# Sugar In Rub????



## 3 j's b smokin (Jun 11, 2009)

I posted a problem I was having with my chicken a few weeks back and got a lot of good advice about why my skin was burning so bad.  The majority of the answers centered around the sugar in my rub.  This got me thinking a little more.  Should I remove the sugar from my brisket and rib rubs as well?  What does everyone else do?


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## blacklab (Jun 11, 2009)

Try useing a little less each time till you get what your looking for. What temps are you smoking at? you also might want to adjust that to.


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## mikey (Jun 11, 2009)

I went back and read your thread in regards to the burning & cracking problem you had with your chicken. I'm not so sure it was the sugar since you said you used the turbinado aka raw sugar. In that thread you didn't mention what the internal temp of the chicken was, so I'm just curious about that. Here's the rub I use as it has no salt or sugar. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...56&postcount=1 Hope your next yardbird comes out to your liking.  4 hrs for a chicken, unless it's a heavy weight, is quite a bit of time. Cook by temp and not by time. 170 in the breast.


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## 3 j's b smokin (Jun 11, 2009)

I almost always cook chicken, brisket and ribs at about 225 (I say almost because sometimes it goes to 200 or 250).  I know I'm going to take the sugar out of my chicken rub but should I take it out of the brisket and rib rub as well?


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## blacklab (Jun 11, 2009)

I use brown sugar for both ribs and brisket with a target smoking temp of 240- 250.


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## irishteabear (Jun 11, 2009)

How much sugar is in the rub?  What about reducing the amount and see what happens?  How close to the heat source is the chicken?


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## sooner fan (Jun 11, 2009)

I always use turbinado sugar in all my rubs.  My chicken usually receives very little sugar and very little rub as well.  My briskets, chuckies, and butts always get a good dose of turbinado.  I like the flavor it puts in the bark!


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## coyote-1 (Jun 11, 2009)

SHOULD is a heavy word.
I don't put sugar in my poultry rub. I sometimes put it in my rib & brisket rubs, and sometimes omit it. The flavor is different each way of course... and all ways it's delicious!

So let's eject the word 'should', and replace it conceptually: "It sure would be enjoyable to try it both ways, and in-between as well".


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## tasunkawitko (Jun 12, 2009)

i can vouch for mikey's no-salt-no-sugar rub, and can also vouch for the results i had with a variation of it. this will take a lot of problems away, but another alternative might be to simply cut the sugar in half and keep cutting it in half until the problem goes away. 

of course, with a 12-14-hour smoke on a brisket, it's going to get very dark no matter what.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jun 13, 2009)

I would agree with dropping the sugar from your poultry rub...try a rub with lemon zest or some other means of adding a citrus flavor. Poultry seems to get alot of enhanced flavor from acidic/tart additives, as it is such a mild meat. I also like to use oil or butter to tack the rub to a bird when I shake it on...this also helps give a nice golden brown at lower chamber temps.

As for beef and pork, if you get carried away with sugar it may eventually burn as well. Use less to start with, then add more if you want a darker/harder bark. A blend of about 15% total sugar by volume should be a good place to start your rub mixture.

On most of the roasts and pork ribs I've done lately, if I want added sugar, I put in on after the first half of the smoke for a lighter and somewhat softer bark...this will allow somewhat deeper smoke penetration, as the bark will form slower without the sugar.

Good smokes!

Eric


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## stickyfingers (Jun 13, 2009)

Don't stop using the sugar for either. When you get that color you llike, take some foil and place it over your meat lightly tucking it around the top (tenting). This will prevent the meat from burning or browning further.


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