Making or Buying A Rub.....
I know we all discuss rub recipes and discuss which is best from time to time. But the question of making and using home made rubs versus buying and using commercial rubs always seems to resurface time after time.
The best rub in the world is the rub you like best. More often than not the rub you like best will not be the one you make yourself. This is because we get locked into a closed mind of what spices we should put into the rub we make. Personal changes in taste are difficult to make and we tend to lock in on a specific set of ingredients and exclude others that don't appeal to our personal tastes.
This is the reason many people chose other rubs in taste tests. They break your barriers of normal taste and expand your flavor horizons. Remember that a rub is not only a mixture of spices and herbs, it is a mixture of flavors. A good rub will have a balanced flavor that adds layers of flavor of the meat, without overpowering it. While a rub will add flavor, it is also a flavor enhancer that brings out and compliments the overall flavor of the meat with subtle additions of salty, sweet, savory, and spicy flavors in perfect balance to our taste buds.
I will probably have some opposition here, but in the end I think it is best to leave the rubs to the professional suppliers. They are commercially mixed in bulk at extreme discounts. They have professional mixing, measuring, and packaging equipment. In the end they have the quality control labs to provide you with a consistent product that will not change from cook to cook. It will save you a lot of work, effort, time, and yes even money in the interim, and there are so many choices out there.
Yes making homemade rubs can be a fun experiment and the outcome can be good. I have tried over 100 recipes and even varied them from time to time, but never created anything outstanding. From my personal experience, by the time you buy the spices, take the time to weigh and mix them, test them. You really don't save any money by doing it yourself.. Add the cost of the spices, the time required to process them (time is money), and you have saved nothing.
The bottom line is that making multi-layers of flavors in rubs at home is not an easy task. It takes time to order fresh ingredients, properly measure and mix them to get that product you are seeking. To many of us here, time is an important commodity much like money. Just as we spend our money wisely, many of us have to manage our time with the same principals. Some of us have the time to do this and others do not, in the end we have to do what is best for our individual needs.
We choose and use what works best for us, what suits our tastes, our preferences, and what time allows us to do.
Also not all commercial rubs are created equal... I have used some that appear to be all salt, others have high sugar content. These may be a desired flavor profile for some, but not for me. I feel these manufacturers who use too much salt or sugar are using these as fillers trying to get a larger return and gain greater profits.
Then again there may be consistency issues with some commercial rubs. I had tried a different commercial rub many years ago, the first two cases I used were great, the third case was overly salty. When I contacted the team about the issue they never responded. I stopped using that product because of the quality issue, so in a pinch I found a manufacturer who sold their rubs with absolute consistency.
It doesn't mean it's right for everyone to buy commercially rubs. Some of you will, some of you won't. But you'll never know unless you try.
In the end, I am saying to open your mind to other things. I was set in my ways and my train of thought. I could have saved myself ten years of ordering and mixing in an effort to try and achieve what was already available to me. Not only was it readily available, but it was much better than any of my recipes.
Making rubs or buying rubs will always be a personal choice. Doing either does not make your "Q" better or worse. Either can expand your flavor horizons and help you find the apex of your cooks. Not everyone cooks in large volumes and buying in bulk can be a bad choice you only have small cooks.
Rubs are like tools, a good design can help make the "BBQ" great, while others may not, use your tools properly. Think of using a pair of pliers to remove a screw, it'll get the job done, but not as good and effectively as the proper screwdriver. It can also be like trying to invent the wheel when it already exists. Look past your current horizons at other items, not just rubs, but cookers, types of wood, and so many other products. Some of these rub makers have had years of design, and development in creating a great product.
Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try something new once in a while. Think of it as treasure hunting, maybe you'll find something good or maybe you won't, but you'll never know unless you try.
. For Pork I put a sauce on afterwards and have both mustard or vinegar based depending on who is around and for ribs sometimes use a version of crack sauce but you need to be careful so it doesn't get too sweet.
