At the request of Landarc, my research that led to Foil Hat Rub

I have even reverted to my Mad BBQ Scientist logo for these memories.

It all started somewhere before I was even a member of the Brethren. Another local bbq'er named Clay (team name Sauced Pigs) and I were talking about the "myth" of sugars causing a burnt flavor on bark. After all, sugars required much higher temps than what most folks were cooking at for BBQ back in 2005.

I put a pan of sugar in the oven at 250 for 24 hours, and guess what? No burning at all. I expected that result, but had to do that, take pictures, and share with those I talked to online in order to prove to them that cooking at 250 for long periods of time is not going to cause the sugar to burn.

From there, I could no longer believe all of the so-called "BBQ Truths" and wizened knowledge. I had to find out first hand what the fark was going on with things.

I began experimenting all sorts of things to put the so-called "BBQ Truths" to the test. I even assumed the moniker "Mad BBQ Scientist". After a couple years of this I even wound up getting a logo made.

The experiments that most impacted my rubs over the next few years, and in effect ultimately gave me the knowledge I put into the creation of my Foil Hat Rub were my "Burning Rub Ingredients" tests. These started with that sugar test, and progressed further into actual cooking tests on smokers with meat.

So without further ado, please allow me to link to the three primary results of testing. Each of these was the result of tests on many different ingredients that could be used in a rub, a sauce, or a slather. The purpose was to find out what effect cooking at low and slow BBQ temps had on these ingredients when cooked on meat.

Enough of my yabbering, here's the links already. Please forgive me for doing this. I did not want to bump my old threads, so I decided to make one post linking to them. I hope that is OK. Please forgive the photo quality. This was all done before I gave a rat's ass about posting photos online, and used an old flip phone for taking pics.

Round 1 - http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18492

Round 2 - http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36204

Round 3 - http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62646

I'm going through some additional older threads and will post any others that helped in my rub research as well. I had other tests not related to rubs, but I see no point in linking those.

Thanks for looking.

Durzil said:

Now why wasn't this your 20,000th post? Great post btw thanks for the links.

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I've apparently run out of ideas at the moment...

Lake Dogs said:

Thanks. Now lets go do those same wonderful tests at 275 and then again at 300.

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Yeah, at one time I thought about doing that. Then over time I realized that these results gave me enough insight to have a good idea what would happen at higher temps. Plus, most people interested in reading this are looking at it through a filter of just a few ingredients anyway, so if they really need to know first hand they can do their own similar testing much quicker and easier on their smaller list of ingredients. So the time and money investment doesn't make much sense to me with this existing baseline in place.

Mo-Dave said:

Chris I have not read all of the post yet, it may have already been discussed. Your very first experiment Here states, "White Cane, granulated (C&H) - Tasted kinda hammy. Very good, not burnt at all."

Now I wonder if all those threads referring to usually what is ribs or pork, having a hammy taste and most of the time they were left overnight with the rub on, giving it time to soak in. Do you think this may be some of the problem?
Dave

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Yes, and I'm not the only one that thinks.this.

If you stop to think, it makes perfect sense. What is ham, and why does it taste hammy? It is the salt cured into the pork that at a minimum does this. Sweet hams also have sugar soaked into the meat adding that flavor. Smoking ribs, which are pretty thin, results in meat that has as much smoke ring meat as regular meat, if not more. That smoke ring is pink because the meat was cured by nitrates formed by smoke particulates bonding with water molecules on the meat, actually curing the meat just like if you used Tender quick or another curing salt. Thus...ham.

Having too much salt, and even sugar in the meat of your ribs when you smoke them can only produce the flavor of salted, sweetened, cured pork...in other words ham.