4 competitions - Homemade v. "Store Bought" Rubs, Injections, etc.

[MeatStreet]

Being new to competing, I've been looking for some good recipes for rubs and injections for the 4 competition meats.

From what I've seen so far, it seems that most competitors use store bought stuff.

I get the appeal.

1. You're using something proven;

2. It's probably cheaper in the long run;

3. It takes less time.

But I'm wondering if all that weighs out with everyone here.

I LIKE making rubs, injections, etc. I consider bbq my art and this is part of it.

Plus, can the store bought stuff be THAT much better. Aside from some random ingredient that I haven't thought of and/or flavor enhancers, does it make that much of a difference.

Would love peoples' thoughts on this.

Also, if anyone has a great brisket or pork rub/injection recipe for comps, I'd love to try it out.

Thanks!!!

 

[Beentown]

I make my own. Rarely compete but have done well.

I have also tried other rubs and am going to have a taste testing among a bunch of other competitors that are friends and see what they choose between my rub and a couple commercial rubs.


I really like Oakridges rub line. But when I compare how much it costs to use commercial rubs it makes the frugal part of me cringe, which is a big part of me.

One thing I do use that really changes the game is an injection for brisket. If I have two properly cooked briskets one injected (Butchers) and one not. The injected is much "bolder".



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[TravelingJ]

I spoke to a friend of mine on this very topic. When I first started with smoking, I had dreams of eventually creating my own rubs and sauces for everything. I asked him what he used when he competed. He explained that he had always used his own rubs, but now that he is 'out of the game' he sticks to the store bought stuff. His reasoning was that when he competed he made them just to HIS specifications, and that often involved 1 or 2 ingredients that were fairly pricy. Since he's not trying to get that tiniest advantage over the next guy, now he's very pleased sticking to store-bought and has found them to be cheaper than when he made his own.

 

[Beentown]

As an FYI I don't know of another competitor making "scratch" rubs. They are layering commercial rubs for the most part.

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[ynotfehc]

I've been competing for about 5yrs. I started using commercial rubs and sauces 2yrs ago, and wish I started sooner. I understand the idea of having a great recipe and the fin side of playing with flavors. But with the cost of competing it's not the time to play, that's what Nov-Mar is for. I wish I started earlier with commercial rubs to find the flavors and combos that work well together and then work from that to create my signature rub flavor. I started trying to make my flavor, then went commercial and back to working out kinks on my recipes now, probably won't ever compete with them, but having fun at home with it.

 

[CentralOhioBBQ]

Buy them, it will save you time and worry, and likely will be better than your homemade expirements. I’ve just came to this realization this past season..

 

[kenthanson]

Just like the last couple of posters we've switched to commercial rubs and sauces as well and our scores have shown improvement because of it. When we were making our own we were fussing with them constantly so there were subtle changes every contest. Now that we have the rubs and sauces the only thing that can change is tenderness as everything else will be a constant. A brand new bottle of rub for every contest for what we get in bottles and fresh vacuum sealed for what we get in bulk for every contest.

Yeah it felt nice to get the occasional call with our home brew stuff it's even better to finish top 3 with what we get commercially. It also helps that half of our rubs and our sauce come from a very good friend and tremendous team Prairie Smoke and Spice out of Regina Canada.

 

[Dtmara]

It's trial and error mixed with passion. Maybe your rub will work, maybe it won't. You won't know until you try, and it sounds like you'd regret it if you don't give it a run with your stuff. The purpose behind competing is purely fun. It's a diversion and immersion, something you love that you invest yourself into that really doesn't matter and means everything all at once. If that passion is driving you to make everything home made, it's the right choice to go with it. You'll know if and when you want to give something else a try. If you do meander to mixing and matching commercial rubs, I think you'll be surprised to find that their use and what they add is a revelation to your craft, not a shortcut. Using them might make your rubs better by enlarging and enriching your pallet. In the end, competing is a journey of passion. Do and try out what you want before everything else.

 

[Robert]

I say go for it. Who knows, you may have the next "it" sauce and or rub. You won't know until you try. Keep in mind that most folks entering the competition world have a learning curve. As you practice for your first comp, invite friends over to be judges. For added fun, in a blind experiement use your own products against some of the more mainstream products and see which ones your friends judge the best. If you have been cooking a while, your friends probably think that you are a great cook anyway, so this will be the best gauge of the homemade versus commercial products.

Good luck and let us know how it works for you.

Robert

 

[Right on Q]

I've gotten calls with homemade and commercial. It was fun tweaking and making my rubs and sauces but with everything else that goes into a competition it got tiring.

Once I switched to commercial rubs we got more consistent calls. But hey, if you want to tinker with flavors I say go for it! All the commercial rubs we know and love started in someone's home kitchen.

 

[Ron_L]

The folks who sell rubs put a lot of time and research into their products, and I don’t have that kind of time available, so I use commercial rubs.

But, if someone were to set up a competition where commercial rubs were not allowed, and there was a way to enforce that, I would be interested, mainly for fun.

 

[kwas68]

I use my own rub and blend my sauce into a commercial one for chicken. We've had success with it. On the other 3 meats, it is all commercial stuff.

I think that you can have success with either but you can shorten the learning curve by using stuff that already is a proven winner. Test trials are expensive with how much each contest costs.

 

[Bigbass300]

We started our first year of comp this past year blending our own spice and sauce. Wasn't untill we switched to commercially made our last event that we got calls. Like Ron L, I just think most commercail spice makers put a lot of effort into their products. They also understand the scence of blending, and have the proper equipment. Hard to beat that for competing when everything is so close...I'm going to stick to my blends cooking in the back yard.

 

[gettinbasted]

I’ve been part of commercial rub R&D. You’ll take your lumps if you’re doing research on a rub that wins. Generally, you’d want to be a top notch competitor first and then develop your rubs from there. Or find a top level competitor to run with your rubs and give you feedback.

If you’re just starting out, you have no idea if it’s bad rubs or a bad cook.

 

[SpratBoy]

Commercial rubs/sauces are easier to deal with, and you can rely on a consistent flavor - the product stays the same each time. I've always felt that a lot of judges are acclimatized to the commercial flavors, so they may lean toward the product that tastes most like one of the commercial rubs/sauces that they have tried and liked in the past. Having said all that, I too, enjoy making my own sauces and rubs, so I do get somewhat inconsistent comp results with them, but it's part of the fun, so I plan on keeping with the homemade stuff

 

[Pappy Q]

I have my own rub that is now commercially made and sold. It would have never came about without years of competition experience using other commercial rubs. It’s done very well in the first years and it’s a blast seeing other folks be successful with it.

 

[MeatStreet]

Thanks everyone for responding. This was really enlightening. Usually I'm a super stubborn bastard in life, but this changed my perspective.

I really like what Dtmara said. "It's a diversion and immersion, something you love that you invest yourself into that really doesn't matter and means everything all at once."

That sums it up. I'm going to try some commercial rubs this season and see how it goes.

I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this.

 

[Rusty Kettle]

I have my own rub that is now commercially made and sold. It would have never came about without years of competition experience using other commercial rubs. It’s done very well in the first years and it’s a blast seeing other folks be successful with it.

I was thinking about ordering your rub because I have to reorder another rub I use. Whats your favorite meat to use it on?

To the OP you could get a bbq book. They usually have their comp recipes in there. You still get to make it but they have proven recipes. Although its cheaper to just buy commercial rubs and sauces.

 

[Pappy Q]

I was thinking about ordering your rub because I have to reorder another rub I use. Whats your favorite meat to use it on?

To the OP you could get a bbq book. They usually have their comp recipes in there. You still get to make it but they have proven recipes. Although its cheaper to just buy commercial rubs and sauces.

I use it on all 4 meats in competition. Straight on chicken, a little sweet added for ribs and pork, a little savory added for brisket. At home we use it on everything from salmon to veggies to popcorn.

 

[nachos4life]

When competing I just use commercial rubs, but maybe add something extra like a bit of cayenne or something if i think it needs it. Mostly use commercial sauces too except with pork. I use a mix of commercial and homemade sauce on that, and it is our best category somehow