When to put rub on brisket before smoking

Last Updated on: 13th November 2022, 09:29 am

Brisket can be as delicious as any premium cut of meat if smoked properly.

The most critical part of brisket flavor is the rub applied to it .

Rubs help us increase the flavor and tenderness of brisket.

But there are some misconceptions when it comes to applying rub on brisket. One of these myths is when to rub the brisket before smoking it.

Smoking is a sensitive process, and a simple flaw can lead to bad flavor.

In this article we are going to explain to you all the ins and outs of applying rub on brisket.

There is no black and white answer to the question of what is the right time to apply rub on your brisket .

Different pitmasters have different opinions on this , but in our opinion , rubbing time for brisket when smoking can range from 2 hours to overnight.

Being a passionate pitmaster, I often find myself in such situations.

I personally prefer to rub brisket for 2 hours to 6 hours when using a dry rub and 4 hours to overnight when using a wet rub.

You should preferably take into account the brisket texture before deciding on rub time.

Rub time for brisket is a personal choice.

There is no hard and fast rule for this .

You should try different ranges and select the one that you like.

But it’s better to start by applying for less time and then increase the time if you want to.

Some people prefer to rub the brisket the night before smoking to allow the brisket to properly absorb the flavor.

But in our opinion, rubbing the brisket overnight is not compulsory because usually the rubs sink into the pores of the brisket when the brisket is heated.

Factors affecting rub time

Rub time is a really controversial topic in the smoking space, and many pitmasters have different opinions on this.

There are various factors that affect the rub time of the brisket while smoking.

These factors usually include brisket texture and rub type.

If you are going to smoke a stiff meat like brisket, then you may need to apply the rub for more time because it will take more time for the rub to properly sink into the brisket.

Rub time for such a brisket can range from 3 hours to overnight.

When deciding the rub time , you should consider taking into account the rub type that you are planning to use.

There are two main types of rubs used in smoking : dry rub and wet rub.

Both of these require different amounts of time to sink in properly.

When to apply dry rub

As is obvious by the name, dry rub is dry and is rubbed onto the brisket to get a better flavor and produce a good bark on the brisket.

The most common rub time for a dry rub can range from 2 hours to 6 hours.

Some pitmasters prefer to apply dry rub for longer time to give it proper time to sink in.

But in our opinion, giving more time is not needed because the dry rub sinks into the brisket when the brisket is heated and the pores of the brisket open.

After opening the pores of the brisket , the rub sinks in and sticks to the surface of the brisket .

Giving more time while applying dry rub can make the brisket reddish.

The appearance of the smoked brisket is as important as the flavor.

Because the brisket is thick and the dry rub can stay on the superficial surface, the deeper portion can become tasteless.

So it’s better to give it a bit longer time to let the rub stick to the brisket properly and seep in as deeply as possible.

An effective trick for applying dry rub on hard brisket is to massage it roughly while applying rub.

You should consider turning your hand into a fist and hitting the brisket with your knuckles.

It will allow the rubbed to seep into the brisket.

When to apply a wet rub

The second type of rub that is used most commonly when smoking hard brisket is wet rub.

As is obvious by the name, it is in liquid form and the brisket is submerged into it to allow the rub to seep into the brisket properly.

It is also used to increase the flavor of brisket .

It doesn’t have much effect on the texture of bark, but it is usually used to increase the tenderness of brisket.

So it requires more time for the juices to sink into the brisket and increase its moisture.

A wet rub is usually used on the hard brisket because the hard brisket can dry out when smoked for a long time.

The sweet spot for wet rub time can range from 2 hours to 8 hours because it takes more time for the wet rub to seep in and stick to the brisket.

Can you leave a rub on too long?

There is no black and white answer to this question because many people have different opinions over time.

So a long time for you could be a normal rub time for someone who wants more flavor from the rub than the brisket.

• Typically, you should rub your brisket for 2 hours to overnight. But it’s a personal choice to apply for an even longer time.
  
• It depends on whether you want to enjoy brisket’s flavor or if you are using brisket as a carrier to enjoy rub flavor.
  
• It’s often known that applying the rub for more time results in more flavor . But it can affect the appearance of the brisket if left for too long.
  
• You should consider taking appearance into account because no one wants to taste a delicious chunk of brisket that looks messy.
  
• Furthermore, applying the rub for more time can result in the conversion of the rub to a paste like structure.
  The rub absorbs the internal moisture of the brisket , due to which the brisket can dry out during the smoking process.

If you are still interested in applying rub for a longer time, then you should consider the following points.

1. First, you should consider using a rub with a low salt content because if the salt content is higher, it can result in absorbing the moisture of the brisket due to which the brisket can dry out during the smoking process.
   
2. Secondly, you should only apply rub for a longer time if you are smoking a hard and thick brisket.
   Because lean brisket doesn’t require much time and applying rub for more time on the thick brisket often results in enhancing the flavor of the brisket.

Personally, we would recommend always being careful about rub time because it can enhance or destroy the flavor of brisket.

You should consider applying the rub at the appropriate time to get the best flavor possible.

When deciding the rub time for a brisket, you should consider taking into account both the rub type and the brisket texture as mentioned above.

If the weather is bad, you should not leave the rub on your brisket for too long.

Is the brisket oiled before rubbing it?

Another misconception related to applying rub on brisket is whether you should apply olive oil onto the brisket before dry rub or not.

The short answer to this question will always be yes, because it helps stick the rub to the brisket surface.

Applying olive oil to the brisket before dry rubbing is a personal choice .

Some people prefer using mustard in place of olive oil.

You can use any of the above materials because the main purpose of them is just to help rub the surface of the brisket.

In our personal opinion, olive oil is better than mustard because it is easy to apply and, in addition to helping rub to stick the brisket surface, it also helps to increase the moisture content of the brisket and prevent the brisket from drying out.

The right way to apply olive oil to the brisket is just to apply it in an excess amount on the surface of the brisket and massage it properly.

After that, you can just move on to applying your dry rub and smoking the brisket as planned.

Can you put too much rub on a brisket?

Rubs can surely help us enhance the flavor of the brisket, but sometimes you may get confused that if you are putting too much rub on your brisket, it can do more harm than good to the brisket flavor.

You can normally put 1 tablespoon of rub per 1 pound of brisket .

But if you are not able to follow this ,then you can add rub on the brisket surface as long as it sticks to the surface of the brisket and doesn’t fall off.

The most simple answer to this question is that you can’t go wrong with the amount of rub on your brisket.

You can put as much rub on your brisket as you want.

It can only result in enhancing the flavor of the brisket.

But you should be careful about the composition of the rub.

If one component of the rub is more in excess than usual, then it can result in bad flavor.

You should consider mixing the right amount of rub components yourself or buying a commercially available rub.

The main components of rub that you should be really careful about are salt and sugar.

If your rub has too much sugar, then it can result in the burning of the brisket.

While adding too much salt can cause the brisket to dry out due to moisture loss.

Final Verdict

There is no right or wrong time for when to put rub on brisket before smoking.

You can apply rub for around 2 hours to overnight or even longer if you want to.

You should preferably test different rub times yourself and decide what suits you.

Although overnight rubbing will increase the flavor of brisket, it can also help to increase the tenderness of brisket.

In our experience the taste of brisket rubbed overnight and the one rubbed for couple of hours is not same .

Moreover rubbing overnight doesn’t demage the flavor in any case.

It’s your personal decision to select which one to go with.