A Rub with Low or No Pepper? Friend is allergic to pepper.

[Toad]

I have a friend that is very allergic to pepper.

"severe allergic reactions to any kind of pepper - white, black, green, red or yellow/most spices/mustard/chillies.... Garlic, traditional herbs Rosemary, sage, mint, thyme, oregano, basil are my friends and I can eat them without ulcerating my mouth/tongue/throat..."

So does anyone have a No Pepper rub recipe? Or even a Low Pepper Rub recipe that I could delete the pepper and maybe use some of the above mentioned spices to compensate?

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might put forward.

 

[thirdeye]

I've seen requests for low or no sugar rubs and low or no salt rubs, but this could be the first for low or no pepper.

Let me snoop around in my various rub recipes, but my first thought is to pick a rub with a lot of aromatics, then pluck out pepper, paprika, and mustard and see how that performs. Coriander is a berry but does have a pepper-line flavor. How does you friend deal with marinades? A no pepper rub and marinade combination might work too.

With rosemary, this was called JJ's Rub.
Without the rosemary it's Jim Goode's Beef Rub

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
1 teaspoon ground bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
3/4 teaspoon ground savory
3/4 teaspoon dried thym3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

I've seen requests for low or no sugar rubs and low or no salt rubs, but this could be the first for low or no pepper.

I don't think I've ever heard of a no pepper rub. I was trying to think what I would put in place of it. I'm drawing a blank. I use tons of black pepper.

Would he have problems with a dried chile pepper in place of the black pepper?

 

[Toad]

I don't think I've ever heard of a no pepper rub. I was trying to think what I would put in place of it. I'm drawing a blank. I use tons of black pepper.

Would he have problems with a dried chile pepper in place of the black pepper?

Yes, chile is also a problem, so none of that.

It is an unusual problem for sure. Great friend though and her husband is just getting into smoking. He can handle the peppers etc. but she can't. There's the "rub" so to speak.

I suspect there will be two versions on the smoker. Maybe the flat with pepper and the point without. Point set above or to the side of the flat.

 

[SirPorkaLot]

We offer a few

Garlicky Lemon

Gingery Orange

Chicken Salt (it does have a small amount of white pepper)

 

[Shadowdog500]

[Update]

Didn’t realize it was all forms of pepper, so I deleted my rub recipe.

Try smoking without any rub (AKA naked). You would be surprised how much flavor smoke alone can put into the meat. Some people actually prefer naked ribs.

If your friend can’t have any kind of spicy pepper it may be perfect.
I’ve basted the ribs with apple juice and it comes out good. a honey baste may be good too.

 

[Titch]

Try this link as a read
interesting
https://www.spiceography.com/black-pepper-substitute/

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

If chiles are out then paprika is too. Right?

Man that limits things a lot...

 

[Smokie185]

Might try this one, just omit the pepper.

Ollie's KC Rub

yield Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup sugar ( I use Sugar in the Raw )

1/2 cup salt ( Kosher, use less for finer salt)

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons red pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground celery

 

[SmokinAussie]

Maybe simply go down the Chinese route with a marinade instead of a rub.

Soy sauce.
Rice wine vinegar
Sesame oil

Try Szechun pepper. It's not actually pepper. It's the berry of Prickly Ash. Gives things a bit of a zing.

Are you sure that this person is not just very "particular" about hot things and so says she is allergic but might not be????

A person I know just hates onions. It's in his head completely but he tells people he's allergic to onions because it's easier to say that as opposed to why he just doesn't like them. I've given him onions in things he didn't even know and he ate it all.

 

[thirdeye]

Well I'll be darned.... Chris (aka Nature Boy on the forums) from Dizzy Pig has a rub called Happy Nancy with no chilies, no pepper, and no onion. Marketed to people with delicate palates and kids that don't like spicy heat. As Chris would say.... "What an Ideer".

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

Well I'll be darned.... Chris (aka Nature Boy on the forums) from Dizzy Pig has a rub called Happy Nancy with no chilies, no pepper, and no onion. Marketed to people with delicate palates and kids that don't like spicy heat. As Chris would say.... "What an Ideer".

Great find!
Not sure if I would like it but I'd sure try it.

 

[thirdeye]

We offer a few

Garlicky Lemon

Gingery Orange

Chicken Salt (it does have a small amount of white pepper)

Hey John, I couldn't help but notice fennel pollen in your Gingery Orange. I can't say I've seen that in commercial blends. I was gifted a jar and it's a really nice flavoring.

 

[thirdeye]

Great find!
Not sure if I would like it but I'd sure try it.

Chris was in the group of early members of the Green Room and the Basso forum and is still an Egghead. He had a knack for cooking and seasonings back then and it was only natural for him to change careers and start a rub company. He is an all around good guy.

It's a funny story but one of his early breaks was a spot on Greg Rempe's show and Greg slipped up and introduced him as Chris Lilly (Big Bob Gibson BBQ fame).

 

[Toad]

Thank you gentlemen! A lot of good leads here. Lots of stuff to work with and check out.

Like the spiceography link idea: "The seeds of the papaya are like a very spicy caper when you first remove them from the fruit; however, their flavor is almost identical to that of black pepper if dried and ground. Simply scoop them out of the papaya and leave them soaking overnight before baking them at a low temperature until they are hard. At that point, you can grind them and use them exactly as you would use black pepper."

I don't believe this is an "in the mind" situation. She said she gets ulcers on her tongue, mouth and throat. I'm verifying the paprika aspect; sent her a question.

 

[AmbrosiaBBQ]

Not sure about the taste of papaya seeds but that sounds like something interesting to try. Do they need to be fresh or can you find already dried ones?

On a side note, I think I remember awhile back my Ol’ Lady showing me a Tik Tok thing about papaya seeds getting rid of worms.

 

[Toad]

I did get a reply. She can't even do cumin or paprika. Making it pretty tough. Going to pursue the Papaya seed possibility.

 

[TravelingJ]

Yikes. That's quite the challenge. Goon on you!

I actually really enjoy cooking with these limitations (though, you definitely have a tough one.) One of my nieces is playing Vegan and it's fun to come up with a dish so they aren't eating the rabbit food, and we have something that the normies will still enjoy. I cook a meatless dish for our meal prep each week, and quite often it is vegan as well (at least until I make it more awesome with cheese)

 

[Smoking Piney]

Salt, garlic, lemon (or any other citrus) ?

 

[Tannhauser42]

You could also try something a bit more 18th century style and use spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Assuming those spices are ok.