Emeril's All Natural Rib Rub
In a hurried attempt to throw together a couple slabs of ribs for some unexpected company, I wasn't sure of my meat rub inventory while at the grocery store. Playing it safe rather than sorry, I headed to the spice aisle to see what I could find. I also understood the selection of meat rubs would be sparse to say the least.
I was correct on the lack of selection but there was Emeril's Rib Rub. Everyone who knows anything about cooking, knows Emeril Lagasse. I was confident his good name would produce a great rub.
Initial Impressions
The bottle is deceiving. Although it looks like a standard sized bottle, it's only a 4.72 oz. size. It sure won't go far as often as I use rubs.
The ingredients are: Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Crushed Red Pepper, Ground Mustard, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Corn Starch and Other Spices.
The aroma is mostly of paprika with a hint of dry mustard. It's actually a bit bland and doesn't have much of a character. The rub is a light tan color with granules that go from powder to chunks.
Out of the Bottle Taste Test
The initial taste is the paprika followed by the mustard and onion powder. The heat from the red pepper does make an appearance at the end.
From start to finish, the predominant flavor is salt. This is definitely a saltier rub than most. Let's see is the salt tones down and the other flavors come out once it meets the meat.
Apply the Meat Taste Test
Although the bottle says to apply to the ribs and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, I never leave my rubs on past a half an hour. I would be concerned with the salt concentration in Emeril's Rib Rub to do so.
The ribs came out good. With no sauce applied, the ribs tasted a bit salty, yet not overpowering. The heat level was just about right and not to spicy. As for the other flavors, they were difficult to detect. Once sauce was applied, the saltiness became diluted as did the other flavors.
The Final Verdict
Yes, Emeril's Rib Rub does offer some flavor but, it's a bit weak. The balance of ingredients seems to be off. Sure I taste the ingredients, it's just that you taste them one by one rather than as a happy blend. I believe that is the reason the rub seems saltier. The salt is being felt individually. I don't believe the various granular sizes are helping this issue either. I also think the rub could have benefited with a little smoke flavor.
This is not an award winning rib rub by any means, yet Emeril's Rib Rub has one thing going for it. It is readily available at most supermarkets should you run out of your usual meat rub.
To take a look at all of Emeril's products, check out his website...Here
Happy Grilling!
