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View Full Version : What Meat for Test of Small Amounts of New Rubs?


Happy Hapgood
02-01-2015, 01:14 PM
I receive small amounts or samples of new rubs to try from time to time. Sometimes it's enough to do a couple of racks of ribs but what if I don't like it? Also, sometimes there is not enough in the sample to cover a larger piece of meat. I don't judge a rub by just tasting it alone as most of them really change when cooked into meat.

I've been using hamburger patties to test rubs. Relatively inexpensive and the rub cooks in well. I also may sprinkle some on bacon and oven broil it.

How do you check out new rubs?

Thanks!

HOG FAN
02-01-2015, 01:19 PM
Chicken legs. Cheap, small individual portions, short cook time. IMO

Wickedcajun
02-01-2015, 01:31 PM
Wings or pork chops!!

J&B'sBBQ
02-01-2015, 01:48 PM
Pork chops

Happy Hapgood
02-01-2015, 01:50 PM
Pork chops. Good idea!

Smoke Dawg
02-01-2015, 01:55 PM
Chicken or ribs cut down to 2-3 bones

okiej
02-01-2015, 02:00 PM
I feel it taste different on different meats so I try to use a meat similar. A pork rub on a small butt or some chops maybe. A Chicken rub on thighs or wings. A beef rub on single beef ribs or a small chuck. I guess if it's a general purpose rub burgers might give you a starting point to see what meat you might like it on. I agree, who wants to experiment on a bunch of food. Test cooks on the weekend provide my weeks lunches. I eat most of my mistakes, helps me remember:grin:

qman
02-01-2015, 02:09 PM
Country style ribs.

Blythewood BBQ'er
02-01-2015, 02:12 PM
Wangs! Why don't you do a rack and mark the bone with toothpicks. Then snap a pic with your phone with the rubs behind the sections. If I do wings I'll do drumetts in one rub and the flats with another and leave a few whole if I have a third rub.

Happy Hapgood
02-01-2015, 02:19 PM
Some good ideas here. I wonder if anything non-meat would work like biscuits or the like with butter.

lantern
02-01-2015, 02:20 PM
My number one test meat is the trimming of ribs when I cut full spares down to St Louis cut. The second is chicken thighs and the third is pork chops. Hamburgers are good, but it's a hassle to make a couple differently when everybody wants burgers when they find out they're being made. LOL!

IamMadMan
02-01-2015, 02:23 PM
Chicken legs are cheap, but you can always chunk a pork butt up into 2" squares and use them. That way if there are multiple testers they can have their own sample to eat.

pbj
02-01-2015, 02:45 PM
Some good ideas here. I wonder if anything non-meat would work like biscuits or the like with butter.
Tasting pepper (think black pepper etc.) is done with white rice to get a good idea of what the spice does by itself. The rice is a relatively neutral taste.

landarc
02-01-2015, 02:47 PM
It depends on what the rubs are intended for use on. If beef, I test on chunks of chuck roast, it is close to brisket, and I cook chucks too. If for pork, I cook on chunks of pork butt, cause that is what it is meant for use on. You can buy the country style pork ribs butts bits.

Bigabyte did an entire series of rub ingredient tests, he used the pork butt bits from CSR's and they worked great.

TuscaloosaQ
02-01-2015, 03:00 PM
Pork steak ..... Cheap and cooks quick.:razz:... As long as it aint elephant... Anything but that....

AClarke44
02-01-2015, 03:19 PM
Well I'm different and very inexperienced but I usually just taste them alone in my hand and think about what meat I think it'd taste good on. Or I just look through posts on here and see what people like :mrgreen:

So far my favorite rib/butt rub has been one I make. But again I've only got a year of this (smoking at least) under my belt.

Happy Hapgood
02-01-2015, 03:40 PM
Pork steak ..... Cheap and cooks quick.:razz:... As long as it aint elephant... Anything but that....

I would love to be able to corner an elephant but all we can seen to do is bite one one the ankle. Oh Wait! Do elephants have ankles? :becky:

16Adams
02-01-2015, 03:48 PM
Teaspoon of cottage cheese on a ritz cracker. Sprinkle away!!

When I was a kid growing up in NE Okla a lady was hawking Lowerys season salt in this manner and the tasting method stuck.

Pitbull
02-01-2015, 03:56 PM
Chuck!

Diesel Dave
02-01-2015, 04:14 PM
I use a pork loin cut into chops for pork rubs and when I get a chuckie I'll trim and freeze those pieces as well as trimming from brisket for testing beef rubs.
Chicken is just a given

Happy Hapgood
02-01-2015, 04:20 PM
Sometimes you get a rub that is not specifically designed for pork or beef or poultry or fish. Those are the tuff ones to figure out. I'm not necessarily talking about store bought rubs as much as Micro Rub producers. Similar to Micro Brewers of Beer. Not Nationally known but have great products! I think we have several here at the Brethren. :clap2::clap2::clap2:

cowgirl
02-01-2015, 04:22 PM
Some great ideas! I usually give rubs the "pinky finger" test. :grin:

Teaspoon of cottage cheese on a ritz cracker. Sprinkle away!!

When I was a kid growing up in NE Okla a lady was hawking Lowerys season salt in this manner and the tasting method stuck.

Sounds like a good idea without cooking a whole meal. Thanks Adams!