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View Full Version : Brown Sugar or Turbinado??


gotwood
09-28-2008, 10:48 PM
Anyone think there is much difference between the two tastewise for a rib rub?? Im considering omitting brown sugar from mine to reduce the color of the ribs. I use 50/50 now.

PatioDaddio
09-28-2008, 11:00 PM
There is a definite difference in taste and cooking characteristics. Turbinado sugar is simply dried raw pressed sugar cane. Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added. Dark brown sugar simply has more molasses than light brown.

So, in order to answer your question about changing we need to know what the goal is. If you want more heat tolerance, and don't need the molasses flavor, switch. Just know that removing the brown sugar will indeed alter the flavor. Of course, you can keep the flavor by simply adding molasses, or (as I now prefer), you can simply replace both the sugar and the molasses with Steen's syrup (http://www.steensyrup.com).

I hope this helps,
John

BBQchef33
09-28-2008, 11:11 PM
heres a little more discussion: (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29734)

snipped form that thread.


Brown sugar and Turbinado are 2 different animals. So this makes a flavor difference too.

Brown sugar, is refined white sugar with molassas added 3-4% for light and 6-7% for dark. All sugar in its rawest state has molassas on it but it is removed in the refining process.

Turbinado, (or Raw sugar or natural Brown sugar), is brown sugar where some of the natural molassas is retained instad of spun off during refining. the percentage of molasas left in turbinado is substantially less than in the lightest Brown sugars. The molassas makes the brown sugars more robust/complex in flavor compared to the sweeter turbinado.

Its the amount of molassas in the 2 sugars that come into play in our craft.. Turbinado will hold up to the longer heat exposure in butts and brisket where a brown sugar will begin to carmelize much sooner in the cook. Brown sugars on the other hand when used on shorter cooks like ribs and chicken will carmelize in the 4-5 hours where turbinado may not unless you pump the temps up.

gotwood
09-29-2008, 01:46 AM
ok thanks, I think I can do away with brown sugar, as I like to sauce my ribs....I think there is probably plenty of flavor there

not to mention I find brown sugar a pain to work with....clumping, retaining water etc.