Flavorful ribs?

[K-Train]

By any chance would you happen to know if the rub that you let sit overnight, and resulted in the hammy tasting ribs contained celery? Celery is high in sodium nitrate, and I have often wondered if the hammy taste that people get from rubbing way in advance is to blame for this and not the salt.

A pork loin cured with sodium nitrate will taste like ham when smoked, but a pork loin brined overnight in a solution that is high in regular salt, and then smoked will not.

To me they weren't hammy tasting. Just advice I got that made sense. Not sure about the celery salt, don't think it's in there though.

 

[landarc]

I rub ribs overnight with my own rub and get no hammy taste at all. Many rubs contain powdered celery or celery seed and that will create a sensation of curing (it also creates a better smoke ring). I don't quite see how using a salty marinade does not cure the ribs but a rub does. As it happens, most hams that have a hammy taste these days never see an ounce of dry cure, they are cured in a curing solution.

 

[gettinbasted]

I use oak at the house most of the time because that is what I have handy. In a contest we use a mix of pecan and cherry. Cherry really gives a nice color to the ribs.

 

[QTEX]

Funny thing I've seen more than once, as a Head judge, very often the "hammy" ribs win. Ham imo is like bacon everybody loves it so not sure why everyone always tries to get away from that flavor. Not saying ribs should taste just like ham but if its in there a bit its not neccessarily a bad thing. I never forget in 2001 we placed first in ribs against some very tough competitors and about 80 teams. It was the "World of Texas" Championship in Temple Texas and the first thing my neighbors on either side said to me was "they taste like ham!", the judges loved them that day. Just saying lol.

 

[Fat Woody]

I don't quite see how using a salty marinade does not cure the ribs but a rub does. As it happens, most hams that have a hammy taste these days never see an ounce of dry cure, they are cured in a curing solution.

I think it really comes down the to timing when brining, marinating or using a salty rub; ribs only take a couple of hours to soak up some salt but it would take a few days to truly "cure" them. If you are applying a high salt rub overnight you may be getting a little closer to curing.