two-stage rub?

[thinblueduke]

I'm kinda new around here, so apologies if this has been asked before.  My background info: I've been smoking on a modded ECB for about a year.  It's now set up as a lump charcoal-gas hybrid, and I use sakura (Japanese cherry) as my default wood.  I usually do pork or salmon, with an occasional meatloaf.

I've spent a lot of time on the Amazing Ribs site, and there's an interesting page about dry brining, which is essentially a salt rub.  I've always done my pork rubs the same way: mix up the rub, apply the rub, put it in the fridge overnight.  Pretty straightforward.

However, the point behind dry brining is that while most of the ingredients in a rub don't penetrate the surface of the meat, the salt does.  It not only adds flavor but helps with moisture retention.  Living in Japan, injecting isn't really an option for me, since the equipment doesn't seem to be available.

Anyway, as I prepare for my weekly (weekendly?) smoke, I'm planning to try an 18-hour salt rub, then add the regular overnight rub, the idea being that if the salt is mixed with the rest of the rub, it won't be as effective, because it won't make as much contact with the surface of the meat.

Does this sound like a good idea, a bad idea, or a waste of time and effort?

 

[yotzee]

You don't mention what type of cut you are planning to smoke.

The dry brine works by the salt pulling liquid from the meat.  The liquid then mixes in with the salt and becomes a brine that seeps back into the meat by osmosis.  By adding more salt after the overnight brining you may make a cut of meat like ribs overly salty.  Probably wont hurt much on a larger piece like a butt.

Try it out and see how it goes, experimentation is half the fun!

 

[thinblueduke]

It turned out quite well on a partial pork shoulder.  I put the salt on first, then added a salt-free rub right after that.  I got much more salt penetration into the meat than usual, but it didn't end up overly salty.  I think I'll make this a regular thing.