homemade rub vs. commercial rub

[King]

For me, there is some truth to inexperienced/intermediate cookers using commercial rubs more. I don't know enough about what flavors are best for which cuts of meat or how to construct a competition rub. I'm learning this from buying competition type rubs. However, the more I read the ingredients in the rubs, the more I talk to the pro's, search the internet, read cook books, hang out in the spice section at the market or spice shop...I'm thinking I can give my own rub a shot.

 

[Scottie]

After many years using and tweeking commercial rubs, I've been playing with my own rubs and sauce. I've been top 10 and DAL since starting with this, but heading to a comp this weekend with my own stuff. I love the smell of the super fresh ingredients (thanks to Penzey's), the smell of sauce simmering on the stove and just the feeling that if I do do well, there's more of ME in the entry. Kinda taken the entire competition thing to a new level of involvement.

I like the R&D that go into the commercial product. I love having sponsors to show others that i proudly use their product. Like BBQr's Delight Pellets. :becky:

I need to get me one of them pellet fired Jambo's!!!!

 

[ZILLA]

with commercial rubs, sauces and injects you have the ability to employ flavors that you would not have ready access to by making your own, such as burbon powder, honey powder, soy and worshtershire powders, fruit flavorings, yeast protines and other things such as these. what you might want to try is to use two or more commercial rubs in varying amounts to arrive at a complementary application for each catagory.

Most if not all of these ingredients are available on line or in the case of fruit flavorings at your local grocer in the form of concentrated fruit juice or canned juices. It's totally doable and doable at a savings and one shouldn't feel like you're held hostage to commercial rubs. You can also use better quality ingredients with less filler. Commercial rubs no matter how good are still made with a finite amount of ingredients and be closely approximated with relative ease. I think that waaaay to much importance has been given to some of these obscure ingredients and I really doubt that they can shine through in real smoked BBQ anyway. Save your money and make your own.

 

[comfrank]

I do both...

Rubs: Yardbird on chicken, the Slabs on ribs, and my own rubs on pork and brisket.

Sauces: A doctored up Blues Hog/Tennesse Red sauce for chicken and ribs, doctored up drippings for brisket and pork.

Injections: Butchers for brisket, a Chris Lilly type injection for pork, and an injection of my own devising for chicken (although Yardbird is one of the ingredients in the injection).

--frank in Wilson, NY

 

[NS Mike D]

Thanks for trying the rub! Just a clarification, our rubs first ingredient is sugar, then salt. I too thought most rubs were salt heavy which is why ours is not.

ooops sorry, not sure why I typed it that way - yup, I wanted to note that you listed sugar before salt, which was different that the other rubs in my cubbard. Guess I screwed that message up.


I think chicken takes well to the higher salt, but I am looking to cut it down in my ribs.


Meanwhile, I am doing my first comp as captn this weekend, in a rib cook off (see Hicksville thread), and realized i didn't have enough of your rub, and not enough time to get more, so since this is the bretheren, I am mixing 2 eyz with yardbird. They are getting to know eachother in the canister tonight.

 

[Dan - 3eyzbbq]

Haha, im sure they will get along just fine. Good luck!

 

[Gowan]

Bad Byron's Butt Rub, is crap.



Sorry

Butt Rub has been and continues to be a component in winning competition recipes for over 15 years. Given this fact, your statement looks pretty foolish.

 

[PimpSmoke]

Butt Rub has been and continues to be a component in winning competition recipes for over 15 years. Given this fact, your statement looks pretty foolish.

OK, I guess.

 

[tmcmaster]

I am not a fan of commercial rubs. If you win with someone else's product, have you really won anything? </personal rant>

 

[ParkAvenue_2]

We do both. If we find a commercial rub that we like, we'll stick with it for a while. We've won categories using commercial rubs and we've won categories with homemade concoctions as well. Don't think there is a one size fits all answer on this question.

 

[Fat Freddy]

I have used several different commercial rubs but always seem to go back to John Henry's rubs. My personal favorites are Texas Chicken Tickler and Caribbean Sun. I have also sprinkled in Wild cherry Chipotle in with my pulled pork and had good results with that.

 

[Ryan Chester]

Most if not all of these ingredients are available on line or in the case of fruit flavorings at your local grocer in the form of concentrated fruit juice or canned juices. It's totally doable and doable at a savings and one shouldn't feel like you're held hostage to commercial rubs. You can also use better quality ingredients with less filler. Commercial rubs no matter how good are still made with a finite amount of ingredients and be closely approximated with relative ease. I think that waaaay to much importance has been given to some of these obscure ingredients and I really doubt that they can shine through in real smoked BBQ anyway. Save your money and make your own.

You are absolutely correct. You can buy any of the ingredients we (commercial companies) use in our blends. The questions is, how much are you going to spend concocting and perfecting a blend (if you ever perfect it)? Is it worth the money and or time? Some people may never get to the point where they have a top notch flavor profile. It’s not rocket science but some just may never achieve it or be willing to dedicate the time and money to achieve it.

I am not a fan of commercial rubs. If you win with someone else's product, have you really won anything? </personal rant>

Unless you are submitting someone else’s rub in a rub competition, your question/statement doesn't make any sense.

 

[Vince RnQ]

I may have missed it here but the thing that speaks the loudest to me on using our own rubs and sauces is that we have complete control of our flavor profile. We know exactly what the ingredients are, where they came from, how fresh the blend is, etc.

 

[MadAboutQue]

I've been playing with salt/sugar free rubs. I just season with s&p then the rub. There's an old restaurant saying about adding profit to a sauce by adding water. Same goes for rubs...salt/sugar are cheap....stretches the batch size. Plus it tastes good.

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