Tubinado sugar in a dry rub. To use or not to use?

[Company2BBQ]

I've been using Turbinado sugar for years. Now I've been reading my new Meathead cookbook which is a wealth of information I wish i had years ago. I'm no longer convinced it was or is the right chioce. Looking for advice. I was under the impression Turbinado had a higher melting rate and would be better for long cooks. What are your views on the matter?

[tbob4]

Here are a couple of discussions on it here:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/rubs-pastes-marinades-and-brines/272024-using-a-different-sugar

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/rubs-pastes-marinades-and-brines/172773-a-question-about-sugar

[Company2BBQ]

Thanks tbob, that did help. I have two 7.5# butts in the freezer. I think I'll try an experiment of my own using a rub with Turbinado and one with regular sugar, and see what happens.

[tbob4]

I use granulated sugar in the rubs that I pre-mix which are stored in the cabinet. I haven't experimented with turbinado sugar in my rubs but anything with brown sugar I mix on the same day. I found long ago that the brown sugar tended to clump and make the spices a bit uneven when stored. Let me know how your side by side goes.

[Spinaker]

I have not used Turbinado either. I never really run into the problems that other seem too, with respect to burning sugars. Maybe I, and everyone that easts my food can't taste it. I use granulated sugar in all of my rubs. I am open to trying Turbinado, I just have not seen the need too. Am I missing something? When do you guys run into problems when using granulated sugar? Just curious.

[Company2BBQ]

I have nothing to compare too. When I first started I read to use Turbinado. Soooo, I've never tried using granulated sugar.

[Jerod Broussard]

I use it for my brisket rub. Not because of the higher temp thing, but because it was an inbetween for brown and white. I wanted some molasses.....

[Company2BBQ]

I do love molasses. Not sure why? When I was a kid, Briar rabbit black strap was the cure all with my mom. If ya got a runny nose, the kid down the road got a cold, , get a cut or skinned knee, , back talked to an adult and the house was short on soap, get a tbsp of black strap. It sucked.

[texastweeter]

Same here, or demura sugar.

[bardsleyque]

I've always substituted turbinado for granulated cause there's still a bit of hippie in me (it's more "natural") right?

[vandy]

I have been using the turbinado sugar in my rubs but I think I may try the side by side experiment just to find out if I can tell a difference in the taste. I like the taste of the rub with the turbinado sugar and I have not had any issues with clumping or anything like that with it.

[tbob4]

Vandy - do you pre-mix and store with the turbinado? If so, and if you do the experiment, @ me so I know the outcome. Thanks in advance.

[vandy]

I do premix and store it but most of the time I store my rubs in the fridge and that seems to prolong the life of them and helps keep them from clumping. You could probably vacuum seal them and prolong the life even longer.

[vandy]

I will let you know the outcome when I do the experiment.

[GoldenJet]

I remembered seeing a video of an accomplished BBQ Champion who said her secret was Turbinado...so the other day I decided to replace the white sugar in my Memphis Dust with it.

Saturday we took first out of 22 teams in a competition. The Turbinado stays.

[TripleB]

I've always used Turbinado sugar in my BBQ rubs. I like the larger crystal.

[mgaretz]

I use it in my Blasphemy Ribs rub.

[barelfly]

It also makes a great simple syrup especially at at 2:1 ratio! Ha

[GoldenJet]

Oh yeah, I bet it does. Will be using this for my next batch of mojitos.

[jfmorris]

Yes! I use this for my mixed drinks...

[JeffJ]

I like it but it’s very granular. Since I make my rubs in a shaker nowadays I have to grind it down some in a mortar and pestal first otherwise it’s too big to fit through the shaker holes.

[bbqLuv]

From Bing AI,

Turbinado sugar is a minimally processed sugar that is made by spinning raw sugar in a centrifuge to remove the molasses and water¹. It has a light brown color and a subtle molasses flavor. It is often used in BBQ rubs and sauces because it adds sweetness without overpowering the other flavors