Whats in a good bark?
 

I recently bought a bunch of seasoning at Smart and Final. I did not really think about it, but I bought mostly powder stuff (onion powder, garlic powder, all spice powder, etc). I realized after i made a rub for some ribs that it came out very fine. I think a coarse rub would be better.

In the bother's opinions, what makes a better rub, coarse or fine? And is a thick coating a better bark maker? or just a sprinkle? So many questions....

just a side note: I just put in an order for Plowboys Yardbird Rub. I CAN'T WAIT! I have some wings in the freezer waiting to be rubbed!!

Hey Big Brother Smoke or Big Mista... what was the other rub you guys used on those wings, that "taste test" over at Norco's?

I prefer fine ground spices for everything but Black Pepper on traditional Barbecue Meats using a traditional type of rub. Granulated spices can get a little gritty in texture. IMO the bark should be a caramelized layer of meat and spice not a caramelized layer of spice like you sometimes see. A fine grind will sort of seep in but coarser spices will sit on top.

However there are lots of great ethnic variations you can do with coarser grinds of Cumin, pepper flakes, coriander and such.

Best ask Norco. unless it was the spicy mustard sauce:biggrin:

Dude you gonna kick down with the link? I made myself some drummetts and potatoe with the mustard sauce again last night. Awesome.
Vic we used Plowboys, Big brother Smokes (bet he boesn't remember:twisted:). I put some in teryaki, some in Mojo but you missed out saturday on the Mustard Best of all.

My bad it is on my flash drive at work. Did not get in until 10 pm last night, so I am going in late.

Course rubs have a longer lifespan than finer rubs. Other than that they are traditionally the same flavor. If you find yourself cooking the flavor out of the rub, try using the courser rubs. I would imagine with chicken you can get more forgiveness with a fine rub than you could say with a brisket or a butt. Just my opinion.

Don't make rubs myself, but doesn't sugar content contribute to actual "Bark look"?

yeah . i use a brown sugar based rub for pork but i also spritz w/ a blend of apple/cranberry/lemon/& mango liquer- it makes for a great color to the bark. cherry wood also makes for a nice bark color.

Yep, you betcha!

Sugar is in for sure, cherry for the color and get the temps low so the sugar won't burn.

yes the mustard sauce still lingers fondly on my mind ...

well more like hangs like a monkey from my back , yes I'm addicted .. I admit it .. jonesing here for more of that speckled yellow magic ... i need to score a dme bag of it

now that I admit my addiction - I'm a Full Fledged Farker - WOW

Sure hope you fellers are willing to share this amazing discovery.

What he said ^^^^^^!!

Fess up farkers!!:lol:

Actually, both my brisket and pork rubs are fine and they both get a great bark. My Brisket rub contains both brown and white sugar, but my pork rub doesn't contain any sugars... I must admit that I do use a vinigar/mustard mop on my pork and that seems to help a lot!

^^^^^
^^^^^ What they said!! Waiting patiently