Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q Seasoning and Dry Rub
Founded in 1925 in Decatur, Alabama, Big Bob Gibson's is the king of BBQ in the north Alabama area, and growing. Credited with the creation of Alabama white BBQ sauce, Big Bob's has won numerous awards for their sauces, rubs and barbecue.
With those kinds of credentials, I'm excited to see what their dry rub is all about.
Initial Impressions
The 6.35 oz. plastic bottle comes with the types of lids with the shaker on one side and the other side opens up for a teaspoon, or pouring. I don't know why, but I love the label. It's colorful with plenty of reading.
The listed ingredients are: Brown sugar, Salt, Spices, Sugar, Dehydrated Garlic, Dehydrated Onion, Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Natural Flavors, Spice Extractive, Vegetable or Soybean Oil, and less than 2% Silicon Dioxide to prevent caking.
The smell is sort of like chili powder with a mild smokey aroma. The rub is a medium grind and orange in color. Several various ingredients seem to be in the mix. Let's see how these all blend together.
Out of the Bottle Taste Test
The first thing that you taste are the spices. I detect the garlic, some mild onion flavor and a bit of paprika. There is also a hint of smoke. The salt takes over followed by the sweet of the sugar. At the end the heat creeps in. It has a kick but nothing extreme.
Overall, the taste is good. Very complex as the various flavors seem to put your taste buds in a state of confusion as they come after you one right after the other.
Apply the Meat Taste Test
Big Bob Gibson's dry rub has a mild character which I don't believe would hold up to the robust flavor of beef, so I decided to give it a try on fish and chicken thighs.
In both instances, the rub performed well. It really added flavor to the fish filets. The smoke flavor became more pronounced and the overall results produced a well seasoned fillet.
The chicken thighs didn't seem to pick up the smoke flavor like the fish, yet the salt seemed to be a bit more pronounced. I liked the flavor and that was without any barbecue sauce. Once sauce was applied, the saltiness faded which allowed the other flavors to come out.
The Final Verdict
Big Bob Gibson's dry rub isn't a powerful rub with any particular distinctive flavor, but rather a variety of tastes. This opens up a wider spectrum where it can be used. In addition to a great meat rub, use it anywhere you might use a seasoned salt. I've tried it on a garden salad and steamed vegetables and both were great.
To take a look at all of Big Bob Gibson's products, check out their website...Here
Happy Grilling!
