Looking for a pork rub that is NOT brown sugar based

[Smoking Audi]

Gonna be smoking a pork butt over the holiday weekend and we usually use a brown sugar based rub but this time we are looking for something different?

Anybody have a rub they want to share that does not use brown sugar?

Wife is type 2 diabetic so if it has sugar we will be using a substitute. We actually found a no sugar brown sugar that we can use if decide to stick with the brown sugar rub.

 

[zwiller]

I am of the opinion sugar (and much of the rub) just runs off the meat during smoke. I don't even use a rub at all on butts as I inject. My go to rub for most other fare is Cspg. 1TBSP chili powder, 1tsp each salt, BP, garlic powder.

 

[slavikborisov]

make it easy... lawry's seasoned salt and butter rub it and inject melted butter with the seasoned salt into the butt

normally for a homemade rub i do equal parts of weather it 1/4 cup or 1/8 cup
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
salt
black pepper
parsley
chili powder
celery powder


i rarely use brown sugar if anything ill throw dextrose in it or white sugar

 

[SmokinAl]

Really the rub is mainly for the bark. It is not going to penetrate into the meat very far. But of course when you pull it you incorporate the bark into the meat giving it a bunch of flavor. We usually inject & brine the butt overnight & If you are a pepper head like me, you may want to just put some binder on the butt & a nice coat of CBP too. That sounds real good to me, with a nice finishing sauce!
Al

 

[Newglide]

I typically use SPOG to rub then when I wrap I put a little apple juice in the pan then I use the apple juice and drippings when I pull. You can always substitute the apple juice for whatever you like that doesn't have sugar

 

[jcam222]

Gonna be smoking a pork butt over the holiday weekend and we usually use a brown sugar based rub but this time we are looking for something different?

Anybody have a rub they want to share that does not use brown sugar?

Wife is type 2 diabetic so if it has sugar we will be using a substitute. We actually found a no sugar brown sugar that we can use if decide to stick with the brown sugar rub.

I like to use a nice Mexican spice rub out on heavy. I usually use tx smoker taco seasoning. Which brown sub are you using? I make frequent use of both Swerve Brown and Golden Lakanto.

 

[tx smoker]

I like to use a nice Mexican spice rub out on heavy. I usually use tx smoker taco seasoning.

Thanks for the shout out Jeff. I do have a pork rub that has been a mainstay for years. It does have sugar in it but not brown sugar. Smoking Audi mentioned that he has a sugar substitute he can use. This is a basic but very good rub and I'll post the recipe at the end of this reply. Matter of fact my BIL in on the KCBS circuit and he won a rib competition with it. He did use brown sugar though instead of regular sugar, but the point is, this is pretty good stuff. I've never used the taco seasoning on pork but it does sound tasty Jeff. Here is my basic pork rub:

½ Cup Paprika
¼ Cup Black Pepper
¼ Cup Sugar
3 T Salt
3T Chili Powder
2 T Garlic Powder
2 T Onion Powder
1 T Cayenne Pepper

If you think you'd like to give the taco seasoning a try, just say the word and I'll post it...again That recipe has made the rounds.

Robert

 

[Fueling Around]

I use my own sugar free and low salt mix
Pretty much equal parts
Paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, Mexican oregano, and cumin
Salt is 1/2 part or less

I like to use a nice Mexican spice rub out on heavy. …

Now that I think about it my rub is basically a taco Mexican theme, too

 

[Smoking Audi]

I like to use a nice Mexican spice rub out on heavy. I usually use tx smoker taco seasoning. Which brown sub are you using? I make frequent use of both Swerve Brown and Golden Lakanto.

Right now we have Truvia in the house for our brown sugar substitute. We have Baby Ray sugar free BBQ sauce at the moment as well. We like the G. Hughes stuff as well. The down side of a sugar free BBQ sauce is that it does not seem to caramelize.


Thank you everyone for the rub ideas.

 

[zwiller]

The down side of a sugar free BBQ sauce is that it does not seem to caramelize.

I am also of the opinion that bark formation/color pickup is mostly related to the moisture of the meat surface. Sugar carmelization does not really occur under 320F. Paprika/chili powder/other color agents definitely improve the effect but it's really just the meat drying that does it. Search pellicle. For MES I need to do an overnight uncovered rest for butts to get the meat surface dry enough to get that meteor rock bark I like. LOL I get nearly the same bark without using a rub. Was shocking to see the first time I did it.

 

[JC in GB]

Just a suggestion for you. Don't season your pork shoulder in any way. Simply put it in the pit and smoke it until done. Shred, taste, season.

If you have never done this, I would recommend this for any BBQ enthusiast. It gives you a very good baseline understanding of how meat, heat and smoke work together to produce that great BBQ flavor.

Once you have the pork cooked and shredded, you can easily dial in the seasoning to your sauce(s).

I prefer to season my pork prior to cooking but this method really got me a good understanding of how the flavors of pork and smoke work together and it produces good product so it was a net win-win.

My $0.02

JC

 

[Newglide]

Just a suggestion for you. Don't season your pork shoulder in any way. Simply put it in the pit and smoke it until done. Shred, taste, season.

There are quite a few BBQ joints in my area of NC that this the way they do it

 

[JC in GB]

There are quite a few BBQ joints in my area of NC that this the way they do it

I knew some places did this but they don't really advertise it.

 

[zwiller]

Just a suggestion for you. Don't season your pork shoulder in any way. Simply put it in the pit and smoke it until done. Shred, taste, season.

Good idea.

I knew some places did this but they don't really advertise it.

People tend to assume injections are all like TonyC with big bold flavors, not always/not mine. It just tastes better than plain but the effect is not obvious at all.

 

[fxsales1959]

I am of the opinion sugar (and much of the rub) just runs off the meat during smoke. I don't even use a rub at all on butts as I inject. My go to rub for most other fare is Cspg. 1TBSP chili powder, 1tsp each salt, BP, garlic powder.

I agree with Fueling around only perhaps a TBL or two of smoked paprika.