Mad Science Experiment - Burning Rub Ingredients

thirdeye said:

Man, that is some serious research! Nice Job.

I'm curious why salt was combined with all of the different ingredients. Not counting preserving, I realize that salt's main function is a flavor enhancer, so how did that fit in to your conclusions?

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I added the salt because I wanted to have as fair a burn test as possible. One of the primary reasons for the test was to see if the ingredients burned. When the ingredient mixes with water, oil and salt as used in a typical rub, the burning point of that particular ingredient can be altered. Sugar is a good example. IF you place sugar in oil and salt, the burning point can come down. So salt was used to make it as consistent as possible with BBQ. I can't think of any rub that doesn't have salt, so I didn't want salt to be the variable that could have made the difference for the ingredient.

CarbonToe said:

You've been a busy bee!!

Did you blind taste the samples or did you know what flavour you were looking to taste in advance?

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I knew what flavor I was sampling, they were not blind taste tests. If the flavor seemed altered, I would take a taste of the spice in its raw form to see how much the flavor was altered or diminished. Blind taste tests would be nice, but it was just me doing the tests for my own personal gain. I just wanted to share it with everybody else because this is the kind of information I like to find. The only way people can find it is if someone puts it out there.

djmarko said:

Great information. Just wondering how your taste buds were after all that tasting? What was the time frame for the taste testing? I would think your taste buds would get overwhelmed after a while.

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It was about a 12 hour period for tasting, and it was done in 5 or 6 different batches with an hour or two between batches. Between each sample I would cleanse my pallette with water and crackers. A couple of them took a while before I could really wash the flavor out. Here's an idea of hwo it went.

Beforehand, I made each rub ahead of time and put them in labeled ziploc baggies. I took a package of pork shoulder country style boneless ribs and cut them into portions (about 3 or 4 per rib). I did not wiegh the portions, I eyeballed them to the similar size. I then took the appropriate number of rub baggies and applied rub to these pork bits and put them on the cooker. I then prepped another batch (about a 12 at a time) and put them on the cooker staggered a couple hours later. Once a batch was ready (give or take a couple stragglers), I would take them off and let them cool while I prepped another batch and put them on the cooker. Then I started sampling the now cooled batch. Once I was done sampling it was pretty much about time for another batch to come off, and I would repeat the process again until I was all done.

Oh, and this was all I ate that day other than water and crackers, and some beer (naturally). But I ate very well, and I was STUFFED when I went to bed at like 3AM or whenever it was!

parrothead said:

Excellent read, and yes, Mista, I was thinking the same thing about the syrup. I think that I will try some before the next competition.

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I can tell you what I did at GAB. My pork tanked, but I don't think it was because of the syrup, I think I just didn't cook it well. Take it or leave it. You may want to try it as an experiment of your own.
I used Maple Syrup as the slather, and then used a sugar-free rub. Don't say I never give away any secrets!:wink:

Rockaway BeachBQ said:

Amazing stuff!! I definitely feel inspired to do a variation on it. I have long been curious about the taste of all of the different chiles. Maybe I will use chicken wings instead.

There is a book called "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen" that may be of interest to you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684800012/002-8890748-2099230?v=glance&n=283155
It really gets in to what happens to foods as they cook, it is not light reading but you can learn a great deal. Unfortunately Barbecue is not covered specificaly but the information on roasting meats and temperatures that proteins break down is great.

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Thanks, I'll have to check that book out. The Chiles is what started me testing the other ingredients besides sugar. I have a lot more I want to try, so this is still a work in progress, believe me.