# Trying a more complex rub.  Thoughts?



## worm304 (Jan 10, 2018)

Probably using it for pork.  Do you think the ratios look correct?   Im not a fan of too sweet or too spicey so I used more raw sugar than brown and skipped the cayenne. Thanks for any input! 

1/3 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup paprika
1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS onion powder
1/2 TBS chilli powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp celery salt 
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp all spice 
1/4 tsp ginger


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## Mauritius (Jan 10, 2018)

I like it, looks like something I'd throw together, a little more exotic than standard recipes. I think your ratios look good. I would probably double the black pepper and halve the onion, maybe more chili powder and less paprika. But that's totally personal preference. Most of the time I'm not even measuring my rubs.

I've done rub taste testing with pork chops or chicken pieces before. Cook up a few and tweak the rub on each. Just make sure you keep track of which is which!


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## SonnyE (Jan 11, 2018)

I don't know, I don't have smellavison or tasteatron.
It has to please you. If you like it, you are all set.
Can you taste every nuance in your rub?

I've been experimenting with heat in my Jerky. I found I like a little 'after-burn' in mine.
So my additives have been simply Cyan Pepper, and some smoked Paprika.
The result is a nice fire in the back of the mouth/throat after the Jerky has been chewed and swallowed.

I could email you a piece, but I don't think your printer could do it justice. ;)


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## PerazziMx14 (Jan 11, 2018)

Please remove


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## gmc2003 (Jan 11, 2018)

Looks good to me, I usually start with the basic SPOG and depending on how I feel I'll add something else to kick it up a notch or so. 

Chris


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## SmokinAl (Jan 11, 2018)

It looks good to me, except I don't put salt in my rubs, so for me I would just eliminate the salt.
But the rest looks good, we like garlic, onion & chili powder, so I would probably kick those up a notch too.
I would try the rub as you have made it, then decide according to your taste, what you need to change.
It took me a long time to get my rub the way I wanted it. I just started out with S&P and added & subtracted from there.
My rub is a very simple one, but one that we really like!
Al


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## worm304 (Jan 11, 2018)

Thanks for all the input, gents!  I just like putting together rubs.  It gives me something to look forward to at the end of a long work day.  I am going to grill up a pork tenderloin tomorrow so I plan on using it to see how I like the flavor.  If it's tasty I'll be using it on a 9lb. butt I plan on doing over night in the WSM this Saturday.   I think I may add 1/2 or 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and maybe a little more chilli powder as suggested.  Maybe even some creole I have laying around from my last crawfish boil, because why the hell not?


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## GaryHibbert (Jan 11, 2018)

Looks pretty good to me.  Personally, I'd use all dark brown sugar and add the cinnamon.
Be sure to post your results.
Gary


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## daricksta (Jan 11, 2018)

worm304 said:


> Probably using it for pork.  Do you think the ratios look correct?   Im not a fan of too sweet or too spicey so I used more raw sugar than brown and skipped the cayenne. Thanks for any input!
> 
> 1/3 cup raw sugar
> 1/4 cup light brown sugar
> ...


I agree with Sonny E. I can't tell how this would taste but I also like a bit of heat at the end of the sweet. I'd add a 1/4 tsp of cayenne which really isn't that much. And I'm also a big fan of smoked paprika. I'm also not sure of using both celery salt and celery seed unless you like the celery flavor. I don't make up my own dry rubs because there are so many possibilities and testing your own recipes takes so much time that I just prefer to follow established recipes instead if they look good to me.


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## noboundaries (Jan 12, 2018)

Putting together your own rubs is fun.  Kind of reminds me of when we used to mix different soda pops as kids.  Some tasted fantastic, some were unidentifiable. 

Personally I use no more than a 50/50 mix of sugar to salt in my pork rubs, along with the spices.  On long smokes, too much sugar burns and that burn overpowers the contribution of the spices.

Looking forward to the results of your test!


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## SmokinAl (Jan 12, 2018)

The only other thing I would add is to keep very detailed notes as to the quantities of ingredients you use. Then when you get it right where you want it, you will have it on paper. I can't tell you how many times I have made something & just added this & that & it turned out absolutely awesome. And the first words out of Judy's mouth are, what did you put in here. So she gets a pen and paper & I try to remember what I did. The problem is most of the time alcohol is involved & I don't have total recall. Don't let that happen to you!
Al


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## troutman (Jan 12, 2018)

I agree with Al, salt your meat (dry brine) before hand.  Season without salt, give it time to penetrate the meat.  Molecules of most seasonings are rather large will not penetrate very far, you need it for taste and bark development.  Salt will penetrate deep over time as it reacts with the water in the meat fibers.  

I like your bold mix, I would cut out the salt (as I just said), cut down on the paprika (its just for color and show anyway) and amp up the cayenne and ancho chilies (as was mentioned).


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## SonnyE (Jan 12, 2018)

smokinal said:


> The only other thing I would add is to keep very detailed notes as to the quantities of ingredients you use. Then when you get it right where you want it, you will have it on paper. I can't tell you how many times I have made something & just added this & that & it turned out absolutely awesome. And the first words out of Judy's mouth are, what did you put in here. So she gets a pen and paper & I try to remember what I did. The problem is most of the time alcohol is involved & I don't have total recall. Don't let that happen to you!
> Al



But Al, that takes all the fun out of it.
Recently I was very low on my shaker, so I made more "Sonny's Secret Seasoning" (That's what I call it) :rolleyes:
It measures up like this:







That's why it's a secret. Even I don't know how mucha what goes in the jar. :confused:
I don't even remember what I put some on last. o_O
But I do know I like how it tastes. :)
Another Cinnamon Whiskey for the Cook, Please....


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## worm304 (Jan 18, 2018)

Well, I didn't like it.  I added cinnamon.  I can't pin point exactly what it was but I have come to realize I am more of a simple kinda guy.  I made the same rub but threw out the all spice, cinnamon, ginger and celery salt.  I also cut back on the salt, added a little more brown sugar and a dash of cayenne.  I smoked a 10 lb. butt over night this past weekend and it was perfect.  Thanks for the discussion!


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## grillmonkey (Jan 18, 2018)

Lots of good ideas have been posted here and I really can't expound on what's already been suggested as far as rubs go. I usually go simple, SPOG. Then, if it is going to be for adults that like it hot I sprinkle in some crushed red pepper after it's pulled; that really livens it up. Something else I like is homemade BBQ sauce--I've never had any store-bought sauce that can compare to my wife's homemade--it goes with pulled pork like caviar on a cracker and it's simple ingredients don't overpower the smoke and pork flavor.

I try not to get too caught up in complicated rubs. The best part to me is the pork and smoke flavor anyway, and that's not something you can rub on. Really, the only reason I use SPOG is for the salt and the smell of it coming out of the smoker. For eating, I get just as many compliments from salt only rub as I do from SPOG.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not disparaging the bark crowd. There are some people on this forum that would rather have the bark than the pork and I'm fine with that. And I'm sure it has a lot to do with their rubs that they've developed to suit their individual tastes. But for me, I prefer the pork splashed with my wife's sauce on a bun with some coleslaw and Texas Pete, and I don't give too much consideration to the bark or the rub (I hope that doesn't sound blasphemous).

I think I just talked myself into smoking a butt this weekend.


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## noboundaries (Jan 18, 2018)

Kitchen sinks rubs that include everything in the spice rack rarely taste good, but they are fun to try.


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