High salt rub?

[smokinbill1638]

I am trying to learn not only how things are done or not done but why. I keep seeing where i shouldn't use high salt rubs and let sit overnight for example on ribs sitting overnight. What does it do to the meat and what is considered a high salt rub? Does it pull the moisture out and make the ribs dry or just make them salty?

 

[Nathanman]

Salt used on meat will tenderise it if left long enough. Meat is made up mainly of Myofibril(basically muscle fibres), salt applied to these fibres will cause them to swell and separate, this tenderises the meat as your teeth don't have to work as hard to break down the fibre structure. Salt also reacts with proteins in the meat and prevents the proteins in the meat from contracting as much due to higher liquid retention in the proteins, this also adds to the "tenderness".

 

[biteme7951]

Does it pull the moisture out and make the ribs dry or just make them salty?

It does both. I don't know what the dividing line is for high salt rubs are as everyone's salt tolerance is different so you will have to find the ratio that suits you. I try to limit the salt content of my rubs to around 10% on the rub weight so I just weight all other ingredients then add 10% of that as salt. Some folks use salt free so it is all personal preference.

Hope that helps

Barry.

 

[daveomak]

Who says to use a high salt rub ?? Do they give a reason ??? Do they say what a high salt rub is ??

 

[smokinbill1638]

Who says to use a high salt rub ?? Do they give a reason ??? Do they say what a high salt rub is ??

I haven't seen where someone says to use a high salt rub Dave. I have seen where it is said, if using a high salt rub to not put it on the meat the night before but instead apply the day of smoking of ribs. I have been trying multiple different commercial rubs and have started looking at the percentage of salt and it brought to my mind the question of what the salt does and what is considered a high salt rub.

 

[daveomak]

Salting meat is a complex science..
From what I have read, and from personal experience, when salting foods about 2% is the maximum for a non-salty flavor.. And salting ahead of time, say 24 hours+ or so, the salt penetrates so you don't get that blast of salt on the tongue.... Salt, like others have noted, originally pulls out moisture... Then, through equilibrium, the moisture re-enters the meat to eventually reach equilibrium throughout... and the meat goes through a tenderizing process breaking down proteins... all of this is temperature dependent.. see specific recipes for those parameters... 38F for initial application to reduce bacterial growth, then up to ~50F for continuing the process....
On another note, salting meats for a dried meat product like proscuitto, to prevent bacterial growth, 2.75% is the minimum and with the addition of cure, adding another 0.25% cure/salt, you reach 3% salt in the product... THEN, with the moisture reduction from the aging process, about an Aw (water activity) of 0.85, bacteria won't grow..
Higher concentrations of salt initially, kill surface bacteria.... then after some penetration, time and temperature dependent, a light rinsing is usually employed to reduce the salt content and final meat conditioning is continued...
It is important to note... mixing and matching of methods can cause problems... each method must be adhered to and not cross matched to other processes..
Examples of the process and time/temperatures employed for country hams...
...Finished product ~4% salt...
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/hams-other-meats/country
..About 6.35% salt added inititally..
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/hams-other-meats/ham-country-american