When do you guys apply the rub?

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Cheech and Chong

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Do you guys apply the rub and let the meat absorb it overnight in the fridge, or do you apply the rub and put the meat on the smoker?

Would the amount of salt in the rub make a difference?
 
There are several different opinions around here on this subject. As I'm sure you can imagine. Personally it all depends on the meat with ribs I usually apply the rub about an hour before they hit the smoker. It allows enough time for the rub to get moist and sticky and the ribs to warm up a bit. Brisket and butts I will usually apply the rub a couple hours before I start cooking. But I'm not one for the overnight system. Not that I'm opposed to it, I just have not felt like it gave me a better product. For me with chicken it's throw and go unless it's a marinade of course.
 
I generally add the rub directly after firing up the smoker. I let the meat sweat with the applied rub during heat up and then throw it on the pit when cook temperature has been reached. I'm a believer that the rub is capable of breaking down the meat structure surface if it sits for extended periods of time before cooking. :thumb:
 
I always applied the rub the night before years ago and had good results, but my rub was mostly brown sugar with only a small portion of salt. Then one time I had extra people show up during the cook and I sent someone to get a few more slabs and wound up putting the rub on just before tossing it in the smoker. The rib with the last minutes rub was just as good if not better than the ones applied the night before so I’ve been applying the rub as the smoker heats up ever since.

Since covid started I started preparing the ribs just before lighting the fire because the ribs are trimmed so poorly that I wind up spending a lot more time trimming the ribs before I even get to the rub.
 
As there hitting the smoker, expect for pork shoulder. I season that an hour or so AFTER it hits the smoker
 
I generally don’t plan cooks so it happens when I’m getting the cooker to temp usually.
 
I've always rubbed the ribs before smoking, either night before or the day of, depending on my free time. But I've never been completely happy. Last time I did ribs I put the rub on at the very end, with just about 30 minutes of cook time and it was great. I think I prefer the flavor of the meat smoked and the flavor of the rub just toasted but not smoked for hours. I did salt and pepper before smoking.
 
frayedend said:
I've always rubbed the ribs before smoking, either night before or the day of, depending on my free time. But I've never been completely happy. Last time I did ribs I put the rub on at the very end, with just about 30 minutes of cook time and it was great. I think I prefer the flavor of the meat smoked and the flavor of the rub just toasted but not smoked for hours. I did salt and pepper before smoking.
Click to expand...

Try smoking ribs without rub. Years ago I did this to see how the smoke alone affects the flavor and really liked the result. Salt and pepper is all that some people use.
 
I do butts and briskets the night before. But not usually ribs. Usually rub them and then light the smoker.
 
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