RUBSin the UK

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john trotter

Fire Starter
Original poster
Aug 10, 2014
51
13
HI all what do i do for a rub hoping to get some ribs for this saturday,mix your own, or is there a brand from ASDA TESCO etc, oh what to do
 
Welcome , John Trotter . Welcome to our World
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 . Lots of good folk here and very willing to help... that said , you could use simple Salt and Pepper , or combine a mix of Spices and Chiles ;

Here's some things you can get at the Market to use...

Chile Powder ( real Chile not the mixes as they have too much Salt.

Salt

Ground Ginger

Black Pepper

Cumin (Smells like Chili) used in Curry

Onion powder

Garlic Powder

Thyme

Cheyenne Pepper

Ground Cloves

Mix a batch and adjust to your taste, there is no sugar in my Rub  , I use Turbinato Sugar at the last 30min. or so...

Contact KC5TPY , he's in the U.K .too.

Have fun and . . .
 
You can get some very reasonable rubs from stores like Tesco and Asda however many of us mix our own from spice mixes that we know work well. There are some good recipes to be found on the forums here.

For this weekend though you may just want to buy one off the shelf. Try to avoid things labeled "seasoning" as they tend to contain too much salt however something like Jamie Oliver Barbecue Marinade Mix or Blackened Herb Marinade Mix would be fine.

In the long run though you would be better to take a recipe that someone else has developed and tweak it to suit your own taste.

Let us know how you get on and don't forget to post photos.
 
 
... Here's some things you can get at the Market to use...

Chile Powder ( real Chile not the mixes as they have too much Salt.
Hi John

A good looking recipe from OldSchool however a word of warning when using recepies from the USA that contain chili. The chili powder over there is not like most of the chili powders we get over here, The stuff in the US usually has as a lot more flavour than ours but is also usually milder in heat. Unless you adjust the quantities of chili downwards you are likely to end up with a BBQ rub that is way too hot. It will also have a lot less flavour.

A good substitute for the US chilli is to take whole dried Ancho chillies (available in packets in Tesco and Asda) and grind them down in your coffee grinder. Mix this 1:1 with good old UK chili powder. The Ancho chilies will give you the nice rounded nutty smoked chili flavour and mixing it with the UK chili powder will moderate the heat.

Happy mixing 
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Hello.  Well caught Wade!!  BE CAREFUL FOLKS!  I must advise all U.K. members that when someone from the States says chili powder it is NOTHING like what you get here.  My friend oldschool ABSOLUTLEy knows his stuff.  If he tells you the the sun is shining at midnight you better look outside.  BUT! The thing is he doesn't know what is available to us to buy.  Wade is ABSOLUTLEY correct!  When you  see chili powder in a U.S. recipe be careful!  Chili powder here is pretty much just ground cayenne pepper.  JUST HOT WITH NO FLAVOUR!  Chili powder in the States is a BLEND of several different spices.  We are talking the difference between apples and roast chicken here.  HUGE difference!  When I go back to the States I bring about a dozen jars back.  IF you want to use a recipe from the States that calls for more than a pinch of chili powder please PM me or Wade and let us help you out.  ( sorry Wade but I am sure you won't mind )  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
On my way back from New Mexico this summer if the customs had stopped me they would have thought I was going into pepper spray manufacture with all the chili powder I was bringing back. When you can buy freshly smoked and ground Ancho, Chipotle and chili blends from the local farmers markets at 2$-3$ per pound it makes me wince at the prices we pay here for something that does not even begin to compare.

Hey Danny - you know that isn't a problem. We are all here to help where we can 
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Hello John.  IF I were too recommend a store bought, I would recommend a rub from the U.S..  It doesn't have all the sugar most rubs have.  I could eat this stuff on bread, it's the mutts nuts!  I don't use it on my meat just as I don't use sauce.  Just my way.  I want the meat and smoke to stand on it's own.  You can get this rub on E-Bay but it is PRICEY!  £24 for 850g. delivered.  I doubt you want to go there but if you do follow the link below.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BBQ-SEASO...314?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f3981b09a
 
on a winner

update the wife has been shopping, guess what she bought me two presents,  some spare ribs and 8 chicken thighs,must have convinced her on  that first chicken taste
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 back to rubs i think i will go with a basic salt pepper,as KC5TPY  get the tastes from smokin,what do you guys think?
 
Buying Rubs is very expensive - this is the ingredients I use for the rub and the sauce - it's a Hairy bikers one...
  • 25 g light soft brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp mustard powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp oregano
For the barbecue sauce (add 3 tablespoons of dry rub to this bring to boil and simmer to thicken then strain)
  • 200 ml ketchup
  • 100 ml water
  • 75 ml cider vinegar
  • 150 g light soft brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp clear honey
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • garlic cloves, crushed
This is what I use for 2 KG of Pulled Pork - again Hairey Bikers
  • 50 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp smoked hot paprika
  • 3 tbsp flaked sea salt
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dry mustard powder
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
 
Way Hey Mark!  Thought you fell off he face of the earth!  Long time no speak!  Glad to have you back.  Hope you have seen the date for next years meet.  Book some time off mate!

Hello John.  I hope you can make the meet next year.  The salt and pepper idea is a good one in my opinion.  I read Mark's recipe. I wouldn't feed that to my dog!  
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  NO!  NO!  NO!  Just takin tha Pi**( sorry Mark )!  
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  Serious now!  Mark's rub sounds like a good recipe to start with.  He does some good lookin Que!  What you will need to do with any rub recipe is tweak it to your tastes as Wade said above.  Keep Smokin!


Danny
 
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Yep I'm still here - been enjoying the fruits of my labours my bulk smoking earlier in the summer and freezing with great advice from Wade and others saving me loads of time -had some visitors over from Germany who as you probably know loooooveeeee their pork so did them some smoked PP which went down very well !

Had fun this weekend as we hosted a bbq for 40 - yes 40 people thankfully over a 7 hour period in batches so not too many at once....

Chickened out of smoking but did my PP in the Slowcooker for 12 hours which was the star of the day, - did two Beer butt Chickens and loads of shop bought burgers - got through 92 Buns !

here's a couple of pix 



We did it for Cancer Research as they've had a campaign this year called "Burger Off Cancer"  http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/do-your-own-fundraising/bbq which was great as we charged everyone a fiver making a donation including Gift Aid of over £ 250 .....

Soory to have hijacked your post John !!!   ......You've picked the right place here for advice John - just join in or sit on the sidelines and get great tips....
 
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Hello Mark..  Great news for the charity!  Glad you have taken up the challenge and offered your support.  Looks like a great party.  When you get a bit more confident, 40 folks is not so bad to provide smoked meat for.  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
..... I did have every intention to do my Slow cooker/smoke combo but as we started at 2pm the timings were tight - no-one complained though...
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Ended up doing home made pizzas on the gas grill like this 
 
Had fun this weekend as we hosted a bbq for 40 - yes 40 people thankfully over a 7 hour period in batches so not too many at once....
Looks like the food was going down well. As you found out, cooking for a sizable group is always fun - I did one for 30+ people a couple of weeks ago - it just takes some forethought and planning.

A lot can be cooked in advance and if you are serving food over a period of several hours it is better to keep it chilled and then warmed up in batches as required. For entertaining, things like PP I usually prepare the day before as it can take longer than expected and I often cook some of the ribs then too if I am cooking more than 4 or 5 racks. I always leave some ribs to cook on the day though as they are predictable and do give off a lovely welcoming aroma as the guests arrive.

Well done for raising so much money for charity too 
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well Saturday t time a success salt and pepper onion granules,  chicken thighs in brine for two hours brown sugar and salt ,i set the Brisket of this morning removed a lot of fat  seasoned and put on the uds Temp at 250 f hours later hey presto and it was gone





a


 
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They look great John - Well done. I bet they tasted great

A couple of suggestions for next time.
  1. Maybe leave the ribs in a little longer so that you get more pull back on the bone. Even though they probably tasted good as they were you will really notice the difference in texture if you let them cook a little longer.
  2. Invite me round next time you have meat in the smoker 
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What will you be trying next?
 
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