Substitute For Mustard?

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queteepie

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jun 9, 2008
68
10
I am going to do my first butt this saturday but my houseguest is allergic to mustard! I was going to use that to make my dry rub stick...anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks a bunch!

QueTeePie
Tracy
 
I've never had any problem getting rub to stick and I don't use mustard. Some will fall off, but plenty will stick.

Give it a good rub and let it sit for awhile. The rub will get wet (the salt pulling moisture to the surface) and then you can add more rub if you want. Should stick to itself then.

Good luck!
 
I agree with Gridiron. I've never used anything but the moisture in the meat. I actually rub the night before and wrap in plastic. By the morning, it'll be nice and sticky. Throw some more rub on before you put on Q.
 
I don't use mustard either. I rinse it well then pat dry with paper towels before applying rub. I also replace the brown sugar with turbinado sugar and that helps keep it from clumping up as much.
 
I don't use anything other than the rub. If you pat the meat dry, it sticks pretty well. Might want to make sure the rub doesn't have mustard powder in it! Just a thought
icon_rolleyes.gif
 
I only use mustard about half the time on butts and the rest of the time just apply the rub
 
Rub your meat down with a little vinegar, let set for 5-10 min, then apply rub, and off to smoker. the vinegar will open the pours of the meat and let it penetrate/adhere the meat.
 
Agreee with all above, but I'd go one step more. If your house guest is allergic to mustard, there's a high probability they are allergic to something else, seasoning wise. You might get them involved in your shopping list. This comes from a father who's daughter swells up like a balloon when he cooks with coconut (she still things it was the shrimp that made her swell up, and refuses to ever eat it again!)
 
As mentioned before, make sure there are no ingredients in the rub that your guest is allergic to. Apply a generous amount of rub and work in well, then wrap with plastic and stick it in the fridge. The next morning all the rub will have absorbed some moisture and the butt will be covered nicely. You could apply more if you wanted, sometimes I do but not always.
I do like to take mine out of the fridge an hour or two before I put it on the smoker. This helps bring the temp of the meat up a little and seems to bring more moisture to the surface to hold more rub if you choose to apply another coat.
 
I am sure I have half the knowledge of everyone here...I know it is up to how much suger base you want....
that said..

the last one i did i used raspberry preserves in stead of brown sugar...or mustard...yummy....
 
i just apply the rub as others have said,the moisture in the meat holds plenty on for me both on my butts and ribs,chickens i rub with oil first then apply rub helps crisp up the skin, another thing i do on chicken,cause nearly nothing actually gets through chicken skin as for as applied seasoning,is work your fingers between the skin and the breast and then put some rub in between their then your seasoning the meat. my 2 cents worth anyway
 
I normally use the mustard before the rub, but have occasionally forgotten it and have not noticed a considerable difference. Mayo, oil, vinegar, even a sprinkle of water will help the rub stick, but really don't think you NEED any of it.
 
The reason why you use mustard or any slather is to obtain bark which is desired in brisket and pork butt but not so much in ribs.

The term "rub" is a bad name. It should be called seasoning. You NEVER rub it with your hands after it's been sprinkled on in competition. The reason why is it clogs the pours. Pour your rub into a large holed cheese/oregano shaker or drill the lid of a canning jar with 1/4 inch holes and place your rub in it.

Here's how the process is described in a couple of books written by the pros:

Wash the meat with water. Use a mop or brush and paint on straight cider vinegar to open the pours. Blot it off with a paper towel then apply a THIN layer of slather/mustard/mayo. Sprinkle on the rub evenly. Wrap and place in frig. 1 hour before you are going to use it take it out and re - sprinkle. Let it sit until it gets glossy, at least 1 hour. (salt in rub is drawing moisture to top)

Place in your smoker and begin smoking.

Alton did the world an injustice when he showed his rubbing technique. That's not the way it should be done.

-rob
 
The best part of cooking/smoking is :there are very few rules, and everyone has their way of doing things. If it works for ya then keep doing it, if not then change it up a bit. There are alot of beliefs by the pro's about rubs, sauces, brines, slathers and techniques. It has to be that way. People aren't gonna pay money for books that just agree with what someone else said,or watch TV shows that show the same technique repeatedly.

Never gonna get any 6 cooks to agree on everything, even if they all believe in it.

I truley belive that the best cooks/chefs/pitmasters all know about these differences, but have singled out the ones that make the biggest differences to the foods they cook.

I also believe that experience and confidence play a huge part in the successful cook.Practice makes perfect, and experiencing perfection repeatedly promotes confidence!
 
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