Watched a pitmaster in Lockhart throw away his rub halfway through a cook

Was at Kreuz Market last month. Guy next to me was doing brisket. He seasoned it heavy, then after 3 hours in the smoke he just tossed the whole crust and started over with fresh rub. Said bark builds better that way. Tried it at home on a pork shoulder. Felt wrong scraping it off but the end result was way cleaner flavor. Has anyone else seen this method?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordanblack19d ago

Wait, you actually scrape the whole crust off mid cook? That feels illegal.

susan64919d ago

Haven't you ever wondered why some bbq joints have that perfect crust that's almost caramelized? I've seen a few old school guys do this with pork butts. They say the first rub sweats out all the moisture and that second layer really sticks and forms that deep bark. Tried it on ribs too and it worked way better than I expected. Feels wasteful at first but you're not actually losing flavor, you're just resetting the surface.