As some of you may recall, I have done some experiments in the past to test certain ingredients in rubs, sauces, etc., to see what really happens to them when you cook them at BBQ temps in a smoker. For reference, my original thread on this, along with info on how I set up the experiment is here:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=18492
I tested 18 more ingredients today. I followed the exact same methods as previously for preparing the meat and ingredients, applying the ingredients, and for cooking. All variables were the same except for the ingredients being tested.
SUGARS/SWEETENERS (6 new)
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White Grape Juice Concentrate (Welch's 100%, frozen) - Minor sweet boost to meat. Tasted good. No burnt flavor. No grape flavor either.
Concorde Grape Juice Concentrate (Welch's 100%, frozen) - Minor sweet boost to meat. Tasty. No burnt flavor. Had a slight hint of grape flavor.
Apple Juice Concentrate (Old Orchard 100%, frozen) - More sweet was transferred to the meat than the Grape juices, but was still a fairly mild sweet. Tasted good. No burnt flavor. No noticeable apple flavor.
Cranberry Juice Concentrate (Old Orchard 100%, frozen) - Not much sweet boost at all, if any. Had a good flavor though. No burnt taste. Could not really distinguish any cranberry flavor but it may come through in a something like turkey or chicken perhaps.
Orange Juice Concentrate (Old Orchard 100%, frozen) - Very minor boost in sweetness. Could pick up on the orange flavor though. Not bad. No burnt flavor.
Pineapple Juice Concentrate (Old Orchard 100%, frozen) - This one made me go "Mmmmmm" when I tasted it. It added some sweet flavor, more than any other of the juice concentrates, but still not as much as the other sweeteners I have tested. Flavor was really good. I could not really distinguish the pineapple taste, it mingled with the pork. The meat seemed more tender than the other pieces, which was another thing I was curious about.
Dry Herbs, Spices
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Habanero Powder (myspicer.com) - Heat was significantly reduced but there was still a bit of an afterburner on it. Habanero flavor was still there. It tasted pretty good actually. No burnt flavor at all.
Jalapeno Powder (myspicer.com) - Heat was greatly reduced and somewhat mild. Jalapeno flavor also reduced but still there. No burnt flavor.
Celery Flakes (Tones) - Very, very little flavor left. I could detect something green and herby but it was too faint to really tell it was celery. No burnt flavor.
Dill Weed (Tones) - Hardly any flavor left. I think I tasted some dill, but may have been fooling myself. No burnt flavor.
Lemon Pepper (Tones) - Not much flavor of lemon survived. I could still taste some of the garlic and pepper, but not really picking up any lemon flavor. No burnt taste.
Lime Pepper (Tones) - Still tasted like Lime pepper, though a little bit more subdued. No burnt flavor.
Fresh Herbs, Pastes, Sauces
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Garlic Paste (Amore) - Garlic flavor survived and was still somewhat strong, but not as strong as I was expecting. No burnt flavor.
Anchovy Paste (Giovanni) - At first I could not taste anchovy, but noticed that it had blended with the pork to make an interesting new flavor. It as pretty good. No burnt taste. The anchovy flavor came in loud an clear in the aftertaste however.
Almond Butter (Whole Foods fresh ground) - I could not detect any almond flavor. The bark did not firm up and was kind of pasty. No burnt taste.
Peanut Butter (Jif) - No noticeable peanut flavor. Bark was pasty on this one as well. No burnt taste.
Fish Sauce (Thai Kitchen) - Very subtle at first with a more noticeable aftertaste. No burnt flavor.
Miso (South River, White) - There was no miso flavor, but the meat had taken on a new flavor. It tasted good. No burnt flavors.
