Might be a dumb question but I have to ask...

[tomek]

.... am I supposed to wash the meat after the curing time or our of the cure and into the smoker?
Also, if I use a rub and let it sit in a fridge for a while, should I wash the rub off or straight into the smoker?
Reason for me asking is that I made up Jans's rub and used that on some chicken, I also did salmon in a brine recipe I found here and both came out very very salty. I know I missed a step somewhere and most likely that step was washing off the brine and rub.... but gain being new to this I have no idea. Thanx for any suggestions.

[Little Bear Game Farm]

I never wash the rub off because I like that nice crust you get.  Maybe use a little less salt in the rub.  As far as brining, I will typically rinse off after removal from the brine.  I haven't tried a true cure for anything yet but I believe it is soaked and rinsed after removal from the cure.  Others will know better.  Thanks

[Dano]

I dry cure bacon and also wet brine chicken. I always wash off the bacon very well, I'd say it's mandatory for dry cures. As for the chicken I do give it a good rinse off. It seems to make a huge difference with the salt factor if you rinse well before applying Jan's or your rub of choice. After washing, patting dry with paper towel and applying the dry rub, then it can go in the smoker. I wouldn't rinse the dry rub off as this is the nice crust or bark you want on the outside. 

[tskeeter]

The rule of thumb that I follow is if it is a cure, rinse before smoking.  If it's a rub, for season purposes, such as Jan's rub, leave the rub on.

That said, I have seen comments that indicate some people do rinse off the rub, or rinse off a lot of the rub, prior to smoking.  A quick rinse once your chicken is well marinated might be just the trick to help adjust the salt content of Jan's Rub to your liking. 

[tomek]

In both cases if the salt wasnt as strong both, the rub and the brine, the taste of the meats was fantastic. I will try wash them off next and put in less salt into Jan's if I make it again.

[KyNola]

Hi Tomek,
My wife Jan and I are the developers of Jan's Original Dry Rub.  Rather than to wash off the Rub before smoking, I would suggest you simply use less of it on the meat.  Since all of the salt ingredients are flavored salts, celery salt, onion salt, etc, if you lower the amounts should you choose to make it again you will alter the flavor of the Rub.

In a different thread you indicated you did not have a very high tolerance for the flavor of salt.  Maybe Jan's Rub simply isn't for your palate. If you do a little research you should be able to find plenty of Rubs that contain little to no salt.  Those will most likely suit you better.

KyNola

[tskeeter]

In both cases if the salt wasnt as strong both, the rub and the brine, the taste of the meats was fantastic. I will try wash them off next and put in less salt into Jan's if I make it again.

Tomek, some cured meat recipes call for a process that I refer to as freshening.  Soaking the meat in cool, fresh water, to remove some of the salt.  My favorite Canadian Bacon recipe (our own Habanero Smoker's dry cure recipe) calls for a 30 minute freshening.  When I make the Canadian Bacon, I do three 30 minute freshening sessions (new water for each session) to reduce the salt content to my taste.

Another approach, when brining, would be to reduce the salt content of the brine solution, if you are making your own brine.  Note that in saying this, I assume that you are brining as a flavoring process, not as a preserving process.  When using a brine as a preservative, the concentration of the brine solution and the duration of the brining process are key food safety considerations to prevent spoilage.

Or, I understand that sweeteners, such as sugar, help mask the salty flavor.  So, if your preference for less salt is not tied to a low salt diet, adding some form of sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and the like) to your rub or brine may help you adjust brines and rubs to your taste preferences.   

[tomek]

Nope no dieting here just in need of some good quality eating :)
I will try this again and make one with less rub on the meat and one with the rub washed off... see what happens.

[tomek]

So for todays lunch I grabbed one of the chicken breasts made with Jan's rub and thawed it out in the fridge.  After that I scraped all the rub off it with a paper towel. It was absolutely delicious on a sandwich!!! Still had all the spice and flavour but the saltiness was gone.... this just mean that next time I will use 1/4 the amount of salt recommended in the recipe.