bark didnt set, is it my rub?

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temptedfate

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Hi guys, been playing around with getting away from high salt/sugar commercial rubs and making my own. Did a cook yesterday and the rub and bark did not get pretty on my ribs and butts. when I shook it on and waited 10 minutes for the sweating to happen, nothing except damp wet sand texture on meat Was like all moisture of the meat got absorbed by the rub and created a paste. Is it the high salt and sugar contents of commercial rubs that liquify a rub and cause it sweat and be absorbed back into meat or is it something else(maybe ratio of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho powder, black peper to the salt/sugar)? Any thoughts on this would be apprciated.
 
Need more details...

How long did you smoke?
What's in your rub?
Did you use a binder?
What temp did you smoke at?
Did you wrap the meat?

ETC....
 
Also, all my rubs absorb quit a bit of the moisture before going on the smoker. Still makes great bark.
 
Many folks use a mustard rub before a dry rub, some use olive or some other kind of oil. That may help you get a better barrk
 
I'm willing to bet it was the lack of salt. Salt draws moisture out of the meat, which creates a sort of brine on the surface. When the salt gets diluted to a certain point, it then gets drawn into the meat. The salt also causes some changes to the meat proteins. This allows for bark formation with the addition of smoke to the salt and meat. With too little salt, I bet there wasn't enough change to the meat to allow for good bark formation.

I'd say that, unless you were diagnosed with something that required a low salt diet, I would bump up the salt content of your rubs. Salt is not as bad for you as people make it out to be.
 
temptedfate said:
Hi guys, been playing around with getting away from high salt/sugar commercial rubs and making my own. Did a cook yesterday and the rub and bark did not get pretty on my ribs and butts. when I shook it on and waited 10 minutes for the sweating to happen, nothing except damp wet sand texture on meat Was like all moisture of the meat got absorbed by the rub and created a paste. Is it the high salt and sugar contents of commercial rubs that liquify a rub and cause it sweat and be absorbed back into meat or is it something else(maybe ratio of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho powder, black peper to the salt/sugar)? Any thoughts on this would be apprciated.
Click to expand...
You're getting way to scientific about this. For over 200 years the standard rub has and is salt,black pepper, and red pepper. Anything else and you're just asking for trouble. Stay with the tried and true and stop messing around.
 
Beentown said:
Need more details...

How long did you smoke?
What's in your rub?
Did you use a binder?
What temp did you smoke at?
Did you wrap the meat?

ETC....
Click to expand...
I use a GoodOne cooker(sort of an offset smoker), @290-300
Ribs cooked for 2hrs before wrapped and pork cooked for 6.5hrs before wrapping
my rub is paprika, granulate garlic and onion, ancho powder,black peper and salt and sugar
 
Not wrapping is half your battle. Neither ribs or butts need foil, it'll just soften and work against any bark formation.
 
I have been plagued with this as well, after becoming diagnosed with Diabetes, and having extremely high blood pressure I set out to re-invent the wheel with my go to rubs. What I found out was, that by eliminating the sugar and salt from the rubs, it virtually had no effect on me except being disappointed in what I cooked. I still make my own now instead of buying a commercially made rub, so I can control how much sugar and salt. Here is what I use, and I give the meat a light coat in Olive Oil first, and then apply, let it sit while I get the pit ready, and I have even done it the night before and couldn’t tell much difference, I use this on pretty much everything as my go to for good quick results.
RUB
1/2 cup paprika
1/8 cup kosher salt, finely ground
1/8 cup sugar
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 tablespoons cayenne
For the Chili Powder this is what I use
1/2 Cup Paprika
3 Tablespoons Oregano
2 Tablespoons Cumin
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1-1/2 Tablespoons Cayenne
Others may agree or disagree but this is what I do
 
Foiling braises your bark. Especially if not set completely before wrapping.
 
It happened to me once with a brisket.
In my opinion problems were:
Lacks Of salt;
Too much dry rub
Too early dry rub set (hours before start smoking)
Foil (aluminium foil, not butcher paper)
Low cooking T. My usual minimum smoking T is now 250T
 
Salt will help draw moisture up to the surface, but it's also not the be-all, end-all fix.....

These were done with Ethiopian Berbere spice & some cheap dollar store mixed in as an afterthought.....no sugar & no salt, at all.....
The photo shows a little darker than actual, it's more of a deep, redwood brown......

The dry went w/ garlic powder,a bottle mix that contains:
cardamom,clove, allspice,fenugreek,coriander, ginger, cinnamon,& ajawon
and another dollar store special that's pretty standard:paprika, K pepper,cayenne,thyme, oregano,onion & garlic extract
Smoke was Wicked w/plum chunks ~~~>

clodribszukes035.jpg


Didn't foil, they're just layin on it to keep the underside from getting too done...

.
 
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