Ribs with no rub?

go basic. paprika for color, brown sugar for bark and some salt and pepper. that is about as basic a rub as you can get.

Turbinado sugar (various brands and names) is less processed than typical brown sugar. It produces great flavor and additional texture, but you need to experiment with recipes to see if it infuses the correct flavor. It is more expensive. I use it for finished products like cookies, cakes, etc. and use the brown sugar for my sauces. (It mixes faster)

whistlepig said:

This sounds like the way I want to go. Basic is where I want to start. I got some Turbinado sugar to try. I think Hungarian paprika is most recommended paprika on this sight. Maybe I am building my first homemade rub. That would be awesome if I could perfect a homemade rub. Thanks for your help. I'm starting over on my ribs. Off the shelf rubs just aren't working for me.     

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careful now. it's  a slippery slope. you will start making rubs and sauces from scratch and will never like any store bought items again! lol

there are a lot of good rubs on this site. my rib rub is very complicated with 14 or so spices. i bet i could use 5 and it will still be better than anything else you can buy.

you get to put as much color,salt,heat as you like. so just try and use what you have or can get. I used different types of paprika and sugars and always get good results. maybe a little different but good.

take sugar. I have used brown and turbinado at one time or another and I am still playing around with what kind of bark it gives me and what i like better. most brown sugar is a combination of molasses and sugar. i ten to not put sugar in my rub mix, i find it more flexible to mix a big batch of my rub and add sugar later to a mix as needed.

tomorrow, I going to use light brown sugar! yet another variation. this time I am coating the ribs with evo then the rub. let it sit one hour. then coat with the light brown sugar and toss in the smoker.

this is a thread where i post my progress.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/113143/joes-rib-diary/20

like i said i could just cut it all down to basics and it will be great food. i have a lot of steps but that is the fun of it to me. but now my flavor profiles is all tied to together. rub,mop,sauce and smoke.

I have bee reading Jeff book and Myron. there is some simple stuff in there, so i am making my own generic bbq rub. hoping ti will mix well with apple smoke and soon to try pecan. so made this up today to try out this weekend

• 1 TBS Fine Sea Salt
• 2 TBS Paprika Spanish
• 2 TBS Ancho Chili powder
• 2 TBS Tomato Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Pepper
• 1 tsp granulated onion powder
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp lime juice powder

Directions
mix spices. 

add sugar as needed. for example a blacked chicken i would add sugar on top of rub as needed.

all spices purchased from spice barn.

a good way to do it, is mix your rub mix into some cream cheese and get some crackers. great way to to taste test for a generic flavor profile. My inspiration for a classic BBQ taste is, don't laugh, KC style BBQ potato chips. this isn't bad and will toss on some chicken this weekend. might be a keeper, might be a bomb but it's a lot more fun then buying a store bought one.

Whistlepig, IMHO. I would leave them un-wrapped , why? They are being done the same way as you would if you'd 'Braise' the Meat. It will,to me, taste boiled and I want a smoky Pig flavor , wether I use a rub or not... 

I never wrap until it's ready for transport , then only to hold the heat...they start like this...



and end like this , the bend test ; no sauce ,just the smoky flavor ... bite off tender  and , yes , i have a sauce if my guest need it (aka  ,   inimformed).



 I'm not saying this IS the way to do Ribs...I'm just saying  it's my way , it works and I like it and so does all my Relatives and friends. You just gotta find Your way that suits you, practice, try new ways and you'll bee OK.

Have fun and...

whistlepig said:

I'm riding your shirt tail here. I've saved your post. This sounds like a very good blend. Not so overpowering. And the flavors that I like. No cayenne pepper in this recipe. You didn't mention sugar as part of your rub. Do you use sugar?   

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thanks but it just a suggestion. so many ways to slice the pig!

I mix the rubs without sugar so they are more versatile, allowing me to choses if and what type of sugar I want. i make a whole quart size jar full and then in a new container, add my rub and sugar together. Or sprinkle my rub on and then add sugar on top. at least according to my thinking, this is useful. If this works out it can go over items where I don’t want sugar like a baked potato or maybe in a Mac cheese that I have been toying around with. as a bonus, my diabetic guests get a treat without sugar.

looking though books i bought and many wonderful recipes on this site, there is a lot of great information, Have fun and enjoy experimenting balancing the flavors of the rub, smoke,mop and any sauces you add on top. 

[font=arial, sans-serif]now to get my smoker fired up for rib-palooza [/font]Saturday in my back yard :)

@ oldschool. that is great color on that rib!