# Rub comparison results - Pork spareribs



## JC in GB (Sep 16, 2019)

My fellow smokers,

Last week I posted that I was going to try some new rubs out in a head to head challenge.

I ordered some of Harry Soo's AP rub, Jailbird chicken rub, and Harry's BBQ sauce.

The chicken rub and AP were fairly close in the ingredient list so I only used the AP for this rib cook.

Here is how I prepped each rack of ribs.

Rack 1: Lawry's seasoned salt, Head Country original rub, Jeff's Original rub

Rack: 2 Yellow mustard applied as a binder. Lawry's seasoned salt, Head Country original rub, Jeff's Original rub

Rack 3: Harry Soo's AP rub

Rack 4: Yellow mustard applied as a binder.  Harry Soo's AP rub

Ribs were cooked in Sarina, my Stump's Baby.

Temp 250 degrees

Wood: Hickory

Used 3-1.5-1 method

Wrapped in foil with brown sugar and butter

Put back on racks un-foiled last hour of cook.  Dried surface of ribs for 20 minutes then applied sauce twice once at 20 minutes then again at 40 minutes.














Results:

Had 4 tasters including myself for all 4 racks of ribs.  All 4 racks were perfectly cooked.

The judges opinions were pretty much unanimous.

The winner:  Harry Soo's Slap Yo Daddy AP rub with no mustard binder (9)

Second place: Ribs done with Lawry's seasoned salt, Head Country original rub, Jeff's Original rub.  No mustard binder. (8.75)

Third/Fourth place: Tied for both racks that used mustard binder (8)

Impressions:

I was surprised that the ribs with no mustard binder came out on top.  I had always thought that the mustard binder made for a better tasting rib.  Lesson learned. 

The Harry Soo's AP rub had a great flavor and really worked well on the ribs.  I was surprised that the Harry Soo rub worked as well by itself as the three part rub I used on the other racks.  The three part rub ribs had a bit more flavor pop to them but not enough to put them over the top.

Harry Soo's BBQ sauce was quite good as well.  I would use it again.

Conclusion:

I have been quite skeptical about the quality of commercially available rubs so was quite hesitant to spend my $$ on them.  This experiment has convinced me that there is quality and value in those commercial rubs.  I want to give some more types a try after I use the rest of the bottles I purchased.  I now need to decide on the next rub/sauce I want to try.

I have heard good things about Meat Church and Killer Hogs rubs.  What is your favorite rub and/or BBQ sauce?  Commercial or otherwise? 

Thanks for reading.

JC


----------



## browneyesvictim (Sep 16, 2019)

Love the comparisons! That's the only fair way I know of to really compare.
And let me tell you... Those ribs look amazing!

Whenever I buy a commercial rub, I almost always wonder why I didn't just make my own. They are ALL good in my opinion. I think its just a matter of what you and your family like. Keep doing EXACTLY what you just did here and tweak your own perfect rub!


----------



## Hawging It (Sep 16, 2019)

Order you some Malcolm Reed's The BBQ Rub. You will not be disappointed.  Over the years I have tried a ton of different rubs until I ran across *The BBQ Rub. *That is all I use now. Let us know what you think.


----------



## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 16, 2019)

JC, that is a very good write up on the rub challenge.
I've often wondered if the price on some of these rubs was justified.
From the sounds of it, they may be well worth it especially to those who may not want to concoct their own rubs.


----------



## JC in GB (Sep 16, 2019)

Hawging It said:


> Order you some Malcolm Reed's The BBQ Rub. You will not be disappointed.  Over the years I have tried a ton of different rubs until I ran across *The BBQ Rub. *That is all I use now. Let us know what you think.



Definitely!  I want to try some of that Killer Hogs product as well.  I think that will be my next order.

JC


----------



## JC in GB (Sep 16, 2019)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> JC, that is a very good write up on the rub challenge.
> I've often wondered if the price on some of these rubs was justified.
> From the sounds of it, they may be well worth it especially to those who may not want to concoct their own rubs.



Here is my take on it.  If you want good product and the convenience of not having to gather, measure, and mix your own rubs then the commercial rubs are a good choice.

If you are looking for the perfect homemade rub and don't mind the hassle of gathering ingredients and doing the mixing and testing then homemade rubs are for you.

I am kind of in the middle.  I know that home made rubs can turn out some fantastic Q as well as the commercial rubs.

I think if I was competing, I would stick with the commercial products.

Anyway, I was suitably impressed with the flavor of the Slap Yo Daddy rub that I found the price to be worth the investment.

JC


----------



## browneyesvictim (Sep 16, 2019)

I've tried the Killer Hogs rub. It is without a doubt a real good rub. But I wouldn't put it any higher than Jeffs original rub though, for example.

I don't see it as much of a hassle at all. I mean... what goes into a rub... Brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper? garlic? onion? All basic items of which I always have plenty of on hand. Any other herb/spice is pretty much "optional". But I will say once I started buying (or making) "fresh" dried herbs spices when I can, rather than the using the "old" stuff in the back of your cabinet or at the store, I think my life changed!


----------



## bradger (Sep 16, 2019)

In the pictures which ones had the mustered binder. I'm guessing the bottom two.  they seem to have better color to me.


----------



## JC in GB (Sep 16, 2019)

bradger said:


> In the pictures which ones had the mustered binder. I'm guessing the bottom two.  they seem to have better color to me.



Ribs on yellow plates are mustard ribs.  The red plate is the three rub mix, the white plate is Harry's AP rub.

JC


----------



## Winterrider (Sep 16, 2019)

I have used meat church rubs many times. Has not disappointed at all.


----------



## JC in GB (Sep 16, 2019)

Winterrider said:


> I have used meat church rubs many times. Has not disappointed at all.



I have heard lots of good things about the Meat Church products.  So many products, so little time....


----------



## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 16, 2019)

JC in GB said:


> Here is my take on it.  If you want good product and the convenience of not having to gather, measure, and mix your own rubs then the commercial rubs are a good choice.
> 
> If you are looking for the perfect homemade rub and don't mind the hassle of gathering ingredients and doing the mixing and testing then homemade rubs are for you.
> 
> ...



Yes indeed.
Some of my family members up in Minnesota absolutely love and rave over Famous Dave's, to the point they swear by it and won't use anything else.
My wife and I, on the other hand, don't particularly care for the flavor profile of Famous Dave's.  
So, I reckon, rub profiles can be personal thing. 
But with the majority of these commercial rubs, they have taken the trial and error out of the equation and shoot for a flavor profile that pleases the palate for just about everybody. 
That is why a lot of these rubs are award winners.  
There is nothing wrong by using them either.


----------



## bbqbrett (Sep 16, 2019)

I don't see anything wrong with commercial rubs as they are convenient and have gone through lots of taste tests etc. already.  I try new ones from time to time but would eventually like to make my own and tweak it to where I like it.

As far as one I really like I actually like McCormick's Grill Mates Sweet & Smoky rub.  I have gotten good results and reviews with it and goes will with both chicken and ribs.


----------



## Winterrider (Sep 16, 2019)

I really like Jeff's rub also. I have used a couple of the Pot Boss rubs, they were quite good.


----------



## adam15 (Sep 16, 2019)

I have not used Meat Church's rubs personally but my buddy has and loves them. I had some ribs that he used them on and they were delicious!  I'm about to buy some myself


----------



## JC in GB (Sep 17, 2019)

adam15 said:


> I have not used Meat Church's rubs personally but my buddy has and loves them. I had some ribs that he used them on and they were delicious!  I'm about to buy some myself





bbqbrett said:


> As far as one I really like I actually like McCormick's Grill Mates Sweet & Smoky rub. I have gotten good results and reviews with it and goes will with both chicken and ribs.





Winterrider said:


> I really like Jeff's rub also. I have used a couple of the Pot Boss rubs, they were quite good.



It is great that you can do so many things with BBQ and the flavors you want.  I must try that McCormick rub.  Sometimes the simplest preparation is the best.

After using my own rubs and a commercial rub, I can see value in either approach.  Testing and tweaking your own rubs is fun but sometimes you get subpar results from that.  The commercial rubs I have used,  all of two,   have worked well and gave my BBQ a good flavor.

I also like Jeff's rubs.  The Texas rub is magic IMHO.  His original rub has a great flavor and I use it often.  After using a couple commercial rubs, I may try tweaking Jeff's Original Rub recipe next time I mix it up.

I had been hesitant to pull the trigger and start buying commercial rubs as there are so many available and the choices can be quite daunting.


Now that I have tried a couple and have gotten very good results, I feel better about the cost of buying commercial rubs in the future.

Killer Hogs and Meat church are on my list of to try.  I am sure I will find a few more that I want to check out.


----------



## normanaj (Sep 17, 2019)

Thanks for taking the time to do the comparisons and posting them.


----------



## sandyut (Sep 17, 2019)

JC in GB said:


> I have been quite skeptical about the quality of commercially available rubs so was quite hesitant to spend my $$ on them. This experiment has convinced me that there is quality and value in those commercial rubs.



I I felt the exactly the same way...but got a little bored with the rub I was making - bought a bunch and liked most of them alot!  some seems a bit spendy tho.  I bought a set of the rec tec rubs because I was indecisive.  they are all very good, but a couple are KILLER good.


----------



## zwiller (Sep 17, 2019)

THANKS FOR POSTING.  If you want my opinion, the reason Harry Soo solo came out on top is because with the simplest rib you made.  I am a firm believer that keeping it simple makes it better and there's no real secret ingredient that guarantees killer cue.  Nail the basics and food will shine.  If you wanna blow your mind, check out Mixon's book and look at his rib _marinade_.  I plan to try my PP injection as a brine on next rib run.


----------



## sandyut (Sep 17, 2019)

zwiller
 - AMEN to simplicity = great food.  this theory is true for everything I have made, grilled, baked cook any style.  I find recipes with long complicated lists of ingredients and its a guarantee fail.  simple basic SHORT lists of ingredients is always better.


----------



## noboundaries (Sep 17, 2019)

Outstanding comparison and taste test JC! BIG LIKE!

I tried mustard once, and that was enough. Haven't used mustard since. I do apply a light spray of oil (olive, canola, whatever) then apply the rub. Sometimes I'll spray after the rub is applied, but mostly do that on poultry.

I do my own rubs and buy commercial because my taste buds get bored with repetitive flavors after 6-8 uses. Drives my wife insane because she likes the familiarity. (Yawn)

I just finished the last of a rub called Cahoots that one of my daughters gave me. The online price is WAY more than I want to pay, so time to move on. It was really good, though.

Here in the Central Valley of California is a rub called Pappy's, made in Fresno. They have a low salt version (Blue label) and their original (Red label). My wife is sensitive to salt so I picked up the Blue label, commercial sized (28 oz), at my grocer for $6. We tried it on grilled tri tip and both loved it. Pork and poultry will be tried soon.


----------



## JC in GB (Sep 18, 2019)

noboundaries said:


> Outstanding comparison and taste test JC! BIG LIKE!
> 
> I do my own rubs and buy commercial because my taste buds get bored with repetitive flavors after 6-8 uses. Drives my wife insane because she likes the familiarity. (Yawn)



I hear you on that.  I love Jeff's Original rub on pork but after about 6 - 8 uses, I found myself wanting different flavors.

I always thought that I would find the "Holy Grail" of rubs one day and never look back.  I now realize that was a fool's errand.

I love trying new sauces, rubs, and techniques.

I have decided that I am going to go with the Killer Hogs products for my next taste test.

JC


----------

