Oil as a binder: What do you say?

[jfmorris]

I watched an episode of I think Baby Back Maniac where he tested different binders, including oil, for applying rubs to ribs. The oil as a binder caused the meat to not take up much flavor from the rub, and in general was the least preferred of the binders he tested, which I think were oil, water and mustard, and maybe naked ribs too.

[ecowper]

Salt doesn’t need a binder. Other spices need some way to attach …. And the best way I’ve ever found is water.

[dubob]

Binder? I don't need no stinkin' binder. I'm bound up more than enough as it is.

[CandySueQ]

Personally, I prefer ribs lightly seasoned and mist with apple juice after about 30 minutes to an hour. At the contest this past weekend, I rubbed both sides with ghee, then applied salt, Butcher BBQ rub concoction and finished with Cimarron Docs. I cooked a basic 3-2-1. My goal with the ghee was to stop or reduce a hard bark. That was successful. Hard bark in ribs doesn't do well in KCBS competition.

Flavor was spot on salt wise. I finished with a light schmear of sauce then glazed right before they went in the box. End result was 13th out of 34. I'll take that!

[bbqLuv]

You done good

[smokin fool]

Funny, on this site the vast majority want to create a bark or crust of some kind, kinda the essence of BBQ apart from the smokiness.
Thinking about this my cooks usually contain a percentage of ribs with bark and without bark but wondering why judges don't like bark on ribs.

[CandySueQ]

I've thought hard on that SMOKIN fool! KCBS goes by the "clean" bite criteria. You don't want meat falling off the bone, take one bite right in the center of the rib down to the bone. If you've got a crusty bark, the potential to get more than the bite is better. These ribs went up to 200, so they were close to blowing out the back. These were all off of one slab!

[smokin fool]

Mustard or mayo on ribs and butts, like the mayo on ribs better.
Mustard on brisket once, didn't mind it.
Chicken or Turkey I go with aerosol Canola, Malcom Reed can't be wrong can he....

[Andrew]

Tried using water in spray bottle last year for long cooks. Could not taste a difference between that and all the other things we've done in the past so now I just stick to water if binder is needed.

[RonB]

The only time I use a binder is when I dry brine chicken long enough for the surface to really dry out. Nothing seems to stick to that surface - it just bounces off. Putting water on a surface I have spent time trying to dry seems counter intuitive, so that's when I use oil as a binder.