Why dry rub? Why not just season the pulled pork after it's cooked?

[jimpam]

 
Is it me, or is dry rub and bark really some kind of a cult.

IF it is, sign me up haha :)

one method I have done for kicks with my pork butts is to inject them with Hatch green enchilada sauce - a whole can, and then rub with a green chili seasoning I got in new mexico that is salt free.  comes out fantastic for pulled pork tacos.   I usually add some of the rub to the final pulled product for some added flavor, so I guess I kinda do it both ways.    Hope this helps.

Otherwise, on my 'normal' butts I just rub and smoke and devour.  

 

[timberjet]

 
IF it is, sign me up haha :)

one method I have done for kicks with my pork butts is to inject them with Hatch green enchilada sauce - a whole can, and then rub with a green chili seasoning I got in new mexico that is salt free.  comes out fantastic for pulled pork tacos.   I usually add some of the rub to the final pulled product for some added flavor, so I guess I kinda do it both ways.    Hope this helps.

Otherwise, on my 'normal' butts I just rub and smoke and devour.  

Anything that includes Hatch peppers is great in my book. Man I wish I could get the frozen tubs of hot Hatch chilles here. I absoloutley love the Green chilli you get in the southwest. Nothing like it on earth.

 

[dandl93]

I will be a member to this Cult of dry rub and bark.

As for the OP I dont inject.I like the bark on the out side but like my meat to stand on its own if it cant I need to get another butcher for better meat.I do not do PP or PB to me you just as well do a pot roast in the slow cooker.I still have my teeth and like to use them when eating meat.

Dan 

 

[jimpam]

Timberjet - Hatch is also our favorite.  Next week here in Fort Worth, Central Market will have their HAtch Chili fest where they roast them onsite. 

We usually buy a whole box and freeze them for use throughout the year.  Absolutely fantastic!

 

[timberjet]

 
Timberjet - Hatch is also our favorite.  Next week here in Fort Worth, Central Market will have their HAtch Chili fest where they roast them onsite. 

We usually buy a whole box and freeze them for use throughout the year.  Absolutely fantastic!

I used to live down in Silverton Colorado and spent quite a bit of time in Durango. This time of year there are big roasters going in every parking lot all over town. The smell is quite intoxicating. The Durango Diner had the best breakfast burrito smothered in green chilli gravy. Oh crap I am drooling now.

 

[remsr]

There is nothing I can add to all that has been said about "why dry rub" I do it to seal in juices and it tastes good mixed with meat after pulling or choping. There are no rules to smoking.If there where everyone's food would taste the same and we would have nothing to talk about.

 

[grillmonkey]

OK, I'm going for a barked up butt this weekend. I'm trying to decide how to proceed. I have had a lot of suggestions, and welcome new ones. Presently, I'm thinking of using my Blues Pig rub, and going low and slow on my ECB with pecan. Option #2 is hot and fast on my Weber kettle with pecan or red oak. Option #3 is SFB and red oak.

 

[addertooth]

I add a minor twist to the classic rub.  After the rub is applied, the meat is put in vacuum sealer bags which are stored in the fridge afterwards.  This opens the grain of the meat slightly, and improves the transport of the seasonings into the meat.  Keep in mind the salt/sugar in the rub tends to make the meat "sweat" slightly, making a mini-brine solution at the surface of the meat, so you get some of the benefit of brining to a shallow depth. Most professional chefs will tell you there is a benefit to creating layers of flavor to any dish.

 

[grillmonkey]

 
I add a minor twist to the classic rub.  After the rub is applied, the meat is put in vacuum sealer bags which are stored in the fridge afterwards.  This opens the grain of the meat slightly, and improves the transport of the seasonings into the meat.  Keep in mind the salt/sugar in the rub tends to make the meat "sweat" slightly, making a mini-brine solution at the surface of the meat, so you get some of the benefit of brining to a shallow depth. Most professional chefs will tell you there is a benefit to creating layers of flavor to any dish.

Store in the fridge overnight?

 

[addertooth]

Yes, typically 12 hours. And I add about a quarter cup of my rub mixture to the meat when it is being pulled.  Uncooked spices add another dimension of flavor to the meat which gets cooked out of the bark.

 

[grillmonkey]

 
Yes, typically 12 hours. And I add about a quarter cup of my rub mixture to the meat when it is being pulled.  Uncooked spices add another dimension of flavor to the meat which gets cooked out of the bark.

This goes back to the original reason for this thread. I was curious to know why the bark was so important, when you could just add the seasoning when it was pulled.

 

[foamheart]

 
This goes back to the original reason for this thread. I was curious to know why the bark was so important, when you could just add the seasoning when it was pulled.

The bark is much more than just the seasoning, its all that lucious broken down connective tissue and protiens all slowly cooked down and caramelized together to form the ambrosia of the gods! When wanting to impress, I have sometimes put most of the bark in a seperate bowl right next to the warm BBQ sauce by the crock pot. 

I can't do that with my normal rowdy redneck crowd, Jimmy Joe would pick up the bowl and dump it all on his plate. And he'd rassle ya for it. Jimmie Joe has never been beat.

 I now am a serious advocate of a finishing sauce.

ROFLMAO!

 

[addertooth]

The bark is the amazing part, flavors on top of the bark just sharpen the finish.  The temperature of the smoker drives out some of the lighter aromatics of the spices.  Adding the rub after the smoke puts some of those finer and lighter elements back in.  Rub after the smoke alone would not be nearly as good.  Added to the smoked meat and bark during the pulling makes it a bit better.

 

[grillmonkey]

 
The bark is the amazing part, flavors on top of the bark just sharpen the finish.  The temperature of the smoker drives out some of the lighter aromatics of the spices.  Adding the rub after the smoke puts some of those finer and lighter elements back in.  Rub after the smoke alone would not be nearly as good.  Added to the smoked meat and bark during the pulling makes it a bit better.

I'm going for the bark this weekend, and will add some rub to the meat as it's pulled. Probably on the SFB with red oak @ 250 to 275 degrees. Foil it at  205 and rest it for a while, or put it in a covered roasting pan and rest it in the oven @ 170? Half with  finishing sauce, half without.

 

[addertooth]

That sounds like a winner GrillMonkey!

 

[grillmonkey]

My first butt bark with Q-View. I concede it was better than my last un-barked butt, but my wife disagrees. In fact, it was the best pulled pork I have ever eaten. 

I applied the rub and refrigerated for 12 hours, then reapplied another layer of rub before putting in the smoker. I smoked at 285 degrees with red oak in my SFB smoker for 10 hours (3:00pm) when it hit 205 IT. I panned it and placed in the oven at 170 degrees while the sides were prepared and all the guests arrived. At 7:00 it was pulled and devou..er...served. There were 7 adults and a 3-year-old. I have enough of the 9# butt left today for a couple of small BBQ sandwiches.

Meat 005.JPG

• grillmonkey
• Aug 17, 2014

Rubbed with mustard and seasoned with Blues Hog. Blues Hog is not too salty, so it is ideal if you like to brine with salt or add a finishing sauce that is salty.

Butt 001.JPG

• grillmonkey
• Aug 17, 2014

5:00am is awfully early.

Butt 003.JPG

• grillmonkey
• Aug 17, 2014

10 hours later it's at 205 degrees, no foiling.

No pulled view because of the crowd that gathered around as it was being pulled.

So, back to my original question at the beginning of this post, "Why dry rub? Why not just add seasoning after it's cooked?" Well, you add dry rub to form the wonderful and flavorful outer shell that makes pulled pork so great. There, I said it. I guess I'm in the cult now.

 

[timberjet]

 Looks good from here! Welcome to the cult. haha....

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

There ya go, nice smoke ! Here's to bark ! :beercheer:

 

[pc farmer]

Welcome to the bark club.

Butt looks great.

 

[grillmonkey]

Now that I'm a member of the bark club, is there a secret handshake or something that I need to know?