Sauce/Glaze application question

Lazybones

Lazybones

Knows what a fatty is.
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I've been running into the issue lately that when I go to apply my rib glaze or chicken sauce that the rub sticks to the brush and comes off. I've tried both brushing it on and "dabbing" at it with the sauce to try and get the rub to stay.

I don't remember this being an issue last season, but so far my practice cooks have been coming up bad with splotchy looking food. Am I forgetting a step that I didn't know I did? Thoughts? First comp is coming up in a couple weeks and I'd like to make a good showing.

Seems like such an elementary problem, I'm just coming up empty.
 
My best advice:

God gave you the best kickten tool.. Your HANDS. Get a squirt bottle with your sauce/glaze (plug) we use Sweet Beaver BBQ Sauce in ours ;) get a pair of gloves on (if needed add cotton gloves under for heat) and use your fingers to lightly spread evenly :D No tools or brushes to clean, no brush marks, no puddles, I can just go on and on.

You can't beat your hands brother, but you can beat you meat.. ROFL

Our 2cents,

Sweet Beaver BBQ
 
One other suggestion is to make sure the sauce is hot. Cold sauce tends to be thick and will leave streak marks. Also for chicken, try dunking the piece and setting on a grate to let the excess fall off and then stick back in the smoker to tighten it up. This leaves a more uniform look of sauce vs the brushed on approach. Just what I do...
 
9Q1 said:
One other suggestion is to make sure the sauce is hot. Cold sauce tends to be thick and will leave streak marks. Also for chicken, try dunking the piece and setting on a grate to let the excess fall off and then stick back in the smoker to tighten it up. This leaves a more uniform look of sauce vs the brushed on approach. Just what I do...
Click to expand...

This is what I do for chicken as well. On ribs, I'll just use a squeeze bottle and my gloved finger to spread the glaze.
 
+1 on dunking chicken in warmed sauce. Also, may try a silicon brush for the ribs. Again, use a warmed sauce.
 
Try thinning your sauce a bit, silicon brush, and make sure you product and sauce are warm/hot.
 
For me, I only use the silicon brushes to put on sauce (warm/hot) that will carmelize on the meats (butts/ribs), but for putting the finishing sauce on them before turn in, I use pastry type brushes. They're very inexpensive and to me, make a difference. Again, appearance is a big part of the scoring and first impressions are everything.
 
Warm sauce, that's what the difference is. I always warmed it before, but this last couple times it's been right out of the fridge.

Dunking chickens is hard to do here because we mostly cook half chickens. With thighs or legs it's easy, but I'd need an awful lot of sauce to dunk half a bird.

I'll try the spray bottle trick too, though. Will probably work better.
 
With chicken, we use a warm and thinned sauce and just squeeze it over the top and let the excess run off. With ribs, we use the back of a spoon to spread it around. Stopped using a brush a while ago.
 
Peter, I use a squeeze bottles for both. I warm the glazes and apply a thin layer of glaze. I have them on plastic trays covered with foil for easy cleanup. After I apply the glaze, I tilt the tray about 45 degrees to allow any excess to run off.

I've seen ribs DQ'd due to a brush bristle in the glaze. And for IBCA/LSBS, appearance doesn't really matter. Remember, judges give 1 score 1-10.
 
I do agree with warming your sauce up, it should help. I curious about your rub sticking to your brush though. Is your bark/rub a little soggy from foiling or are you applying quite a rub?

Also while appearance is not a separate score, it is considered a factor in your overall score, so I would try to make your turn-ins look appealing and not messy.
 
I bought one of these and use it to drizzle sauce onto the meat. Serves me well.

9anerama.jpg


And no I did not buy it at an adult novelty shop.
 
I do my sauce several ways...warmed and thinned (always), if I use a brush I have a spray bottle close by with apple juice in it to blend any brush strokes that may be evident. My fav way is the unking method, messy but I get very good results.
 
Cookie cooling rack in a 1/2 sheet pan. Do bone side first and then top. POUR the sauce on the ribs and flip and pour again. Place drained sauce into sauce pan and bring to full simmer for a few minutes prior to reuse. Place ribs on smoker to set. No brush marks. Use gloved hands to handle unless you are in Texas, then use a large spatula.
 
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