Thickening Marinade into a Wet Rub?

[OneCharmingPig]

Overall, I'm a much bigger fan of wet rubs (e.g. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow Crust) than marinades. I find I get more flavor out of it, and it's kind of a pain in the A to marinade something 24 hours in advance as many recipes call for.

I want to try this on a fellow pit member's recipe of a Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken from Dewesq55. I've made this about half a dozen times, and I want to see if there's a difference using a wet rub over a marinade. However, in doing so, I don't want to eliminate the flavors that come from the soy sauce, mojo marinade, and beer from that recipe. Is there a best way to convert this to a wet rub paste? Online research seems to indicate simmering while adding cornstarch, but I want to check in with some trusted experts. Would this alter the flavor too much?

(Side note: The green aji sauce that goes along with that recipe might be my favorite recipe I've gathered from this forum).

[Dewesq55]

(Side note: The green aji sauce that goes along with that recipe might be my favorite recipe I've gathered from this forum).[/SIZE]

Wow! That's some high praise! I'm so glad you liked it. It took a lot of experimenting and tweaking to get it to what I think is a pretty authentic tasting replica to whay I've had in Peruvian rotisserie places. My Dominican friend says if you put that sauce on cardboard, he would eat the cardboard.

As for the marinade/wet rub idea, I would be concerned that a wet rub would prevent the skin from crispng up. Also, reducing it would make it too salty.

[OneCharmingPig]

That cardboard sounds delicious.

And yeah, I was planning on going under the skin, then just salting the skin so hopefully it'll crisp up. But even if it's not applicable to this particular recipe, just curious as to a general technique.

[Breadhead]

You need to ask that question to Strat50 ... He is well versed on sauces. He might be able to tell how to reduce the salt to keep it from becoming over powering too.

[Strat50]

Eliminate any non flavor adding ingredients such as water or beer. Things that do add flavor should be reduced by half in a saucepan, except soy sauce. I'm thinking wine and vinegar. I do this to make a churrasco wet rub for home and work both. I'll take red wine vinegar and burgundy and reduce them by â…” in a saucepan before adding herbs and spices. Easy, and works well.

[Breadhead]

I knew you would have the answer Strat50, you Da Man!

[OneCharmingPig]

Ok thanks! I'm going to try that out this weekend.

[Karon Adams]

whatever you do in the sauce pan, be aware that if you cook to the point that the water is gone, your sauce will begin caramelizing. now, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. it WILL change the flavor. the question is, will it be for the better? You can tell the difference and know when it happens. so long as you have small bubbles, fast disappearing all over the surface of the liquid and lots of steam rising, you are boiling off water. if the steam becomes minimal or disappears entirely and the bubbles become fewer, large and longer lasting, you are now down to a syrup and it will begin caramelizing. now, if you cook almost to that point, you are actually GOLDEN! you have removed all the water and the sauce should have about the same flavor.

But, play with caramelizing and see if that turns out to be a good thing or a bad thing.

Myself, I dry rub. we just apply the spice salt & sugars of our rub on the meat with it dry and put it in the fridge for a few hours. that allows the salt & sugar to start pulling the moisture out, and pulling the salt & spices into the meat. when it all goes on the grill, that becomes a luscious crusty bark with lots of drippings to make sauce.