RUB SNAFU!

[boykjo]

I am having the same problem with the my home made rub hardening. I keep it in a zip lock container and have to break it up with a large spoon.  I bet if I vacuum sealed it, it would be like a rock . Some how there is a way to make rub with a sugar in it because I order 10 lbs of john henrys pecan rub and vacuum seal it into 1lb pkgs and it will crumble by lightly squeezing the bag when opened...........

 

[shellbellc]

I use the sugar in the raw also.  Also has a higher burn temp than regulard brown sugar.

 

[ransom51]

The old-fashioned method - stick a slice of bread in with your rub. I do that with my brown sugar and it never clumps up on me - have done it with rubs, too.

I've done the same thing with rubs that have brown sugar. 1 slice of white bread works great.

And if it's already hard you can still add the bread and it will be soft in a couple days.

 

[Dutch]

If I make a large batch of rub that will take a couple of weeks to a month to use I'll go with Sugar in the Raw. If it's a batch that I know will be completey used in one run (like a big ol' batch of ribs), I'll use brown sugar. 

 

[flyweed]

hmm...I make my rubs in bulk..and they have SOME Brown sugar in them..I always vacuum seal them in bags..and have never had clumping or "the brick" issue with any of them..they are all powdery, like the day they went into the bag.

Dan

 

[chef willie]

hmmm, this happens at times with my granulated garlic & onion also....think I'll go stick a piece of bread in each now.

 

[tinkerin]

A bit late on this topic, but here's how I do mine.  I have not had a problem with the brown sugar.  My rub has 1 part brown sugar, 8 parts other stuff including white sugar. 

For containers, I re-use the big spice bottles from Sam's/Costco that the garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, pepper, etc come in.  They are a great size for me and have shaker caps so the rub is easy to apply.  Then, after I mix up and fill the containers, I just stick them in the freezer.  I do make sure I have the rub well mixed, so maybe the powders kind of combine with the brown sugar granules and it doesn't stick back together, and I fill the bottles loosely, I don't compact them at all.  At any rate, my mixes have stayed 'shaker loose' for 4-5 months.  Don't think I've ever had any in longer then that before they get used up.

Another way to keep brown sugar soft is to put a slice of apple in the container.  Keep it so the skin sits on the brown sugar.   The moisture gets drawn out of the apple.  Replace it every couple of months.  I use about a 4th of a small apple.  You can refresh a container of hard brown sugar this way, just takes a couple of days. 

Now, this thread has me wondering if putting a couple of hunks in a rub bottle might make for a more interesting rub flavor...