It seems as though most rubs out there use paprika as a major component.
I do not like the stuff. To me, it has very little taste. And the taste it does impart, I don't care for. Now, this may well be a case of me using 'cheap' paprika (as pictured above) from the store as opposed to high grade stuff and not getting a 'real' paprika flavor. Along the lines of pre-ground black pepper vs grinding your own. Or that parmesan cheese dust vs shredding up your own Parmigiano Reggiano. (The new parm twist grinders are a nice alternative.) As for taste, there's NO comparison when using the pre-ground stuff. The freshly ground or grated is far superior in both flavor and intensity.
In this forum I've read that:
Paprika has almost no taste.
Different varieties of paprika can make a big difference in taste.
It's mostly just for color.
Color is merely a nice side effect.
To me, I don't like the flavor of the generic paprika and I don't care what color the meat is as long as it tastes good. I know there will probably be vastly differing opinions on this but I'm curious about what others think on this.
Do you use paprika? And if so, what do you believe it does for you?
Thanks for the feedback.