Why do people put Sugar in their Rub?

I have always used brown sugar in my rub to balnce the heaked of the Chipoltle powder and red peper....

A salty sweet combo is ideal. You don't have to do this with beef, but it usually works.
I used to do my steak with just s&p. I created steak rub that has turbinado sugar on it, and the depth of flavor is unbelievable.
It really comes down to your tastebuds, and you are not wrong if you don't like sugar as much as the next guy.

PatioDaddio said:

Salt and sweet is about as classic a combination as there is. :wink:

John

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In most rubs I make and use there is not a great amount of sugar to "sweeten" the cooked meat.

But Just as salt can enhance or bring forward some of the savory flavors of some spices, sugar can also help enhance some of the other flavors that could be lost in a rub without it.


My favorite rub has anchovy powder in it, you can not taste it or even suspect it is there. But it does help brighten and intensify the flavor of the other spices in the rub.

Helps with bark and can give a nice balance. Half my rubs contain sugar, the other half don't because some people like it and some don't.

On beef, I use molasses to help with bark production. I cook HnF so it helps. you can't taste any sweetness from it though. I use just a very light coat.

And, speaking of BBQing meat without any seasoning, the BBQ place I used to work for when in high school used no seasoning on whole pork shoulders. We just cooked them for about 12 to 14 hours at low temperature. The bark on those shoulders was spectacular!

There was one small piece of meat on those shoulders we used to call the pig cookie. It was only about the diameter of a half dollar but it would get the most delectable bark on the outside and be tender and juicy on the inside. Whenever I got near the shoulders and no one was looking, I would always claim a couple of those for myself!

boshizzle said:

on beef, i use molasses to help with bark production. I cook hnf so it helps. You can't taste any sweetness from it though. I use just a very light coat.

And, speaking of bbqing meat without any seasoning, the bbq place i used to work for when in high school used no seasoning on whole pork shoulders. We just cooked them for about 12 to 14 hours at low temperature. The bark on those shoulders was spectacular!

There was one small piece of meat on those shoulders we used to call the pig cookie. It was only about the diameter of a half dollar but it would get the most delectable bark on the outside and be tender and juicy on the inside. Whenever i got near the shoulders and no one was looking, i would always claim a couple of those for myself!

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lol!

IMHO, comp is so far removed from q that it ain't q. Real comp should be, here is your stack of logs, your whole hog, let's see what you can do. comp is commercialized, seems the only purpose of comp is to sell a restaurant or a sauce. But, that's just my personal opinion.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Salt helps retain moisture. So it is obvious one needs salt. Most of us like a slightly salty taste but salt at that level doesn't provide enough moisture. So we add more salt then add sugar to balance the saltiness.
As an experiment when you buy a city ham that is too salty try a simple sweet glaze and taste again. Usually the over saltiness is reduced.

If you google for popular rib rubs, many of the recipes contain more than 70% sugar. Alton Brown's recipe is closer to 80% sugars. I lost all respect for him after seeing one of his BBQ episodes.

He actually stated in the show that cooking ribs above 230 F would result in rib jerky. Where did he get that BS from?

Boshizzle said:

On beef, I use molasses to help with bark production. I cook HnF so it helps. you can't taste any sweetness from it though. I use just a very light coat.

And, speaking of BBQing meat without any seasoning, the BBQ place I used to work for when in high school used no seasoning on whole pork shoulders. We just cooked them for about 12 to 14 hours at low temperature. The bark on those shoulders was spectacular!

There was one small piece of meat on those shoulders we used to call the pig cookie. It was only about the diameter of a half dollar but it would get the most delectable bark on the outside and be tender and juicy on the inside. Whenever I got near the shoulders and no one was looking, I would always claim a couple of those for myself!

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Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new. Today, for example, I learned that Bo went to high school....

mawil1013 said:

IMHO, comp is so far removed from q that it ain't q. Real comp should be, here is your stack of logs, your whole hog, let's see what you can do. comp is commercialized, seems the only purpose of comp is to sell a restaurant or a sauce. But, that's just my personal opinion.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

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You've been to the wrong comps, IMHO. Yes, plenty like you mention, but plenty aren't like this at all. My favorites have you cook whole pork shoulders (usually in the 20# range each) and whole hog in addition to ribs. Not everyone uses a "stack of logs", but most of us do. Most of us dont sell sauces nor are we promoting anyones restaurant.

To the original poster, it all comes down to personal taste and preference.

I dont "mix sugar in my rub", but that's because I use my rub on most everything from pork, to ribs, to beef, etc. and I find sugar in my beef rub fairly disgusting. I do, however, add in a small amount of turbinado sugar when cooking ribs, and even a smaller amount on pork (butts, shoulders, picnics, hams). The reason, for me, is that I like to eat BBQ without any sauce, and without any sauce could use a slight hint of sweet. Like I said, I dont use much. I dont care for "candied" bbq. This aside, both in competitions and at home, I offer BBQ sauce on the side, and for ribs I'll have at least 2 sauces that are fairly sweet, one being liquid pig candy...

Personal preference...

Note to mawil1013: Some competitions (some sanctioned ones) allow the competitor to present sauce on the side, and others allow multiple sauces to be presented on the side. F Y I.

Use sugar or don't use it. The Q will be fantastic either way. If no sugar makes you happy, be happy. Some folks may add sauce at the table and they will be happy too.

QDoc said:

Why?

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Because I like it.

I use sugar for two different and rather specific uses. One is for the obvious taste it can give meat. This is most important when I am doing a butt or chicken, where the sweetness can really complement the meat. I find the sugar can perk up the natural sweetness of the pork

I also add a little, and I mean, less than 5% of the total weight of sugar to beef rub. I do not want to taste the sugar at all, it is there for the chemical property is brings in assisting in creating a pellicle on the meat, which I believe aids if moisture, texture and bark. But, it is meant to have no flavor impact at all.

RW said:

Too many people drinking too many soft drinks all of their lives. Sweet has become the normal taste of all foods and drinks.

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Exactly right. The judges like it because they are a cross section of the general population.

Lake Dogs said:

Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new. Today, for example, I learned that Bo went to high school....

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I didn't say I finished! :laugh:

Why? Because salt+sugar+fat is the (un)holy trinity of cooking.

I believe a study was done on lab rats a few years ago and found that sugar+salt+fat was only slightly less addictive than heroin.

Bark & Balance...

I use Splenda in my rubs because it tastes good.

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Saltwater taffy, pulled pork, pulled taffy.
Face it, they go together.