averywilliams•21d agoProlific Poster

A guy at the Memphis in May contest told me I was overthinking my brisket rub

I was setting up my stall, fussing over my rub mix (I think I had eight things in there, including a coffee grind), and this older pitmaster from Texas, named Hank, just shook his head. He leaned over and said, 'Son, salt, pepper, and fire. The rest is just you talking to yourself.' It stuck with me because I spent so much time and money on fancy stuff. Has anyone else had a moment like that that made you strip things back?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_clark21d ago

That coffee rub sounds like it was probably great, honestly. I get what adams.linda means about learning the hard way, but sometimes the fancy rub is just for fun, like tara_jones94 said. It's not like Hank's way is the only law, you know? My brother makes a killer brisket with just salt and pepper, but I also had one with a coffee rub last year that was amazing. It doesn't always have to be so serious.

adams.linda21d ago

Man, that's a lesson we all need to learn (usually the hard way).

tara_jones9421d ago

But come on, is it really that deep? Hank's got a point for sure, but that coffee rub probably tasted amazing. Sometimes the talking to yourself part is the whole fun of it. I get what adams.linda is saying about learning the hard way, but stripping everything back feels like giving up. Why not have both? Keep the basics solid for the meat, but let the fancy rub be for you. It's a hobby, not a court case.

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