British BBQ Society Forums

Is it me or does anyone else find rub recipes from the States really salty? Most of the call for nearly 50% (by volume) of Kosher salt - I have tried a few from books like Slow Fire and the results, whilst tasty, have been lip burningly salty. What sort of proportion salt do most of you use? I have got coarse kosher salt from my deli - perhaps (don't think it likely though) this is saltier salt than usual?!!

Hi,
The saltier salt debate has raged before and the conclusion was in favour of it being no saltier than other salty salts, some theorised that granular table salt more absorbed by crystals but again most considered this hokum....

I don't tend to follow recipies and I like a good thick rub so at 50% I would probably die, or my face would implode, I reckon I am less than 15% with more paprika and sugar than salt.

have seen many facebook posts from Steven reiklens pages and the americans seem bipolar on salt, its either salty as hell or they are obsessing about low sodium this and that......for those I tend to post "looks lovely, could do with an sprinkle of salt...."

50% way too high imho unless you are going to literally sprinkle it on like an seasoning in which case I think you would lose the rest of the flavour ingredients...
Cheers
Tiny

Kosher salt they get in the USis a bit more 'airy' than other salts - so by volume, it will weigh less. Not sure what the conversion rate is though. Just adjust your recipe.

Ths explains it

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/my_ingre ... _salt.html

Hmm, interesting - it talks about Kosher salt as being flaked. The stuff I have is coarse grained; logically this would be denser and far 'saltier'... However, only today I followed a recipe for the beef rib roast off the KJ channel on you-tube; he showed 1/2 cup coarse grained sea-salt being used - I used the same recipe but reduced the salt down to less than 1/4 cup and it still burnt like hell! I am starting to think they do just like it "salty as hell" as Tiny suggests.

Irrespective of the type of salt used I do tend to find American recipes a little heavy on both salt and sugar for my tastes. I tend it start out with reduced amounts of both then increase if I'm not happy with the taste.

Yes. Also their store brought as well.

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I aim for about 1.5% - 2% salt for the weight of meat (maybe a teaspoon per 500gr) so adjust the amount in rubs to get this.

As far as I understand it, it's the sodium that makes it salty. Sea salt is higher in potassium so tastes less salty. Get some maldon sea salt, it comes in flakes since it's naturally produced. If you pop a flake in your mouth it is salty but not bitter salty. Hope that makes sense. Lol.

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antf

Cornish sea salt is pretty good to. Flakey and airey.