I voted sometimes because it depends on my mood and if I want to try something different. I have done side by side cooks with and without binders and have seen little to no difference.
Mosca I do the same thing with all of the classes I attend. I never go expecting to radically change the way I cook, but I am looking to find some tips, hints or tweaks to what I am already doing.
I usually use yellow mustard on Boston Butts because the rub goes on thicker than if it wasn’t used, and I like the bark.I occasionally use on ribs for a similar reason. I use Worcestershire on brisket and beef ribs for flavor and it keeps a little more rub on.
On my briskets and pork butts. Helps adhere so it doesn't fall off as I am flipping. The presentation side I don't use a binder because it is facing up and brining for @20-24 hours.
22” Blue Weber Kettle with SnS insert
Kamado Joe Jr with Kick Ash Basket
Char-Broil Smartchef Tru Infrared Gasser
Anovo Hot Tub Time Machine with Custom Hot Tub
Weber Smoky Mountain 18” and 22”
Weber Smoque XL w/ front and side folding tables
Weber Genesis E-430 (came with the frame kit).
DigiQ fan controller (WSM 22” has the attachment)
Turkey fryer (2)
Maverick ET-732 (2)
Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer, Bunk Basket (2)
SouthwestDisc 18" Cooking Disc
Better late than never, this post. I'd never used a binder - just dusted and rubbed in my seasoning after a day or two of dry brining. Recently. I was thinking I'd get more spice retention/deeper flavor from my rubs with a binder. Why not try it? Mustard is one popular suggestion. But I'd read some success stories about mayonnaise. Our daughter-in-law used mayo to bind some chicken rub and damn if it didn't taste great. That said, back home, it just seemed ... weird. I thought it would look awful on the St. Louis ribs I was cooking for the fam July 4. And it did. Silly, I know. But I sprinkled on the Memphis Dust, worked it in a bit and onto the SnS kamado it all went. (Btw, after reading a Troutman post about cooking at a higher-than-recommended temp (and using binders), these cooked at 270 or so. Rotated after a couple of hours as well.)
To make a long story short, 4 hours and a few spritzes of apple juice later, here's how they finished:
Really flavorful. No trace of mayo flavor. They turned out so moist and tasty that even our picky grandkids (5 & 3) were digging in. My wife - by far the best cook in the household - said they were my best ribs yet. High praise indeed.
I might give mustard a go on my next pork cook. Fattier meat might not need anything although Worcestershire sauce might impart a nice umami on beef? Otherwise, consider me converted.
Last edited by WillieMac; July 30, 2026, 12:29 PM.
I’m a mustard binder user most of the time, basically to help me gauge my coverage. Mayo would accomplish that too.
However being the son of parents who were teenagers during the ‘Great Depression’, and also the grandson of 2 sets of grandparents living in that same period, I guess I’m hardwired to think ‘Mustard is cheaper than mayonnaise.’ 🙂
Absolutely. These sat in the fridge overnight. On a big cut, I'll go 2-3 nights. I also grill a lot of fish and recently learned that you want to minimize the time because the salt sinks in quickly. Did some thick-cut Ahi tuna yesterday with a 20-minute dry brine, and those steaks tasted just right. Perhaps I should check to see what our Prof. Blonder says about that.
I haven't used binders much in the past, but recently, following the bacon-rib recipe, I used mayo on two occasions. They came out great, very moist, but i don't really have a control group as I never made bacon-ribs otherwise. I suspect the moistness was more a result of the curing process. I may try mustard on something, but probably not.
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