When to put rub on brisket before smoking

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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.

Brisket usually lose 30 to 40 percent of its weight while smoking. so you need to give rub enough time to sink into the deeper part of brisket. here is our complete guide on how much weight does brisket lose when smoking.

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.

The quality of rub is as important as any other factor. you should make sure that your rub is not clumped when applying it onto the brisket. here is a complete guide on how to avoid avoid the clumping of rub for more information.

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.

if rub is applied effectively and the temperature of brisket is high enough, then the brisket will get bark in two to five hours. you can also read our detailed guide on how much time it takes for brisket to get bark here

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.

Brisket usually absorbs less smoke after smoking for some time. but applying rub on brisket can increase its moisture and allow it to absorb more smoke.

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.

Do you put rub on both sides of the brisket?

The simple and straightforward answer to this question will always be yes, because everyone wants to have the same flavor in every bit of the brisket.
Even if you mistakenly leave a piece of brisket without rub , it may feel tasteless when it goes into your mouth.

But you should not only restrict yourself to two sides of the brisket because some chunks of thick brisket, like the brisket, can have more than two sides .
So you will have to apply the rub all around to the smoked brisket with the same flavor in every bit.

Lean brisket doesn’t involve much complexity because it has less surface area and you can easily rub it to get a better flavor.
The real problem is faced when rubbing hard brisket because it can have multiple sides and the rub may not seep in.

The best method to apply rub on thick brisket is by massaging it with your knuckles .
It will allow the rub to seep into the deeper portion of the brisket and provide consistent flavor throughout the chunk.
You should make sure to not leave any side dry and without rubbing.

Can you leave rub on brisket overnight?

The black and white answer to this question will always be yes, because brisket is stiff in texture and requires more time for the rub to sink in properly.

Rubbing overnight results in increasing the tenderness of the brisket along with flavor.
Rub time on brisket is a personal choice.

You should consider testing different rub times and choosing the one that suits you .
Leaving the rub overnight can surely result in more flavor of the rub and less flavor of the brisket.
When a dry rub is applied on the surface of the brisket, the salt present within the rub sinks deeper into the brisket while pulling some other rub components along with it.
while sinking in salt removes the moisture from the brisket.

This results in a paste like appearance of rub on the surface of the brisket.
But rather than panicking at this point, you should consider giving yourself more time to rub .

Because the moisture on the surface of the brisket will eventually sink back into the brisket.
It will result in an increased flavor of meat while enhancing the tenderness of the brisket at the same time.
Some pitmasters rush through the process without allowing much time for the action of rub , resulting in the end product being a disappointment.

You should preferably apply the rub for around 3 hours to 24 hours, which will give the rub enough time to sink in while avoiding any complications.
You can leave overnight if you are not planning to smoke right away

Can you leave wet rub on brisket overnight?

Usually, wet rub is left overnight because it requires more time to seep into the brisket.
A wet rub is applied to increase the tenderness and moisture of the brisket .

So if you give it more time to rub ,then it will result in more moisture in the brisket and the brisket will not dry out during smoking.
Smoking brisket is lengthy process and is often smoked overnight. if you apply rub overnight too, then it is going to affect the texture of brisket

Can you leave the dry rub on the brisket overnight?

When using dry rub, there are no benefits to leaving rub overnight because dry rub is applied to get good bark and it usually stays on the surface of the brisket.
you also need to keep in mind the clumping of rub . you read our guide on How do I keep my rub from clumping? for more information.
Applying dry rub for more time can make the appearance more reddish.

How long before smoking should I put the rub on the brisket?

Now that we’ve covered the majority of the rub time misunderstandings, you might be wondering how long before you should rub the brisket.

Rub time can range from 2 hours to 8 hours for soft brisket and 2 hours to overnight for hard brisket.
Hard brisket requires more time because the primary function of wet rub applied on them is to increase the moisture content of the brisket and avoid it drying out during smoking.

So it requires more time to seep in and perform its function properly.

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.

Jakob miller
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