Clay-b-que
is Blowin Smoke!
I am in the “it needed more salt” crowd as well and I used a ton of it in broth and on chicken. Hmmmm.
Saigon 21 review
- Thread starter Gyosa
- Start date
Eads Ranch
Full Fledged Farker
Did chicken thighs last night. If I would change anything it would be a little more heat. But I can always sprinkle a little Crucible on it to tailor it for my tastes. My wife thinks it perfect as is.
kcmike
is Blowin Smoke!
Hi William,
Thanks for your review. However, I must unequivocally disagree with your assessment of the salt level in Saigon 21. I'm actually having a hard time even believing you are serious. I am personally very sensitive to seasonings being too high in salt. I hate it. Which is exactly why I began making my own seasoning blends in the first place. So, I know Saigon 21 isn't too salty. It just isn't. I also know exactly how much salt is in the recipe (down to the hundredth of a percent), and I also know that it is not as high as several of our other very popular rubs. Saigon 21 is about in the middle of the Oakridge BBQ salt level range. So, it couldn't possibly be "the saltiest rub I’ve ever used, and certainly the saltiest I’ve ever had from mike - and I’ve almost used them all" -- because it just isn't.
So, your experience just doesn't square with reality -- unless an egregious mistake was made in filling just your bag and no one else's -- which isn't impossible, but is highly unlikely. Especially considering our proprietary blending and filling procedures basically prevent it from happening. And, with hundreds of thousands of pounds of bbq rub sold, to my knowledge, we have never had a bag-to-bag consistency issue with our filling or blending processes.
Please understand, I'm not trying to be harsh, argumentative, or disrespectful. I actually very rarely comment on people's reviews of my rubs, even the few times they are unfairly negative. However, I found the dogmatic nature of your incorrect assumptions and assertions about some mistake we must have made to be offensive.
Regarding your seasoning process: You should never season raw shrimp -- or any other fresh seafood for that matter -- for 8 hours. It's honestly a wonder that the little salt and lime in the rub didn't actually cook the shrimp (ala Ceviche) during that overly long soak. Twenty minutes is all that is needed to fully season raw shrimp/shellfish/seafood. Any longer and you'll ruin the protein.
All that said, I still want you to be happy, and I do want to test the package of rub you received. So, I have sent you a pre-paid return envelope, and I would like you to carefully seal up the unused portion of the Saigon prototype you received and return it back to me. I have also resent a new sample of Saigon for you to try. I have personally tested this new sample and can guarantee it is an exact and accurate representation of the blend as intended by the Master Blender -- me...
:thumb: :thumb:
Thanks,
Thanks for your review. However, I must unequivocally disagree with your assessment of the salt level in Saigon 21. I'm actually having a hard time even believing you are serious. I am personally very sensitive to seasonings being too high in salt. I hate it. Which is exactly why I began making my own seasoning blends in the first place. So, I know Saigon 21 isn't too salty. It just isn't. I also know exactly how much salt is in the recipe (down to the hundredth of a percent), and I also know that it is not as high as several of our other very popular rubs. Saigon 21 is about in the middle of the Oakridge BBQ salt level range. So, it couldn't possibly be "the saltiest rub I’ve ever used, and certainly the saltiest I’ve ever had from mike - and I’ve almost used them all" -- because it just isn't.
So, your experience just doesn't square with reality -- unless an egregious mistake was made in filling just your bag and no one else's -- which isn't impossible, but is highly unlikely. Especially considering our proprietary blending and filling procedures basically prevent it from happening. And, with hundreds of thousands of pounds of bbq rub sold, to my knowledge, we have never had a bag-to-bag consistency issue with our filling or blending processes.
Please understand, I'm not trying to be harsh, argumentative, or disrespectful. I actually very rarely comment on people's reviews of my rubs, even the few times they are unfairly negative. However, I found the dogmatic nature of your incorrect assumptions and assertions about some mistake we must have made to be offensive.
Regarding your seasoning process: You should never season raw shrimp -- or any other fresh seafood for that matter -- for 8 hours. It's honestly a wonder that the little salt and lime in the rub didn't actually cook the shrimp (ala Ceviche) during that overly long soak. Twenty minutes is all that is needed to fully season raw shrimp/shellfish/seafood. Any longer and you'll ruin the protein.
All that said, I still want you to be happy, and I do want to test the package of rub you received. So, I have sent you a pre-paid return envelope, and I would like you to carefully seal up the unused portion of the Saigon prototype you received and return it back to me. I have also resent a new sample of Saigon for you to try. I have personally tested this new sample and can guarantee it is an exact and accurate representation of the blend as intended by the Master Blender -- me...
:thumb: :thumb:
Thanks,
retfr8flyr
Full Fledged Farker
This is why I love Oakridge rubs. You just can't get better quality and service then you get from Mike and Oakridge BBQ rubs.
Gyosa
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
Mike ,
Sending another sample was unnecessary, but thank you anyway...
I would be more than happy to try it again , as I hope it will be more agreeable .... as I said earlier - I really liked the flavors of the S21.
I should probably try it on something else , like chicken.
I will be sure to let you know my impressions.
Of course I will be happy to send the original back to you so you can check it out ....
I didn’t use much of it .....Hopefully it was my mistake in how I prepared the shrimp - wouldn’t be the first time I’ve screwed something up ...
In all my posts ( I think ) regarding this matter I’ve heaped praise upon your products - which is why I didn’t understand the saltiness.
It seemed to me that it would be magical on shrimp.
“However, I found the dogmatic nature of your incorrect assumptions and assertions about some mistake we must have made to be offensive.”
I did not mean to offend , disparage be “dogmatic” or hurt you in any way, and I certainly wasn’t trying to sabotage S21.
I was just posting my review as requested by you .
I didn’t “assert that you made a mistake” - I just said it was too salty for my tastes.
I hope there’s no hard feelings.
Again , as I’ve said earlier , I have been a loyal user for years - as I’m sure you can see - and obviously love your products .
Yours are the ONLY rubs I use .
Again , thanks ... that is another reason I enjoy doing business with you ...
I just hope you don’t “cut me off” in the future ...
:-D :-D
Bk
Sending another sample was unnecessary, but thank you anyway...
I would be more than happy to try it again , as I hope it will be more agreeable .... as I said earlier - I really liked the flavors of the S21.
I should probably try it on something else , like chicken.
I will be sure to let you know my impressions.
Of course I will be happy to send the original back to you so you can check it out ....
I didn’t use much of it .....Hopefully it was my mistake in how I prepared the shrimp - wouldn’t be the first time I’ve screwed something up ...
In all my posts ( I think ) regarding this matter I’ve heaped praise upon your products - which is why I didn’t understand the saltiness.
It seemed to me that it would be magical on shrimp.
“However, I found the dogmatic nature of your incorrect assumptions and assertions about some mistake we must have made to be offensive.”
I did not mean to offend , disparage be “dogmatic” or hurt you in any way, and I certainly wasn’t trying to sabotage S21.
I was just posting my review as requested by you .
I didn’t “assert that you made a mistake” - I just said it was too salty for my tastes.
I hope there’s no hard feelings.
Again , as I’ve said earlier , I have been a loyal user for years - as I’m sure you can see - and obviously love your products .
Yours are the ONLY rubs I use .
Again , thanks ... that is another reason I enjoy doing business with you ...
I just hope you don’t “cut me off” in the future ...
:-D :-D
Bk
Last edited:
Crakaveli
Full Fledged Farker
I used it in the pho recipe included with the sample. I didn't have the same brand of stock on hand but mine was the "no salt added" variety. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. It still came out bland. It smelled great but didn't have enough salt. Maybe I screwed up and didn't add enough seasoning. Maybe some MSG would help?
I'll eventually use it as a meat rub and see what happens.
I'll eventually use it as a meat rub and see what happens.
kcmike
is Blowin Smoke!
No, of course there's no hard feelings and you're not Excommunicato... :becky: :becky:
:thumb: :thumb:
Thanks,
Music Junkie
Full Fledged Farker
I finally got around to some cooking this weekend, and I was able to dust some thighs with the Saigon 21 seasoning. Overall, the family enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't get a chance to take any real pics of the final product, as the family loves thighs and they don't tend to last long when we make them. I would say that we were on the side that it could have used a dash more of salt. Not much, just a little. I am dying to give it a go on some ribs, or to even try the Pho recipe. Might even see how it goes on some fresh halibut. It is a very interesting flavor. I think I would buy it in the future, if it lands in the rotation.
Ylouder
Knows what a fatty is.
To the OP...as others have said, with seafood and other really light foods you may be really overdoing the marinade times. Even with stuff like ribs, you can over season very easily.
I typically season everything within an hour or so of going on the grill or smoker.
I typically season everything within an hour or so of going on the grill or smoker.
TropicDad
is one Smokin' Farker
I agree with too long in the marinade, try again seasoning about 10 minutes before cooking. I like to marinade shrimp in lemon olive oil for about 30 minutes to an hour, season them right before cooking.
I can’t wait to try the S21, Mike put it up for sale soon please!
I can’t wait to try the S21, Mike put it up for sale soon please!
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Was finally able to try it on some skinless boneless thighs tonight. Family loved it! Look forward to further experimentation 
Fayborg
Knows what a fatty is.
Thanks Mike for the sample. My wife I enjoyed it on chicken, on ribeyes and pork chops. We felt it was the best on the pork and chicken. So so on the beef but will apply earlier and let it soak in more. My wife felt that perhaps the ginger she was thinking was more pronounced then she liked. Overall it was good and kinda refreshing in a way. I need to make that soup you mentioned. Once again thanks.
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Music Junkie
Full Fledged Farker
I mentioned earlier that I had finally been able to try some Saigon 21 last weekend on some boneless, skinless thighs. Just on the gasser over high heat. Good results.... The same day I prepped those, I prepped some half hens, and four bone-in, skin-on thighs. The intent was to put them in the IVC on that Sunday. Well, life got in the way, and I couldn't get to them until yesterday (Wednesday). Had to toss them all in the oven after work, as I didn't want to fire up the pit that late in the afternoon. I put them in on the convection-bake setting at 375 and let em' go. I wasn't sure what to expect because they had sat in the fridge for 5 days in the rub. The end result was that the rub flavor was certainly more pronounced, and the family loved it! I thought it turned out great. I did add a dash of salt before I put them in, based on the feedback from the first round. After eating that chicken, I am ready to place my order with Mike right now.:thumb:
