Rub 101

[Pop]

Doing ribs this weekend and reading the posts about ribs and I was wondering the same thing. Did a little internet research and found this post --- http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/1019 ... ysis-qview

He goes through the process showing pictures of the difference between mustard and EVOO before and after the cook. It was very interesting how they both interacted with the rub and the smoke. I think I am going to stay with mustard.

What do you think????

[Ross]

I don't think the mustard could hurt anything, I generally use it just because it's really cheap. How about that pesky membrane? I generally always remove the membrane, as I understand the smoke penetrates better. However those old Pit Boys on the BBQ Web like to score the membrane with a knife, claiming it adds a certain crunchiness to the rib.


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[FlipHipster]

I've never used mustard either but I noticed on Pittmasters a lot of them slather their ribs with it and its making me rethink things, I love a good bark on ribs. However I thought the rub was supposed to penetrate the meat and interact with the fats and oils in the meat. I guess this is a stupid question, but the mustard doesn't prevent that? Is it just all about the bark at this point?

[yo_quiero_fumar]

I've never used mustard so I'm not in a position to have a say on it, but from what I've read about meat tenderizers, and acidic sauces, they can only penetrate so far into the meat being cooked. Unless you brine or marinate the meat for a period of time you really aren't doing much tenderizing via that process. I've only read that if you're in a pinch, using mustard will help the rub penetrate a little better. But if you have the time, doing a dry rub and then wrapping the meat in plastic and allowing it to sit 3+ hours in a fridge, or sit out at room temp for 1 hour, that is the better way to season your meat.

Like I said, I'm not expert. When I made ribs in 2 restaurants, we only used dry rubs.

Oh and the only bark I really like on ribs is the one BBQ sauce makes:

[BluesDaddy]

I've never used mustard either but I noticed on Pittmasters a lot of them slather their ribs with it and its making me rethink things, I love a good bark on ribs. However I thought the rub was supposed to penetrate the meat and interact with the fats and oils in the meat. I guess this is a stupid question, but the mustard doesn't prevent that? Is it just all about the bark at this point?

No, the rub doesn't really "penetrate" the meat. It will interact with the fat that renders and you don't really need to use mustard or olive oil if you prefer not. However, the spices and herbs in a run do interact with both mustard and OO (though in different ways) and helps produce an almost marinade effect when left in the fridge over night. According to Meathead Goldwyn's scientist, moisture attracts smoke molecules (or particulates or whatever it is) so meat with a little moisture on the surface should have a smokier flavor. It also seems to enhance the bark, though for me that is primarily a concern for butts or shoulders and not ribs, since I glaze my ribs at the end of a cook.

[Toe]

Oil is an occlusive. It can help seal moisture inside the meat, but it works both ways, blocking smoke from entering the meat itself. The effect is clearly visible in that comparison on SMF - the oiled ribs lacked a smoke ring. Sure, you might trap a little more smoke in the bark, but IMHO, if you're not gonna smoke the meat, you might as well just use your oven.

[pkinetics]

Pittmasters show is that it is a timed competition. They often do not have the amount of time that the average person has.

I don't know about everyone else, but I have never bought a rack of ribs from the store, especially if it was cryovacced in fluid, and then seasoned and thrown on the grill. I usually have cleaned them up, seasoned them, and thrown them in the fridge for a day or two before going on the grill.

Then again, I prep the ribs just before trash day so that the packaging and the crap gets thrown out.