Salt Free and Sugar Free Dry Rub Help

[MrTimV]

So I've been looking through many rib recipes now, and finally figured I'd break down and ask, so if it's come up before, please point me in the right direction.

For temporary diet restrictions, I'm looking for a rub that doesn't use sugar or salt. I'm ok with sugar substitutes or salt substitues, however as neither really gives the same flavour my initial thought is that they wouldn't work as a direct substitute.

Any thoughts/help would be really appreciated.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Check out some of the suggestions in this thread.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/need-a-salt-and-sugar-free-rub-recipe.133373/#post-907769

 

[SonnyE]

If you compound your own rubs, you control what is in it.
Lucky for me I rarely ever added any salt to what I eat or cooked.
But when my Cardiologist was talking to us in intensive care after a stint surgery, he said low sodium diet.
I explained I rarely ever added salt anyway, but liked pepper. He said that was very good, and that I could have all the pepper I wanted.

So next road trip we stopped for dinner at a Denny's Diner. I wanted to do a sit down, not a sit in the car stop.
So I ordered a Turkey sandwich (shudder) thinking I was doing something healthy. Not a turkey fan.
23XX milligrams of sodium in it! One sandwich, 300 over my 2000 limit! :eek:
After we ordered, we were browsing the contents menu to see how healthy we had guessed. :(
After that I had to eat Wheaties for a week.

Here is some skinny from The American Heart Association

As long as you are mindful of your sodium and sugar intakes, and you work towards lowering them, you needn't torture yourself. Just think before you grab that shaker, or scoop that lovin spoonful.

If a recipe for a rub calls for 1 tsp of salt, and you use 1/2, or 1/4, you cut back by 50% or 75%.
Now don't you feel better? That is one hell of a good step to reducing intake.

One dentist I knew told me that if people cut out processed sugars from their diets, all the Dentists would go out of business.
So I tend to lean towards Honey, or Agave for sweetening. Honey turns into a nice glaze on my Baby Back Ribs sauce.
Which is Sweet Baby Rays doctored with my rub and some honey.

Just be mindful, and you will taper right off those bad habits. o_O

But I have never talked to anybody who got out of life alive.
Even Euell Gibbons died. "Ever eat a Pine Tree? Many parts are edible."

 

[MeatSkull]

Garlic powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, I like the hot stuff, Black pepper, basically spog without the s. If you want a fake sweet add Cumin or powdered Bell pepper , Want it hotter add Pepper flake. I'm on low salt also. A coffee grinder comes in handy for mixing it up.

 

[MrTimV]

Well I tried on last night... Dry Mustard, Cumin, Black Pepper, Onion, Garlic... it was OK... although definately didn't use enough so hard to tell.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

As a CKD and cardiac patient, I know what you are going through. For the most part, I follow what the cardiologist, nephrologist, and dietitian have laid out as a very restrictive diet for the rest of my life that is unless I want dialysis three times a week.
Now, I would be lying if I said I don't cheat because I do cheat every once in a while to the consternation of the previously mentioned health care professionals.
I've have stopped using rubs for the most part and switched to using, of all things, EVO and Litehouse Balsamic Dressing and Marinade when I smoke chicken or turkey breast. The dressing has 3g carbs, 3g total sugars, and 160 mg sodium per 2 Tbsp (30mL).
I will also give the poultry just a very, very light pass on the salt and finish off with some paprika.
Since I also like to sauce ribs or BBQ'd chicken when I have them once or twice a year, I will dilute my BBQ sauce down by half a light beer such as Heineken since it seems be to the lowest in carbs. This makes a real nice glaze or it can be served on the side. Heineken Lite was recommended by my neighbor, who of all things, is a retired cardiologist. What do I do with rest of the beer? I drink it of course. :p:D
I just threw out the suggestions above as some ideas. Anyway, keep at it until you find what tastes good to you.
And good for you for taking charge to cut back on the salt and sugar.