Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Review: Bad Byron's Butt Rub

Creator: Bad Byron's Specialty Food Products, Inc.
Cost: @ $4.25 for 4.5oz
Link: Butt Rub

When I BBQ, I use a rub I make. This time I switched it up. A friend of mine gave me some Bad Byron's Butt Rub as a gift and I hadn't used it yet. I figured I would try it on a pork butt I was cooking.

The rub itself is a little saltier than I like when I tasted it on my hand but it had good flavor. It is ground fine so it shakes out well and spreads evenly. I prepped the butt with honey mustard and sprinkled the rub over the butt and put it in the fridge over night. I smoked the butt at @225° for about nine hours. The bark was lighter then my normal bark but the rub doesn't have a lot of sugar in it so it doesn't caramelize like I'm used to.

Overall the flavor was good and defiantly worth eating. The rub didn't bring out the sweetness in the meat as much as I'd like but the flavor was good and the guests loved it.

Overall I will give Butt Rub a 3/4 rack of ribs on the Gibbs' Ribs* scale for good flavor and great bark. I think the flavor profile of the rub could be punched up a little bit to pull out the natural sweetness of the pork for a more complete flavor profile.


*When I do reviews, books or otherwise, I will rate the items with ribs (they are my favorite BBQ dish). A full rack is great and a single rib is poor. I will tend to stick to a full rack, half rack or one rib.

Friday, August 12, 2011

WOOD SELECTION FOR SMOKING & GRILLING - By Bill Wight

I have been asked about what types of wood to smoke with and there are a lot you can use. Bill Wight over at BBQ by Dan blog has a great list. I posted it below. For the full post you can click here.
Q: Would someone please tell me what kinds of wood are suitable for grilling?
A: The traditional woods for smoking are HICKORY, PECAN and OAK.  Here is a list of woods suitable for smoking:
ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite.  When burned in a smoker, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy.  A very hot burning wood.
ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness.  Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash.  Good with all meats.
APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet.  Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor.  Good with fish and red meats.
BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple.  Good with pork and poultry.
CHERRY - Mild and fruity.  Good with poultry, pork and beef.  Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking.  Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.
COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor.  Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor.  Don't use green cottonwood for smoking.
CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.
GRAPEVINES - Tart.  Provides a lot of smoke.  Rich and fruity.  Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods.  Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor.  Good with pork, ham and beef.
LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral.  Good with seafood and lamb.
MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet.  Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor.  Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game.  One of the hottest burning.
MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
OAK - Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning.  All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking.  Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor.  Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor.  Much like apple.  Excellent with chicken and pork.
PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory.  Tasty with a subtle character.  Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese.  Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish.  The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple.  Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.