Rub Creation Process
 

When I am trying to learn a new skill, I always like to do it "right". For me this means making everything from scratch. I dont really like sweet rubs and im partial to spicy savory and smokey flavor profile. I have been having a hard time coming up with a process to come up with a great rub. To start the rubs I have tried to make are not balanced and Im just not satisfied with it. Im am not really asking for a particular recipe although I wouldnt be mad if someone was kind enough to give out a recipe. Im asking for a standard operating procedure for creating a rub. How does develop a flavor profile then experiment and refine etc.

What are you starting with? What is the base in your rub? If we have that info it will be easier to help.

get a copy of Paul Kirk's book " Championship Barbeque Sauces " it has a ton of info on how to build rubs.

Jim

Thats the thing, I am completely ignorant as to how to start and how to go about achieving my desired flavor profile.

Start working towards your balance of the 5 basic flavors first. For example, start with getting a ratio of sweet to salty that you like. Then add in another flavor a little bit at a time, be it paprika, onion or garlic, adjusting all flavors as needed until you find the balance you want with that new ingredient. Repeat, one ingredient at a time. Be prepared to start over many times as things get out of whack. Start with small measurements to make this tossing out of batches easier on your mind and wallet. Get some measuring spoons with a 1/8 tsp to help out in this regard. Keep very close track of each measurement and what it took to achieve your balance. You'll get what you are looking for after a while.

One thing you might want to be mindful of, is that even though you aren't looking for sweet, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be there but in the background more than the foreground.:thumb:

Pitmaster 'T's" Buttglitter
8 tsp paprika
3 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp celery seed
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp mustard powder

BLU's All purpose BBQ rub

2 TB Lawry's seasoned salt

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp dry mustard

2 TSP chili powder

1 TSP chipotle Powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 TSP celery salt

3 Tb sugar

Ill definately check it out thanks.

By basic flavors you mean salty savory spicy sweet smokey? How do I test each iteration of the rub?

@bludawg thanks for the recipes.

The 5 basic flavors that tongue receptors pick up are Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter and Umami.

I looked in our recipe section and all the rubs have some sort of sugar in them, except this one.
It is a brisket rub and may work on pork. There were no amounts on this recipe so you will have to play with the proportions. I would go easy on the salts and maybe replace them with powders. You can also add whatever you like. This is just a start, keep us updated with your progress.


Brisket Rub by DFLittle

Lawry's Season Salt
Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Celery Salt

lol like I said before I am completely ignorant. Are there common spices that are used in Q. Obviously salt and sugar for salty and sweet respectively but how about the others.

What I am recommending, since it might seem confusing (it can seem a little overwhelming)....

Sour, Bitter and Umami should not be your focus in your rub. So start with a balance on Sweet and Salty. Add in the flavor profile stuff you are shooting for, like chiles, onion, garlic, etc, one at a time, and in small amounts until you feel your sweet/salty balance is broken. At that point you know how much of the other stuff you can add to maintain balance.

For example, start with Paprika. Once you have your Sweet/Salty ratio, add some Paprika a bit at a time until you think you have passed the point where it makes things better. Use that as a guide going forward, but now add in a little Garlic in place of some of the Parpika until you find the right blend of Parika/Garlic you want added to your Sweet/Salty. Repeat with other flavors.

Once you have the Sweet/Salty and your flavor profiles where you are happy, then it is time to tickle the tastebuds by engaging in the other basic flavors. See if adding a little touch of sour makes it seem to jump more on your tongue, and how much you can add before you start thinking the Sour is too prominent. Do the same with the Umami and Bitter flavors.

Hope this helps. It will take time. You will probably settle on a rub, then make soemthing different several months later, and so forth until maybe, just maybe, you find a rub you stick with.

I got to say baking is MUCH easier than this since everything is based on ratios. My brain is in complete awe of those of you who can create great rubs and sauces through sheer experience and know how. RESPECT.

For sour you could use Citric Acid also known as Sour Salt, or Lemon Pepper or such things that are sour. For bitter you could use Coriander, Chocolate, or even Coffee. Umami can be done with either Accent (MSG) or other things like Worcestershire powder, powdered mushrooms, or even some seaweed flakes (look for most powdery) or Bonito flakes.

You can always Google "Bitter Spices" to give you more leads, and do that for each thing you are looking for.

If there was just a handful of ways to get there, we wouldn't have so many different rubs out there. So just find a methodology, and stick with it until you like what you have. THEN if you like you can change your methodology completely to make a rub to compete against the first one you liked, and so forth.

Have fun! I know I did.

Great advice I will definately take your advice. How should I test ? Tasting the rub directly or cooking some pieces of pork on the stove?