  time

[DTAggie]

I have done it both ways and really can tell no difference.  I do prefer the fat up while cooking.

[Habanero Smoker]

I learned that if you are going to put the rub on just prior to smoking, do it at least 30 minutes before you place it in the smoker. It tends to develop a better bark.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I've done both back and forth over the years and even side-by-side.  I believe it does make a difference, depending on the rub / seasoning.  The keys are primarily the salt and, to a lesser extent, the sugar content of the rub.  Like Caney said, penetration in up to overnight is minimal.  Think of how long it takes to cure pork belly or a beef brisker flat- days approaching or slightly more than a week.  So the effect is mostly surface limited.  The surface effects promote more bark formation and can lead to better smoke adhesion.  Somewhere between 2 hours and 12 hours seems optimal.

Here's the food science behind it ... Both the salt and sugar (mostly salt) lead to denaturing small proteins within the cells as well as drawing water out of cells to become free water on the surface.  Those effects in turn lead to increasing the amount of small water soluble proteins as a layer on the surface that acts like a glue to bind and hold the good tasting stuff both in smoke and in your rub, and they also lead to enhanced bark formation.  The key here is timing - do it too long and you start drawing too much moisture and your meat will tend to dry and toughen during cooking. 

If you are brining then your rub will probably be salt free and the effects above are determined by the brine conditions.

[Habanero Smoker]

BLS;
That is the reason why I apply my rub at least 30 minutes prior to smoking/cooking.

Also on a similar point of view; about two years ago Cook's Illustrated did a test on applying salt (rubs with salt) to the surface of meat. Their conclusion was that for the first three hours the salt drew the moisture out, after that time the moisture was draw back in along with any additional flavorings; as osmosis continued. Six hours seem to be the optimal time, so they suggested to either apply and cook right away or wait at least six hours. How deep the flavors penetrated was not noted, but I agree with Caney. Also no toughening of the meat was notice, but with the shorter times the meat was less moist meat. The key was to keep the moisture in contact with the meat as much as possible.