Median to Infuse Flavor in Dry Rubs

huckleberry · #1 09-05-2006, 10:17 AM

I'm looking for assistance in finding a good median and process to infuse fruit flavor oils into a dry median to be mixed with other standard spices. with the end result being similar to a Cherry Flavored Dry rub, or Raspberry flavored chipolte rub.

chrose · #2 09-05-2006, 11:35 AM

Couldn't you just lightly spray some of your items or blends with the oils and then just redry them?
Just a quick thought.

huckleberry · #3 09-05-2006, 02:10 PM

Thanks Chrose,

Tried that using Turbinado Sugar, and it seemd to work ok, was just seeing if anyone else has had any success with other methods.

Donkey_Farmer · #4 09-05-2006, 11:19 PM

Dehydrate you flavoring ingredient, and then put into a flour mill or vita-mix.
blend with spices. That'll do it
Peace
DF

foodpump · #5 09-06-2006, 06:35 PM

matter of fact I'm just processing a batch of about 35 St. Louis style ribs right now.

First thing I do is rip off the membrane covering the ribs and brine them. Standard recipie of 280 gr salt on 4 liters of water. 'Course I add bay, garlic, leek trimmings, celery, juniper, clove, and spices to the water before I add in the salt, let it infuse for a while until it's cold, then brine the ribs for 2 hrs. No one said you couldn't add any other flavourings to the brine....

Then I take the ribs out of the brine and let them dry on a rack in the walk-in overnight. Next morning comes the spice rub, normal stuff: Paprika, white & brown sugar, pepper in various guises, toasted and ground cumin, oregano... No one said you can't add in your own flavourings...

Next comes the smoker, I like to use hickory chips, but you can get apple, cherry, mesquite...

Then comes the braising. I like to sweat a mirepoix in a roasting pan, lay the ribs ontop of the mirepoix, add a liquid, cover with foil, and braise untill tender. No one said you can't add your own flavourings to the mirepoix or the liquid......

Be carefull with the sauce, what ever you choose to use. Grill the ribs to heat up, and when hot, brush lightly with the sauce, grill a minute longer, then serve.

henry · #6 09-07-2006, 12:22 PM

Foodpump,

Brining, drying, smoking, braising, grilling, wow, that's quite a process to cook your ribs! Is there a name to the recipe? How long do you leave them in the smoker? and the braise?

Is mesquite-smoked food popular in Vancouver?

Sorry for all the questions, just sounds very interesting!

H.

foodpump · #7 09-07-2006, 05:17 PM

Actually I learned to smoke ribs from a displaced American in Singapore, but he used an Alto-shaam with a smoker kit. Not a bad way, smoke and slow cook, but alas, I don't have an Alto-shaam.

Brining IS an extra step, but I feel it's justified. My smoker is an $80 "Little Chief" smoker available at any hardware or hunting store. Basically it's just an aluminum box with an electric hot ring and a little pan that sits on the ring. I've seen guys rig up smokers from oil drums, old refrigerators, and even high-school lockers. Some people (cough, hack, wheeze) ah, boil thier ribs, which I feel is about the same as calling the devil your brother, but think braising isn't such a bad way to go, but if you want true ribs, slow cooking over a hardwood fire is the only way to go.

MikeLM · #8 09-07-2006, 05:33 PM

"... slow cooking over a hardwood fire is the only way to go."

If you can find it, try some Pecan wood. Best 'Q I've every had was at a street stand in Houston by a black gentleman doing business as "Uncle Will." He smokes his line of 'Q over a combination of Pecan and white oak.

Mike

henry · #9 09-08-2006, 10:27 AM

I think we hijacked this original post. sorry.

I've not heard of brining ribs, but why not. I brine poultry, but I've heard that brining pork chops is a good thing.

I smoke over mostly pecan and then add hickory, apple, cherry, peach, in small quantities, depending on the types of meat. I sometimes do a mustard slather before I apply the dry rub to help it stick and develop a nice crust.

I was kind of interested in the dry rubs the original poster, Huckleberry, mentioned, with the cherry and raspberry chipotle flavors. Recipes, Huck?

Foodpump, before I got my smoker, I would braise ribs in beer, low and slow in the oven till they were done and then put on the grill to crisp them up and sauce them.

H.

foodpump · #10 09-08-2006, 02:14 PM

Pecan wood....hmmm. Once worked with a Texan who "educated" everyone on the proper pronunciation of pecan; it's pecohn, not peecan. A pee-can is what you go to the bathroom in...

Just forked out $5.00 for a 2 lb bag of hickory wood chips today though. Somewhere in the southern states some baseball bat/ garden tool handle factory owner is laughing all the way to the bank...

huckleberry · #11 09-08-2006, 11:06 PM

Thanks for all your replies even though the majority of them were off the subject.

I'm in the process of developing a Smokey Pecan rub which I should have available by the end of this month. A Wild Cherry rub for pork and the raspberry chipotle rub are on the development table right now experimenting ways to infuse the flavor in and retain the flavor after cooking. All will be available on my web store along with my other award winning dry rubs.

Pork Ribs, here in Texas they like them sweet yet with a little heat in the background. My cooking team removes the membrane from the ribs, rub the ribs with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO) then apply the dry rub. The proper mixture of salt and sugar in the rubs starts the binning process. The oil is used as a penetration vehicle and helps carry the flavor of the spices in the rub into the meat. Once you have the ribs rubbed well with rub, place the ribs in a zip-lock bag and place in the fridge. If you have the time, you should allow the ribs and marinate set for at least one hour.

About 30-45 minutes before you are ready to place your ribs on the smoker, you should remove them from the fridge and let them set at room temp. Than cook low (215-225f) and slow (4-5hrs). To test if the ribs are done use the rib twist and pull, if the bone pulls away from the rib easily, the rib is done.

We like to use pecan to cook our ribs and we only use pecan wood we do not mix. Mixing cooking woods does nothing for the flavor. If you are going to use a fruit wood, use only one fruit wood flavor or maple at any time. Pecan, Hickory, and Oak will over take any fruit wood or maple flavor if mixed.

foodpump · #12 09-09-2006, 12:43 PM

Y'know Huck, it's true I hijack posts every now and then, but advice is what you wanted, and advice is what you got. We'll happily refund you your money back.

Don't believe you mentioned anything about brining or pulling off membranes in your posts, but you are mentioning them now. I certainly didn't invent the procedures, but I'll happily pass them along to whoever asks, hope you'll return the favour.

Regards,
Foodpump