Rib Rub "Issue", Help Please!

I have and weird issue with ribs that I would appreciate some advice on. ray:

I cook on a stickburner burning only wood, no charcoal. I burn Hickory and Oak usually, but I have also used Cherry and Pecan. When I cook ribs, I cook only spares trimmed to St. Louis style, un-enhanced usually from Sam's. I eat them with no sauce or injection at all, just dry rubbed then cooked. I don't foil. I just let them cook until they are done. Pretty simple. My problem is that no matter what rub I use (except for plain salt and pepper) my ribs always taste the same. You can't tell any rubs apart.

For example, yesterday, I cooked spares with one rack with 3Eyz, one rack with Mill's Magic Dust (the one you buy, not the recipe from the book), one rack with Yardbird, one rack with Salt and Pepper, and one rack using a rub from my favorite local BBQ restaurant we frequented before I cooked on my own (for a control since I know how they should taste). All of them except for the Salt and Pepper tasted pretty much exactly the same. I figured I would be able to at least tell the Magic Dust one apart since it is such a different type of rub, but I really couldn't.

The kicker is that no matter what else I cook; brisket, pork shoulder, chicken, pig candy, MOINKS, whatever, I CAN tell the difference between different rubs, and pretty easily.

What am I doing wrong here?

Thank you in advance. Any advice is appreciated.

pigpen269 said:

Are you rubbing the ribs ahead of time or are you just rubbing right before you put them on? I prefer to rub my ribs at least the night before I plan on cooking that way the meat has a chance to soak up some flavor. I have noticed that if i just rub them and put them on that they really don't get much of the flavor and the rub just becomes the bark.

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Usually they are rubbed about two to four hours in advance.

JS-TX said:

My guess is that the rubs are similar enough so that when they have been on your ribs for x amount of hours in the smoker, they have caramelized and end up tasting the same. Another reason is that maybe they are getting over smoked by your stick burner. I bet you probably even get a thick bark on your ribs too. You may want to consider burning some lump or charcoal vs. pure wood, to minimize the heavy smoke. You can also go lighter on the rub initially and then sprinkle some more on during the last hour.

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I don't get an over smoked flavor, and I would be sensitive to that. But I do get a pretty good thick bark. But the bark is only thick on the top, not the bone side of the ribs. And I rub both sides about the same.

As far as my smoke, it's blue at worst, it's usually just "clear" heat vapor leaving my stack with no color.

You may be on to something here though.

bigabyte said:

Do you apply a light dusting of rub? Maybe the pork flavor is dominating so much the minor differences in the rubs are lost in the whole thing? Not that you should cake rub on your ribs...but maybe you just need a little more?

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You could be onto something here also. I usually season lightly for a few reasons. First I don't want these rubs to get so thick and hard. I could be wrong on that thought. Secondly we usually prefer our food less seasoned so we can taste the meat first. I don't go real easy on the rub, not I don't go very generously either.

Fatback Joe said:

Can anyone else that tries them tell them apart?

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Just my wife and she notices the same thing I do. I cook usually just for my little family, and our kids are just too young to have them give input. My daughter would just say they are all "yummy". :becky:

JS-TX said:

By chance are you slathering your ribs w/mustard to hold the rub in place? I think your ribs could probably benefit from foiling for about an 1-1/2 hours. There might not be enough moisture or fat to keep the ribs from developing that thick bark. Some people like that bark, I prefer a lighter bark on my ribs.

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I use oil, not mustard. I get a good bark, but it can get hard or tough. Even tough for a freshly sharpened knife to get through. But the flavor isn't bad. I'm just not getting the perfect bark and can't tell the difference between rubs in flavor. And this problem is only for Ribs.

Gore said:

I would suggest that you apply the rub after you boil the ribs and before you put them in your stickburner. I find when I apply the rub before I boil the ribs, they don't have nearly as much flavor. Try that and let me know how you like them. :thumb:

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Oh Gore, thanks for your sage advice. :laugh:

landarc said:

Just out of curiosity, if they taste good, and you don't cook competition, and the family loves them, why bother with it all, cook and enjoy until the complaints start. I happen to think I can tell the difference between the rubs I use regularly, which doesn't mean I really can though. I use Simply Marvelous Spicy apple, or SM sweet and spicy on pork, I also go with Dizzy Dust and I feel I can tell the difference there. I am sure I can tell Plowboys Yardbird apart from those as well.

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They taste very good, but I am interested in why all rubs taste the same on my ribs, but I can easily tell the difference in flavors between rubs on everything else.

SirPorkaLot said:

If you are smoking the bark to a real dark caramelization, then you are likely not to taste much difference in your final bark regardless, unless you toss something in the rub that sticks out (IE: Red Pepper flakes)

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My ribs do turn out dark when I am done, even with salt and pepper. It's just a deep caramelization on the meat, not burned sugar or creosote. They are a deep brownish mahogany, not black. Maybe I just need more rub and bite the bullet and foil when they reach the color I like.