salt question

[kevinv]

I have a few quick question. I have a basic bbq rub that I use, but the last batch seemed very salty. Used course sea salt as always. same ratio as always. Why would that be?

I have also had a request for a nosalt rub. Is there a purpose for the salt in rubs?

Last question. what is the difference between course kosher salt and course sea salt?

[Qfan]

Salt is definitely the single most important seasoning component in meat cookery, IMO.
Let me see if I can help out a bit with your issues. Regarding the 'saltiness' of your rub using your 'usual' coarse sea salt amounts. Are you creating your rub recipe by weight or by measure (i.e. cups/tablespoons/teaspoons)? Depending on the company of origin, the actual weight/amount of salt could differ substantially depending on the grind/grain size of the particular salt used. Weight is ALWAYS the best way to create consistency in your rub blend (as well as using the same source provider for salts, peppers, spices, herbs). I'll also throw out there that I once, in a pinch, bought some coarse sea salt that was Portuguese in origin that, for whatever reason, had a very sharp saline bite to it compared to local (Windsor salt) product of the same size grind. The 'flavour' of salt essentially comes from the residual trace minerals, so it the origin and size of crystal that will most greatly affect the 'flavour' of a particular type of salt.

Salt in a rub is a key component in the balance of sweet, salty, savory and heat. You can do a salt-free rub, and it can be tasty, but it may not be that nice balance many seek. On the other hand, if you are brining meat beforehand, a salt-free rub may be beneficial/necessary to compensate for the residual saltiness in the meat from the brining process.

For all intents and purposes, coarse sea salt and coarse kosher salt are inter-changeable, but again, the crystal size and trace mineral 'flavours' can vary in each designation, dependent on supplier. My strongest recommendation is to find a source of kosher/sea salt and stick with it if you are consistent results in your rub blend. Oh yeah, and do weigh your ingredients versus using volume measures......

[kevinv]

volume measures is how I make my rubs. I stay with the same brands if I can find them. Thanks for the info.

[BBQBeaver]

I have a few quick question. I have a basic bbq rub that I use, but the last batch seemed very salty. Used course sea salt as always. same ratio as always. Why would that be?

I have also had a request for a nosalt rub. Is there a purpose for the salt in rubs?

Last question. what is the difference between course kosher salt and course sea salt?

Question, did you notice the extra saltiness in the raw rub itself (taste after made), or on a finished product?

[kevinv]

on the finished product more that in the rub itself.

[Qfan]

It's a good point that BBQBeaver brings up about tasting the saltiness in finished cooked product versus finished rub. It could very well be that the meat you used was 'seasoned', which means tumbled using a high saline content solution. If your rub has a good quantity of salt to start with and you go on to add it to a 'seasoned' cut of meat, the end result may very well taste overly salty, while the rub itself is balanced salt-wise. Something to consider and a good point to raise BBQBeaver.....

[reg]

Depending on what sauce you use it can also have an effect on the salt taste in the end product. A while back Swamp Daddy brought some of his rub over to discuss the contents and taste. The first thing I asked was what sauce he was going to use with it and he gave me a very strange look and said " does it matter ? "

We both tasted the rub and the salt content was fine but after adding my own sauce to it the salt flavour was way over the top, he was shocked how much the flavour had changed. I might add that my sauce has very little salt content.

So when building rubs I think its a good idea to know what sauce you are going to use with it, at least that is my opinion

Reg

[BBQBeaver]

on the finished product more that in the rub itself.

This is why I asked. As Qfan mentioned if it was something like chicken (you never said what the product was), it could have been brined already and will bring up the saltiness or at least modify the taste.

[kevinv]

never thought of that. the rub was used on raw chicken, and fresh untouched pork ribs. I am going to ask the butcher if they do anything before they sell it.

The sauce was a Kraft sauce I have started to use around the house. It is there onion sauce.

The wife also reminded me, that the course salt in the rub was from a new fresh batch. And the older rum was made with the older course salt.

[mikita21]

A basic Kraft BBQ sauce has nearly 20 per cent of your daily sodium requirements in just two tablespoons. So yes, you might be finding, as others have noted, your salt plus their salt might make all the difference in the world. By comparison, Country Bob's BBQ sauce, which I used on grilled chicken last night, has only 115 mg of salt, or 5% of the Daily sodium requirement....a lot less, and yes, I did my chicken with some sea salt and other ingredients before hand. Sticky Fingers, a sauce from a restaurant chain in the Carolinas, has 170 mg per 2 tbsp.

so you can see the impact the sauce may indeed have. the only curious thing for me is, if I read you right, you are using the same salt and the same bbq sauce you always use, so why it suddenly jumped up and changed is beyond me................

lots of great sauces out there; even some of the world champion cookers use other people's sauces, suggesting all the hard work has been done. I have judged a couple of whole hog teams in Memphis who both use Big Bob Gibson's sauce. I'm not sure they should have told me that, but their feeling was that they would have a hard time improving on a world champion's multi-time proven sauce! Hard to argue................

[kevinv]

so you can see the impact the sauce may indeed have. the only curious thing for me is, if I read you right, you are using the same salt and the same BBQ sauce you always use, so why it suddenly jumped up and changed is beyond me................

l

The sauce is a different flavor. I usually use rufus teague or stubs. I use kraft when we don't want extra heat. I figured it was the rub that did it.

I will be doing chicken next week I hope, and I am going to use my usual sauce and see there.

[mikita21]

Both Teague and Stubbs have less sodium than Kraft.....220 mg; 310 mg vs 450 mg. So that might be part of it........

For anyone working with really commercial brand name off-the-shelf products, just check the sodium content; it may have an impact, and in judging, "too salty" is a phrase that gets used a lot. I guess it could at home, too..................

[kevinv]

just a follow up to everyone.

I have been trying differnt saucs, and that seems to be what is playing with me.

I am also looking at reduceing the salt in the rub, if I use certain sauces. I hope by doing this, it may work itself out. Otherwise i will have to look at a different rub. time will tell.

Also a facebook friend sugusted I go with maybe a 2 rub system. Not to sure how to do this, but I am sure the trial and error will be fun this year..