Ribs way too spicy

banjo5 · Apr 22, 2013

Smoked some spare ribs yesterday 321 method and they turned out way too spicy. Used Jeff's rub and BBQ sauce. I have used them many times in the past and have never experienced this amount of heat before. My wife tells me I must have mistakened a tsp for a tbs on cayenne. the spice overwhelmed the entire enjoyment of the smoky flavor and am pretty bummed they turned out so hot. Lips and tongue were burning after taking a bite for quite sometime. I love Jeff's rub and BBQ sauce and have used tem in the past with no overwhelmingness of heat. I like heat but not to the point where a glass of milk and a piece of celery is needed. Whewww. They really had a kick. Habenaro almost.
Would the BBQ sauce increase in hear if left in fridge overnight and then increase more when applied to ribs the last hour of smoke?
The rub too? Would it increase in heat during the smoke?
Any feed back would be great!
Favorite BBQ sauces?
Rubs?

seenred · Apr 22, 2013

Hmmm...maybe you got more cayenne and black pepper in this batch that you thought? Those are the ingredients that tend to give that rub some kick. His sauce has some kick to it too, so maybe a combo of extra spicy rub & extra spicy sauce?

One other thought: creosote buildup on your meat could have a similar effect, although the taste would be more bitter than spicy-hot. Did you keep good airflow to prevent white, billowing smoke during the cook? May be off base, but worth considering.

Red

dirtsailor2003 · Apr 22, 2013

I'd have to say that if you have made the rub and sauce before and liked it that you more than likely did mistake the tbs, for tsp. A friend and I did that once back in Junior high making some peanut butter cookies. Instead of putting 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup sugar, we put 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Needless to say, they were a bit salty!

banjo5 · Apr 22, 2013

Thanks for the reply! I made the rub and sauce the day before the smoke and very well could have mistakened measurement(s). Just had leftovers for lunch. First one not so bad. By the third, watch out.
Could putting to much rub or sauce on effect how spicy it is?

Red,
Vents open and had good flow through. Doesn't taste bitter just spicy hot. Using an offset stick burner. Used a rib rack and had cooked 5 racks at a time for some family. Seemed to cook differently than directly on grate.
Embarrassment is what I felt but they pulled through and ate them anyways.
Thanks again red

Bearcarver · Apr 22, 2013

Yup, sounds like a mistake in TBS/tsp caused it.

The only thing I'll add is if the ribs had less meat than usual, the heat can be hotter, due the percentage of cayenne to meat ratio.

And yes putting too much on will add to the heat, due to that same "Spice to Meat" ratio.

Bear

chef jimmyj · Apr 22, 2013

Sounds like a measuring mistake. Smoking/cooking Mellows the Heat of Capsaicin so each reheat will mellow a bit. If you have leftover rub and sauce mix another batch leaving out the Cayenne and Black Pepper and combine them. Left over sauce should be heated to a simmer first, tasted for good flavor, then added so the simmering new sauce...JJ

banjo5 · Apr 22, 2013

Must have definitely been a measuring mistake from all responses. And thank you all!!
How much rub should be used per rack?

chef jimmyj · Apr 23, 2013

The amount of Rub is up to you. Some Sprinkle, I Coat pretty heavy, maybe 1/3 Cup per rack...JJ

redwood carlos · Apr 23, 2013

By any chance was it a fresh jar of cayenne? Did you use a different cayenne or pepper than last time? I know the day I make the rub it is much hotter than after it sits around a while, but still should not be that hot. Probably a missed measurement.

banjo5 · Apr 23, 2013

Thanks for the tip JJ!!

Redwood,
It was a different jar of cayenne this time. It was a McCormicks brand in a glass jar. Pretty pricey for Wally World but that's all they had. Assumed there wouldn't have been a difference. I'll have to take a closer look next time and make any necessary corrections. If its a fresh bottle of cayenne would it indicate on label? What brand do you guys use?

mountainhawg · Apr 23, 2013

Possibly added your pepper twice? I make sure I leave every spice out on the counter I use so I don't use them twice. Jeff's rub and sauce are not overly warm so somewhere you.......

Chalk it up to experience, you won't be the first nor last to make a recipe boo-boo.

Could rinse them off thoroughly and dry. Then either reheat on the grill with smoke then coat with a known mild sauce. OR place in a pan with sauce on the ribs and a bit of water on the bottom of the pan, cover with foil and re-heat at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. Might be able to salvage them that way.

banjo5 · Apr 24, 2013

Appreciate the comments everyone

daveomak · Apr 24, 2013

Banjo, evening.... when opening spices, wet your finger, dip it in the spice, lick...... that will let you know if the spice is different.... I do that with all spices..... lets me know if I got the correct spice, or hot, intense the flavor is, etc...... Dave

s2k9k · Apr 24, 2013

dirtsailor2003 said:
I'd have to say that if you have made the rub and sauce before and liked it that you more than likely did mistake the tbs, for tsp. A friend and I did that once back in Junior high making some peanut butter cookies. Instead of putting 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup sugar, we put 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Needless to say, they were a bit salty!:wife:

That's funny! I did the same thing. We were making some weird grilled cheese and my job was to write the recipe as the teacher recited it. I wasn't really paying attention and wrote 1/4 cup paprika instead of 1/4 tsp. I remember when we were mixing it up saying "this sure looks awfully red!" Well she made us eat all of our sandwiches....Yea not very good!!!

eman · Apr 26, 2013

Could be just the difference in the cayenne? I grow cayenne peppers and one bush will be perfect heat and next bush will be hell hot.

Always taste your spices before adding .

redwood carlos · May 4, 2013

eman said:
Could be just the difference in the cayenne? I grow cayenne peppers and one bush will be perfect heat and next bush will be hell hot.
Always taste your spices before adding .

I agree. I made some stuffed jalepenos the week before the superbowl to test a new cheese blend and method. They came out great even the kids loved them. Come SB Sunday and a new batch of peppers and I was barely able to eat them.

dougmays · May 12, 2013

i've made the mistake before of grabbing the cayenne pepper instead of the paprika LOL...it happens to the best of us. Jeff's sauce has very little red pepper so i dont think that is your problem either

banjo5 · May 13, 2013

Figured I grabbed hot paprika instead of regular at the store. Made another batch for my 17.5 hour brisket I smoked all through the night this past Saturday and wasn't spicy at all. Appreciate everyone's comments

banjo5 · May 13, 2013

Oh and Jeff's BBQ sauce is awesome!!!

Ribs way too spicy

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