i give up !
 

i'm giving up trying to mix my own rubs and stuff from magazines and books, etc. i buy big containers of stuff to make my own and then it all sits and rots. i just don't use much on the stuff i cook. so my question is, what should i get to cover the basics, chicken, beef and pork ? nothing that overpowers the meat. i'm south of fresno calif so keep that in mind. offline ok if you don't want to upset folls. thanks !!

George,

I made the same decision about a year ago. I was getting my brain all bent around different flavor profiles, the prominence of particular spices and many other things that were taking me away from prepping my meat properly, managing my fire and working on all those other things that are more important to get right (in my opinion of course).

On my beef, I generally use course black pepper and kosher salt - hard to screw that up. When I don't use salt and pepper, I use a variety of rubs from Texas BBQ Rub. I particularly like the Grand Champion for beef, the Original for pork and Texas Wild for chicken. They are available on line.

I buy my sauces from a local BBQ joint. I have also built up quite a stock participating in the 'Sauce and Rub Trades' via the Brethren that have exposed me to rubs and sauces from around the country. If you are patient, give that a try - I have enjoyed it very much and gotten to know a brethren or two more closely.

Jeff

I tend to have just a couple favorites myself and use them over and over and over again. Sometimes I get a craving for simple salt and pepper, too. That's a real classic and doesn't cost a fortune.

When I don't feel like making my own I usually just opt for either Tony Chachere's or Lawry's. Sometimes I mix them. But if you go this route, keep in mind that neither of these are rubs. They are seasoned salts. Sprinkle them on as if you were salting the meat. Otherwise you will kill them with salt.

I'd say to just experiment - try different ones and see what you like. I still make rubs but it's nice to have some commercial stuff around for when I either can't or don't want to. Check out Simply Marvelous, Plowboys & The Rub Company. I've also tried some of the Tasty Licks stuff from Fred's Music & Barbecue. I'm sure there's other good stuff, I just haven't tried them. For beef - I pretty much stick with sea salt and cracked black pepper, maybe a little garlic.

im gonna say it before anyone else, PLOWBOYS!!!!!!!!, yardbird goes great on chicken and pork, and bovine bold goes on.. you guessed it beef, although BB is decent on pork too, just a bit bolder ;) transversly yardbird is good on beef too.

my fave ribs i have ever cooked up were with yardbird, gives a great color, give great flavor.


edit: dam you gtr!!! i was sposed to say PB's first!!!

Maybe you can rework the recipes so everything is in ratios, or "parts" (1 part this, 2 parts that). Then you can use whatever as a base measure-teaspoon, cup, spice jar lid, and test recipes in batch sizes that won't leave you with a huge amount of rub that's just "ehh". If you like it, it's easy to make and increase, if you don't, you won't have the remainder rotting away.

I work with basic rubs and sauces, get those basics down and start tweaking to fit what you like. Coffee loves pork, I use ground coffee in my bbq sauce as well as comp rib and butt rubs.

Raichlen's book has a good sweet and smoky sauce that I tweaked with some bourbon and coffee...it's outstanding.

As for rubs, mix them up, then grind them to different consistencies, I do this to layer them for absorbtion. Then vacuum seal them up for saving.

Yard bird is a good one for chicken. I like to use Mad HUnky for pork or great lakes rub. For beef I have been going with Bovine Bold and a dash of Lantana of Texas all purpose seasoning....give them a shot especially the mad hunky :thumb:

I always use Lawy or McCormick sometime I use Tony C or just plain old salt/pepper.

A pretty good thread with lots of sauce recipes:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...light=infernoo


Also +1 for Plowboys Yardbird on everything chicken and pork, Plowboy's Bovine Bold on beef.

I've got to ask...what kind of rub ingredients are you using that "rots"?

Use dry spices...and purchase small containers or grind fresh from whole. Nothing there to rot.

I think what he was trying to say was that they get stale. Which can be a problem.

When I make a big batch of my rub I have a medium sized shaker I fill for daily use. Then I put the left overs in a screw-top mason jar to keep the leftovers relatively fresh. I've kept it in the jar for a few months and can't really taste any difference.

I agree. Buy small qty until you find something you like, then get the large containers.

OK - might be getting myself in trouble here with this but - why the HECK would you spend so much time controlling fire, meat, etc. & skip out on what really makes the Q - the seasoning & sauce. Sure - I guess if you want to make Plowboys' Q & not your own - that's your choice.

Me - I've spent years taking recipes from a variety of sources (Q books, internet, friends, cooking shows, etc) & made them my own. Granted - my goal was to cook for the public, but how can you actually call it "yours" if the rub & the sauce - essentially the building blocks of BBQ - are someone else's?

Seriously - make small quantities - do a quick Google search on basic BBQ rub (or basic brisket rub or basic pork rub, etc) & work from there. Same with sauces. Nothing against those who sell rubs & sauces (I do that as well) but if you're serious about Q you HAVE to get into your own rubs & sauces.