Читать книгу BBQ For Dummies - Carey Bringle - Страница 29

Sometimes you just want the meat to stand on its own with no seasoning or alteration of the pure taste of the meat. However, more often than not, you want to add a bit of flavor or promote juiciness that you may not get with the plain cut of meat. Rubs, brines, and marinades are good ways to achieve an extra layer of flavor to take your dish over the top. Here’s what each of these does:

 Rubs: A rub is a mix of seasonings, sometimes including sugar, that you typically apply to the piece of meat right before throwing on the smoker. Some recipes call for the rub to be applied several hours in advance, but those are the exceptions.Choose the rub you like for the cut of meat you’re smoking and rub it in thoroughly by hand to ensure that the rub adheres to the raw surface of the meat. Oftentimes in competition barbecue, pitmasters use plain yellow mustard as a base against the raw meat before applying the rub. The mustard helps the rub adhere to the meat. As the meat cooks, the mustard dissolves, essentially turning into vinegar while the rub sticks to the meat.

 Brines: A saltwater-based brine penetrates below the surface and throughout the meat. You can inject seasoned salt water or submerse your meat in it for up to 24 hours.

 Marinades: A marinade flavors the surface without penetrating too deeply. You typically place meat or vegetables in an oil-based seasoned bath for at least a couple of hours before you cook it.

Turn to Chapter 12 for recipes for rubs, brines, and marinades.