Talked to a pitmaster in Kansas City last week who changed how I think about rubs

He said he only uses S&P on his brisket. Nothing else. No garlic powder, no paprika. Told me "if the meat needs that much help, you bought the wrong meat." It hit different because I've been layering 7 different spices on every cook. Has anyone else tried stripping it back to basics like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_reed621mo ago

Hold up on one thing - salt and pepper still counts as two spices, so it's not purely "stripping it back" if you're still using two. His point about quality meat making up for less seasoning is solid though, just don't think S&P is somehow more pure than adding garlic powder. Most of the best joints I've eaten at use at least S&P on their brisket, it's the heavy sugar rubs that cover up bad meat.

the_tessa1mo ago

Man, I tried this exact thing last summer and it honestly changed my whole approach. I was doing a 12 spice rub on everything, even chicken wings. One weekend I had a brisket from a local farm that was just beautiful, so I figured why not try just S&P since the meat was so good. That brisket was the best I ever made, hands down. The fat rendered perfect and the beef flavor was front and center, not buried under a bunch of paprika and cumin. Now I only do heavy spice mixes on cheaper cuts like chuck roasts where the meat needs a little help.

joel_hall171mo ago

That pitmaster's got a point but maybe he's taking it too far. Salt and pepper is still a rub, just a simple one. Calling garlic powder or paprika "help" is a stretch when you can get great flavor from a balanced mix without hiding anything. A good brisket can handle more than two spices and still taste like beef. Some of the best cooks I've had used a basic blend that wasn't just S&P and the meat was top notch. Why limit yourself when a little extra depth doesn't mean you bought cheap meat?