Tired of the same old ribs??????

[s2k9k]

I have been, pork butts too, I haven't smoked ribs in over a year because I am tired of the same old thing. I had tried switching up my rubs but they were still too similar until I saw forluvofsmoke's (Eric) "Blueberry/Cherry/RBP rub he posted in this thread:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/148760/blueberry-cherry-rub-on-spares-q-view

As soon as I saw this I knew it was something I just had to try. Also I am trying to reduce my sodium intake so I have started looking for flavors that will make up for the lack of salt.

I smoked two racks of ribs today and one I used Eric's blueberry/cherry/RBP rub (mentioned above) and the other I used his cherry/RBP rub that I found in this article he wrote:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/cherry-dry-rub-recipe-and-process

The two recipes are very similar so I wanted to try both to see what impact the blueberries would make. Let me tell you, the cherry was very good but the blueberries took it to another level! The only thing I did different than his recipe was I didn't add any salt, the recipe doesn't call for much so I wanted to see if it would be missed since that is what I am trying to get rid of. Well I don't think that rub needs any salt! There is so much flavor going on I couldn't even tell there wasn't any salt. This is a very interesting flavor, slightly sweet but not sugary and a little spicy but not hot, it's really hard to describe but is a very awesome change of pace from the old ordinary rubs. I can't wait to try it on a pork butt. Right now I have some beef marinating in it (with a couple of secret ingredients to be named later) for an experiment in no salt jerky that will happen tomorrow.

So if you are tired of the same old ribs or pork I highly suggest giving this a try, you will be happy you did!

OK yea I got a few pics to share:

Blueberry/Cherry/RBP:

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

Cherry/RBP:

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

Blueberry:

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

Cherry:

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

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• s2k9k
• Sep 21, 2013

Many Thanks go out to Eric for his hard work developing these rubs and especially for sharing them with us here at SMF!!!

 

[skypilot]

I looked at those and thought they'd be worth trying, now I know I wanna try....

 

[kathrynn]

Dave those look amazing! The colors are great!

Now I need try that!

Kat

 

[s2k9k]

I looked at those and thought they'd be worth trying, now I know I wanna try....:drool:

Thanks Sky!

Dave those look amazing! The colors are great!

Now I need try that!

Kat

Thanks Kat!

Looks aren't everything but the flavor of this is! Something that definitely needs to be experienced!

 

[rlk438]

Please post the no salt jerky trials. I am doing no salt Q because of BP.

 

[s2k9k]

Please post the no salt jerky trials. I am doing no salt Q because of BP.

I will and I am going to be working on other no salt things in the future for the same reason. I will post as I get the flavors to work. I am concerned with the jerky because I am so used to a normal jerky flavor which always contains a lot of salt and so I am determined to come up with flavors that don't need salt. This will be a work in progress but that is what makes all this so fun, trying new things so as not to get bored with the old!

 

[smoking b]

Those look great Dave! 

   

    I've been working on tracking down some cherries so I can give it a try too 

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Dave, those coarse-ground rubs look FANTASTIC!!! Obviously I know how they taste, but when you mentioned a while back about wanting to go to no-salt rubs, and now trying one of these rubs w/o salt, and your take on the flavor...hmm, now I'll have to try it myself!!!

I am humbled by your decision to go down this path and just roll right into it...thanks for the kind words, too. Sounds like you'll be breaking some new ground on your future quests for healthier and better tasting foods...CONRGATS, brother!!!

As for formulating rubs and sharing them with everyone here, well, it's not hard, and I don't see it as work...it's a labor of love for good food...now if I couldn't share it, well, that just wouldn't set right with me. BTW, I'm ordering a dehydrator in the next month or so, so I'll be putting together more fruit-based dry rubs shortly thereafter...and of course, sharing them with everyone here.

Let us know how that jerky, as well as your future quests, turn out...I'd love to read about it!!!

Enjoy those ribs!!!

Eric

 

[beeflover]

Never saw that before. Neat idea!

 

[daveomak]

Holey Pig Ribs those look good....   More stuff on the bucket list.....     Thanks Dave and Eric........

 

[s2k9k]

Thanks Eric! Yea when I first saw your recipes I knew it was a path I had to try and now it really has the wheels turning! Can't wait to dive deeper into these fruit/vegetable based rubs and get away from the ordinary!
I know you love what you do, can always tell by your writing but I still have to give credit where it is due!


Thanks Dave! You need to jump in this, you know Eric has never let us down!!

 

[disco]

Definitely another on the to do list. Thanks to you and Eric for posting.

Disco

 

[bigblue]

Looks great have to try them

 

[squatch]

I'm going to give this recipe a go on the next round! Looks AWESOME, thanks for sharing...

 

[s2k9k]

OK I'm not going to post the jerky because it was a major FAIL!!! I used naranja agria (bitter orange juice) for a base liquid for the marinade (the only thing I had on hand) because I wanted to use a juice but it overpowered the blueberry rub. I also did another batch with the naranja and various spices (onion, garlic, various pepper) and the spices separated from the juice and just clumped and didn't stick or penetrate the meat. I don't know why it did that, the blueberry rub didn't and looked like it covered the meat very well. I also used cure #1 in each batch. Well now I have some dried bland orange flavored beef! I think I need to go with something a lot more acidic without so much sweet flavor to it like cider vinegar or a milder juice like pineapple or grapefruit and cut it down with something. Oh well, that is what this quest is all about, experimentation!
I'm not disappointed and as to not disappoint you I did grill some chicken breasts with the blueberry rub and they were very good!!!!

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• s2k9k
• Sep 22, 2013

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Sounds like you've made some discoveries with the jerky...just a thought...being cherry goes so well with beef, maybe use cherry juice as part of the marinade solution and drop the dried or fresh cherries from the spice blend. The cherry juice won't be very acidic, so you could add some lemon, lime, or whatever else you have on hand to bring the pH down enough to create some better reaction.

The chicken looks good!!! I didn't have the nerve to try the blueberry rub on the grill, as I figured it would scorch too easily, but you got a nice, light char in spots, so maybe it will work out OK on a med-low grill...maybe just not a super-hot grill for a reverse sear, but it may be worth a try.

Stay with it Dave...you'll be in the groove before you know it!!!


Eric

 

[s2k9k]

Good idea with the cherry juice, that would taste a lot better than orange! Cherry with a hint of lime sounds good!

I have a 4 burner gas grill and I just lit the left burner and put the chicken on the right side bone down. Put the AMNPS in with half a row for a little smoke. The grill held about 250* and when the chicken was just about done I fired up the other burners and flipped the chicken just for a couple minutes to get it a little brown. The rub didn't burn, I think that's just the blueberries getting a dark color, it sure didn't taste burnt, it was really good!

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Dave, yeah, the blueberry/cherry blend does take on a pretty deep color with heat, especially with a fine grind like I usually do...seems to disperse the ground fruits for a more complete coverage when applied, and that probably lends a lot to the color change. My smoked blueberry/cherry pork butt looked burnt to a crisp from a distance after resting, but didn't smell or taste anything of the sort...that was a 24-hr smoke.

I do think the cherry juice and lime would be a good match for beef jerky, as a main ingredients for the marinade. The lime should actually offset the lack of sodium in the flavor profile, as well...anything with some zesty, tart flavor will help reduce that bland taste...coupled with the natural sweetness of the blueberry...OK, this is gonna drive me nuts thinking about it!!! LOL!!! It's got me thinking about making jerky again just to find out. Keep me posted on that one...sounds interesting!!!

Eric

 

[rlk438]

You might try vacuum marinating the jerky. I got a tumbler vacuum marinater and have done one smoke with it. I got the 20lbs drum with it so I can do big batches. I forgot to take photos ( to excited to play with it ) so I plan to take photos next time and post here. With my diet and low salt I did chicken breasts with it and they didn't seem as dry as with out. I know when I vacuum down the drum you can see the air bubbles coming out of the meat. With the jerky you would really get the marinat in. Just me thoughts

 

[bad santa]

Great post! Thanks to the both of y'all for sharing your ideas, recipes, pics, and trials with us so we all can try to eat better as well as have great tasting que. Thanks again Dave and Eric...