Brisket and your Rub (For the Funky Only)

JD McGee said:

Gotta add to my post here...

This is Paul's Brisket Rub from his book "Championship BBQ"...not sure if it is the one we used at his Pit Master class last year because it was pre-made and supplied to all participants. But...it has the same ratios and number of spices that he required us to use when building our own rubs. The only difference was that we did not use Worcestershire sauce as a pre-rub marinade.

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

This is enough rub for a 7-12 lb brisket. It is smoked @ 230-250 degrees indirect for 45-60 minutes per lb.

Funk...if I'm following your drift...you recommend more salt (as a flavor carrier) than anything else. If that is the case how can we achieve the awesome bark shown in Wayne's brisket pic (not knowing his ingredients) without a sugar based rub or mop?

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This is the Kirk I remembered,,, Note the Salt Content. If you used Salt and powders you get the same thing if you let it sit. I don't agree with the sugar and as far as rubs I have no problem rubbing (I know why you're not supposed too) when I rub in a coarse blend.

MAKES 3 CUPS
Kansas City chef and "Baron of Barbecue" Paul Kirk, who gave us this recipe, told us that the anatomy of the dry rub consists of a balance of sugar and salt, with paprika added for color, chili powder for flavor, and a touch of mustard "just because." From there, it's up to you.
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
1⁄4 cup garlic salt
1⁄4 cup celery salt
1⁄4 cup onion salt
1⁄2 cup paprika
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. lemon pepper
2 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. dry mustard
1⁄2 tsp. ground thyme
1⁄2 tsp. cayenne
1. Sift together sugar, seasoned salt, garlic salt, celery salt, onion salt, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, lemon pepper, sage, mustard, thyme, and cayenne into a bowl. Store in a jar. (When using, sprinkle onto, don't rub into, meat.)

barbefunkoramaque said:

....I have no problem rubbing (I know why you're not supposed too) when I rub in a coarse blend.

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Why shouldn't you rub in a coarse blend?

JamesTX said:

Why shouldn't you rub in a coarse blend?

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I was saying that in the case of some rubs which use finer grade materials (esp salts like onion salt, garlic salt, celery salt) they tend to clog the pores.

However, with large grained salts and peppers (which are abbrasive enough to wear through my gloves when I use them) don't really clog pores as much.

Finally, some say you don't want pores to be clogged because durung the smoking process the meat hits times when they sweat and times when they draw, thus... they suck in the flavor... if the pores are clogged it will stop this.

this is especially evident in pork ribs they say.

Bentley said:

I did not know there were pores on muscle.

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well... like I said... "they" say it. Now we are not talking about Pores as in skin pores but pores as in porus. Capillaries, fissures between muscles, broken cell walls if it was frozen...stuff like that.

I really don't put much faith in that theory anyway... most people make far more critical errors in BBQ other than rubbing or not.

barbefunkoramaque said:

....broken cell walls if it was frozen...

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Never thought about that. Do you think you get better tenderness or flavor penetration if you pre-freeze the meat before cooking?

BobBrisket said:

:roll:..................................Just me, but there is NO one REAL way to anything. As was said, that's the fun about all this..........taking your own path, maybe based on someone else's directions,"They", to get where you want to go. As long as you get there. I'll stick to my own route. But that's just me.
Guess I'm just not funky.

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Typical response from this guy. What point are you making that you haven't made before. When I say "Only for the Funky" please take it as your que to stay away. For your own time. You have mentioned time and time again that I am not your cup of tea... what's the point? I can dig it... why can't you?

For instance Bob, when I see your threads or posts on Tex Mex I see that you are saying that this is your expression... I don't critique based on your preference Tex Mex over Mexican. I don't preach I Mex. I don't say Tex Mex is more like Germex. I just read your stuff, enjoy it for it being about your style and that's it.

This goes for people like Barbarian and that guy that has the little BBQ supply company in Michigan? Just chill guys, have a beer or something. I try and warn you that you won't like my Funk... so stay ignore me... Its been more than a year now... neither of us is gonna change. Ignore me man and don't waste the energy. If you guys hate a certain resturant do you visit it over and over again?

I appreciate the good (funky) people that understand that this was a discourse on salt and its role and I appreciate their input. Would I have gotten a better smoke ring after 12 years of BBQing hot and fast if I simply told Thirdeye when he was preaching that there was OTHER WAYS or that I'll just keep doing what it do? No... I listened, knocked my temp down for an hour or too and have a better product I think.

Other topics arose in this thread. Since this was my thread and don't mind hijacking (because its fun) I thought I'd pick up some information here and there. It's all for the good of BBQ.

Several people have enough brains to also know when I am kidding or being silly (which is most of the time) about preaching tradition (as long as you have a stoker and web based temp control or BBQ Guru backup) or about freezing anyone who thinks differently in liquid nitrogen. Lets make it clear to those that just don't get it... my silly rants about style and technique and inflexibility are parodies of people that rant about ONE style ONE technique and are inflexible.

Still there are the Little Nellies that got to get their piece in but offer nothing in the DISCUSSION. And I understand you may not want to offer commentary because you can't understand what I am saying. I know that in advance.

If I were a true BBQ Brisket TRADITIONALIST I would SIMMER my brisket first before grilling it over a pit a la Chuckwagon Style.

If I were a true Pork BBQ traditionalist I would Boil first (Ribs too).

This is what is so silly about all the talk about tradition... thanks in advance to those that get the joke.

God Bless
I am not gonna change my style, I am not gonna leave this joint so find that ignore button and click it. Its okay.... I will be fine. You will be too.

I also sanction our resident scientist BIGABYTE to write a thread on basic experiment rules. In essence, why when your testing one technique, we don't add other techniques then try and deduce which technique did what. He is brilliant in his methods.

barbefunkoramaque in post #116 said;
I appreciate the good (funky) people that understand that this was a discourse on salt and its role and I appreciate their input. Would I have gotten a better smoke ring after 12 years of BBQing hot and fast if I simply told Thirdeye when he was preaching that there was OTHER WAYS or that I'll just keep doing what it do? No... I listened, knocked my temp down for an hour or too and have a better product I think.

I was trying to learn more about Q from this thread and your discourse on salt. My problem is I did not understand your terminology and when I ask what things meant and measurements did not get IMHO reasonable answers. I tried to listen but got no help, I did not know at the time that I was supposed to already know everything funky. I did not know that your videos only contain partial how-to do things. I guess you don't want input or discussions with people that are not IYO funky. And you seem to not want them to learn to be funky.


Other topics arose in this thread. Since this was my thread and don't mind hijacking (because its fun) I thought I'd pick up some information here and there. It's all for the good of BBQ.

I thought I might pick up some info also.


Several people have enough brains to also know when I am kidding or being silly (which is most of the time) about preaching tradition (as long as you have a stoker and web based temp control or BBQ Guru backup) or about freezing anyone who thinks differently in liquid nitrogen. Lets make it clear to those that just don't get it... my silly rants about style and technique and inflexibility are parodies of people that rant about ONE style ONE technique and are inflexible.

See now you get insulting, IMHO. You probably think that comment is funny but is it really? Your telling me I am stupid because I don't see when you are kidding and when you are not. Brains don't have anything to do with knowing whether or not you are kidding. I don't recall ranting about ONE style or being inflexible. I am just a backyard Q guy trying to learn how to cook and what tastes good.


Still there are the Little Nellies that got to get their piece in but offer nothing in the DISCUSSION. And I understand you may not want to offer commentary because you can't understand what I am saying. I know that in advance.
And how is one supposed to understand what your saying if you just rag on them???? Yes I have found the ITI button on the tool bar, but just have not used it yet. Let's see is that funny or not????

Oh and I apologize if my previous post hijacked your thread.