mustard before the rub

[twistertail]

Ok I cant stand mustard and have never put it on a pork shoulder. From what I have read on here you dont taste any mustard by the time its done but I just cant bring myself to rub that nasty yellow stuff all over my meat, I think it should be spelled musTURD. What does it really do? Does is give you better bark?

 

[richoso1]

Well it does help the rub stick to the meat, and it can help with the bark. My butcher said he uses OVOO to make the rub stick. I use the mustard because in the end I can't taste it, but I have used EVOO and in my experiences there was litlle diff4rence. Your call.

 

[smokebuzz]

I think it makes for a mushy barq, you dont think that some folks use mustard for the vinegar content, say, to possibley open the puors of the meat, to let the rub in easyier?
just a thot

 

[Deer Meat]

I use EVOO on my butts before I rub them. I can't bring myself to use the mustard either.

 

[richtee]

Might I suggest a half-n-half approach? There really is not any discernable mustard taste after, and why add more fat to a butt? Furthermore he EVOO will heat up and tend to run, where mustard will dry and hold. My 2% of a dollar.

 

[hawgheaven]

It helps the bark and does help keep the rub in place... no flavor "enhancement" though...

 

[twistertail]

The thing is they have all tasted great without the musTURD so on one hand I think, why mess with a good thing, but on the other if it can get even better I'll give it a shot.

 

[hawgheaven]

Try it, you might like it...

 

[fatback joe]

I don't bother with the mustard personally, but I agree that you should try it for yourself and decide............as others have said, you don't taste the mustard.

 

[bbq bubba]

Twister, i have the same feeling about mustard but i had to try it once...............haven't gone back, make's a great bark, still gross' me out putting it on but make's a great difference!! Try it at least once!!

 

[twistertail]

Ok I MIGHT try it, its going to be hard to get past rubbing that nasty stuff on there.

 

[cowgirl]

I use about a 2" paint brush....squeeze the mustard on and brush it on with the paint brush.

 

[pescadero]

I like mustards, of all kinds. Grew up with too many hot dogs at too many ball games I guess. So still like mustard on lots of things and occasionally use it as a pre-rub.

I agree with the others, it has little effect on the actual final taste but is a good binder for your actual rub. And, it does seem to give you a thicker Bark. Certainly a Bark with a somewhat different texture than you would get without it.

One thng I think about when I am deciding to use mustard or not, is the ingredients in the actual rub that I am going to use. For instance, if I am using Jeff's rub or a rub of similar nature, I might lean toward using mustard. Those ingredients are great whether alone or in combination with the mustard. But, one of my favorite flavors is a garlic, sage, herb based rub. When I use these ingredients, I usually rely on EVOO. I just like those flavors so much I don't want to risk them being covered up or masked, even if it is only minimally.

Bottom line is, even if you don't like mustard, you have little to risk. The mustard is so benign, it will hot hurt anything. Like the others say, you owe it to yourself to try it once, Just so you can speak from experience and not from worry. I think you will be glad you did.

Skip

 

[smokin for life]

One more vote for mustard, it does make a better bark. and has no after taste.

 

[richtee]

Spoken like a true Knight! :{)

 

[starsfaninco]

I thought the idea of a rub was to take the coarse, abrasive spices and RUB them into the meat to break up the fibers and impart the flavors of the spices into the meat. If you're adding a lubricant to that process, aren't you defeating the purpose? Rubs shouldn't have any trouble 'sticking' to a meat as they are basically ground into them. Am I missing something here?

 

[richtee]

Ya still rub 'em in. A delightful mess. And I sprinkle on top of that! :{) You'll never get the amount of rub to adhere to the meat without a base... well, maybe with a base - ball bat!

As far as breaking down the meat fibers, low and slow has 10 times the effect as any physical abuse you can impart to raw meat short of grinding it. All that extra rub held by the base THEN seeps in...during the latter stages of the smoke. Another reason to mop.

 

[bigarm's smokin]

I tried the mustard once and didn't like it. I must have done some thing wrong cause I could taste mustard when the meat was done. I actually like mustard.

Perhaps I just smeared it on too thick?

 

[richtee]

Dunno, Terry... I do like Cowgirl said...just paint it on. A thin coat, and let it sit for a half hour. Gets sticky as all get-out and holds my spices real fine-like!

 

[rattlin_ram]

I had the same results as Terry...

I didn't like the bark it left, had an odd flavor to it... Maybe I did something wrong too... I painted it on with a brush, but maybe I did it too thick. Anybody got any pics?