Caught myself slipping after a talk with an old pitmaster in Memphis

Was down in Memphis for a family thing last month and ended up chatting with this old guy named Ray who's been running a backyard pit for 40 years. He asked me what rub I use and I told him my go-to store blend, and he just shook his head. Said something like 'you're trusting a factory to know your meat better than you do' and it hit me hard. I've been lazy with my seasoning, buying premade stuff when I could be mixing my own for a fraction of the cost and way more control. Spent last weekend testing three different salt-to-pepper ratios on some pork shoulders, and the difference was night and day even between those. Anyone else ever get called out like that by someone who just knows better?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_chen2mo ago

That salt-to-pepper thing is wild how much it changes things though... what ratios did you end up liking best for the pork?

amy_sanchez2mo ago

I landed on a 2:1 salt to pepper ratio after a bunch of trial and error. For a 2lb pork shoulder I do one tablespoon of kosher salt and half a tablespoon of cracked black pepper, plus a little garlic powder. Let it sit for at least 4 hours in the fridge before cooking, the difference is noticeable.