Shortribs: Rub night before vs pre-salt, season?

[jjdbike]

Hey Bretheren,

Thanks for looking. May sound like a silly, nit-picky question, but I'm dying to know. Is there any difference been slathering *and rubbing short ribs he night before and leaving in fridge covered and salting night before then seasoning the next day (juts before cooking)?

I read Meathead's write up on smoking Beef Short Ribs. He suggests dry brining the night before then using his "Big Bold Beef - Brisket rub before smoking.

On one hand,*I love the looks of his rub recipe & the idea of controlling the amount of salt.

On the other hand, I'm a sucker for commercial rubs and have a whole collection of Killer Hog and Meat Church. Don't really want to throw them away and wast the $$$.

Both of these guys recommend layering different rubs on beef. Kllier Hog's AP rub (SPG), THE BBQ Rub, and finishing w/ Steak Rub (big course grails of salt and pepper. Meat Church suggests Holy Cow (SPG) and Voo Doo (all round bbq rub w/ Cajin spice - heat). I know, it's marketing. I have rubbed the night before, or hours before and let rub melt in. The touched up just before going on smoker w/ another profile. It has worked well and really helped the bark big-time. On the other hand, I have also experienced too much salt (for some, I love salt).

Please share your thoughts, experiences and suggestions.

Thanks in advance!
JD

 

[blackdogbbq21]

Generally anything i'm cooking on my offset i've always applied the rub right before lighting my fire. Somewhere along the line i remember reading that seasoning ahead had a negative impact on bark. It's on my to do list to experiment with it though and see if i notice any difference either good or bad. I see enough people seasoning the night before that it's got me curious.



Steaks or chickens if i plan for it i will dry brine them if i can. I do notice a difference in those cuts when i have the chance to salt them ahead of time.

 

[1MoreFord]

I'm not going to advocate overnight seasoning for short ribs but I try to dry brine season most everything I can. The guideline I follow is 1/4 hour of time for every 1/4" of thickness.

 

[jjdbike]

Generally anything i'm cooking on my offset i've always applied the rub right before lighting my fire. Somewhere along the line i remember reading that seasoning ahead had a negative impact on bark. It's on my to do list to experiment with it though and see if i notice any difference either good or bad. I see enough people seasoning the night before that it's got me curious.



Steaks or chickens if i plan for it i will dry brine them if i can. I do notice a difference in those cuts when i have the chance to salt them ahead of time.

Thanks for shari,
That’s interesting,
I’ve always heard that beef benefits from dry brining. I’ve also never heard that pre-seasoning is detrimental to the bark. I wonder why?
I’ll let y’all know what I decide & how it turns out.
Best Regards,
JD

 

[SirPorkaLot]

Hey Bretheren,

Thanks for looking. May sound like a silly, nit-picky question, but I'm dying to know. Is there any difference been slathering *and rubbing short ribs he night before and leaving in fridge covered and salting night before then seasoning the next day (juts before cooking)?

I read Meathead's write up on smoking Beef Short Ribs. He suggests dry brining the night before then using his "Big Bold Beef - Brisket rub before smoking.

On one hand,*I love the looks of his rub recipe & the idea of controlling the amount of salt.

On the other hand, I'm a sucker for commercial rubs and have a whole collection of Killer Hog and Meat Church. Don't really want to throw them away and wast the $$$.

Both of these guys recommend layering different rubs on beef. Kllier Hog's AP rub (SPG), THE BBQ Rub, and finishing w/ Steak Rub (big course grails of salt and pepper. Meat Church suggests Holy Cow (SPG) and Voo Doo (all round bbq rub w/ Cajin spice - heat). I know, it's marketing. I have rubbed the night before, or hours before and let rub melt in. The touched up just before going on smoker w/ another profile. It has worked well and really helped the bark big-time. On the other hand, I have also experienced too much salt (for some, I love salt).

Please share your thoughts, experiences and suggestions.

Thanks in advance!
JD

1. Meathead is a bonafide knucklehead. I read anything put out by him with extreme skepticism.

2. Beef ribs don’t need brining (wet or dry). Brining benefits lean meats the most

3. If you decide to dry brine anyways, don’t do it overnight. 2 hours per pound of meat (bone weight don’t really count here) is what we recommend for dry brining.

4. Dry brining pulls moisture to the exterior, which can effect the bark (which comes from drying out the exterior during the smoke)

YMMV

 

[Grain Belt]

I like a compromise of salting my beef with course salt about an hour or two before the cook. Tried it with some nice meaty beef ribs this summer and really enjoyed them. I would then finish with a lower salt choice to fit your profile toads the end of the cook.

 

[JbTech]

The 1st time I smoke a cut of meat, I tend to minimize the amount of anything I put on it. Rubs or otherwise. Likely just light salt/light pepper.

Helps me figure out if I went too strong on rubs on later cooks.
Tailor to suit my tastes after that.


I've learned that too many variables messes with the results on an initial run.

 

[jjdbike]

1. Meathead is a bonafide knucklehead. I read anything put out by him with extreme skepticism.

2. Beef ribs don’t need brining (wet or dry). Brining benefits lean meats the most

3. If you decide to dry brine anyways, don’t do it overnight. 2 hours per pound of meat (bone weight don’t really count here) is what we recommend for dry brining.

4. Dry brining pulls moisture to the exterior, which can effect the bark (which comes from drying out the exterior during the smoke)

YMMV

Hey SirPork,

Thank you very much for your detailed reply!

I must admit I was quite taken back by your comment about Meathead. This is the first time I've heard that opinion. On the other hand I hear lots of people refer to him and give him credibility. I am relatively new to BBQ. I am humbled by those who have dedicated years to perfecting their art. I know some are among generations of barbecue cooks who grew up in a barbecue culture. Some are bonafide master-chefs. I am reminded of something Harry Soo likes to say. "Everything in barbecue ends up in a two hour argument followed by a Jerry Springer fist-fight." There are people who have been doing the same thing for generations. There are people who have worked, almost scientifically, to dial in in the way they barbecue, e.g. Aaron Franklin, Jeromy Yoder, etc. There are also those who throw tradition to the wind and push and test what has been accepted as THE WAY, e.g. Jirby. Some are larger than life entertaining characters like Myron Mixon. Finally, there are heart wrenching & warming stories of those who have dedicated their life to barbecue e.g. Tootsie Tomanetz (Snows). I suppose this is all a part of what I find enjoyable and engaging about barbecue. I'll Finnish this thought by saying how much I appreciate and enjoy the barbecue community for their camaraderie and willingness to share their findings and love for the art.

Oh yeah, why is Meathead a bonafide knuckelhead?

You make an interesting point about dry brining, i.e. more beneficial for lean meat. Perhaps that's why so many say poultry needs to be brined? I know a lot of pork is brined, but some of that is curing. It reminds me of Aaron Franklin saying that leaner meats benefit from cooking at higher temps to power it through, vs allowing time for fat to rendure. SirPork, are you willing to give a brief explanation as to why - how lean meat benefits more from brining? I'd sure appreciate understanding this. Please forgive my ignorance if this is common knowledge.

How you describe dry brining, i.e. pulling moisture to the surface, makes me think dry brining is a bad idea. I thought the idea was the salt pulls moisture to the surface, then back to the interior w/ the salt tenderizing and flavoring. Then again, Myron Mixon points out that when one dry brines, or pre-rubs the night before, that there is always more liquid in the bottom of the pan, which is the moisture the salt pulled from the meat. That's why he injects vs dry brining. Good point here. Now I'm even more conflicted.

At the end of the day, you've convinced me to not pre dry brine. Perhaps inject w/ a simple butter, beef base & apple juice mixture. Other than adding moisture, what could that hurt? From my limited knowledge and experience, it seems it could only be a benefit, even if it's minor. Especially if ribs are separated and smoked individually for aded bark.... No? Any downsides to this?

Thanks so much for the input!

I look forward to continued conversation and sharing of ideas, experiences and opinions.

Very best regards!
JD

 

[sudsandswine]

Beef ribs are so rich and have so much intramuscular fat, I wouldn't do a thing to them other than season right before I put them on the smoker. I think just salt and pepper, or a 2:2:1:1 by weight kosher salt, 16 mesh or restaurant grind black pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion is my favorite simple seasoning for them. The meat is the star of the show here and it really doesn't need much to enhance it IMO.

(there probably is not much money to be made with recommendations like "KISS")

 

[jjdbike]

Beef ribs are so rich and have so much intramuscular fat, I wouldn't do a thing to them other than season right before I put them on the smoker. I think just salt and pepper, or a 2:2:1:1 by weight kosher salt, 16 mesh or restaurant grind black pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion is my favorite simple seasoning for them. The meat is the star of the show here and it really doesn't need much to enhance it IMO.

(there probably is not much money to be made with recommendations like "KISS")

Thanks suds!
Makes sense. In trying to be a student of BBQ I tend to spend a lot of time poking around YouTube looking for tutorials, recipes, how to's, and explanations on BBQ.
You make a good point that is easy for me to forget... Everyone wants clicks, likes, people subscribing and buying their products. Much, if not most is rooted in self-promotion and marketing. That's not to say one can't pull out useful nuggets.
Indeed, fresh Prime Beef Plate Ribs, w/ SPG - O, in itself, should be the star of the show. I need to remember to let the meat, smoke and SPG to speak for it's self.
Good reminder. Thank you.
As you may have noticed, I struggle w/ OCD. I tried meds, they didn't help. There struggle is real.
JD

 

[sandro]

Hmm. I don't really bother to pre-season anything that's gonna be cooked longer than 4 hours

 

[gtsum]

Hmm. I don't really bother to pre-season anything that's gonna be cooked longer than 4 hours

Same


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jjdbike]

1. Meathead is a bonafide knucklehead. I read anything put out by him with extreme skepticism.

2. Beef ribs don’t need brining (wet or dry). Brining benefits lean meats the most

3. If you decide to dry brine anyways, don’t do it overnight. 2 hours per pound of meat (bone weight don’t really count here) is what we recommend for dry brining.

4. Dry brining pulls moisture to the exterior, which can effect the bark (which comes from drying out the exterior during the smoke)

YMMV

I’d still like to understand why one might feel that way about Meathead.
It’s quite possible I’m missing something.
JD

 

[SirPorkaLot]

I’d still like to understand why one might feel that way about Meathead.
It’s quite possible I’m missing something.
JD

Let’s just say, I’m not a fan of him or his work.

I’m not gonna assassinate his character in a public forum.

 

[gtsum]

Beef short ribs are so marbled, there is zero reason to inject. Throw some holy cow on it (believe u said u had mc seasonings on hand?) and let it go until tender, 200-203 degrees or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[jjdbike]

Thanks!

 

[Tal/IL]

If you coat the meat with a rub that contains salt and seasonings and leave it for an extended amount of time, you are essentially giving it a light cure. Depending on the rub ingredients and how long you leave it, you can wind up with ribs that taste a little like ham.