Salt vs Sugar

Two of the most controversial ingredients in America today, there are two sides to these stories. Some people agree that sugar and salt are evil in origin, while others simply can’t get enough. Certainly, there are negatives associated with either when not consumed in moderation, but they can be enjoyed if one is simply mindful of their food choices. On the grill, salt and sugar work together to form the best rubs. The salt encourages the juiciness of the meat and brings together all the spices, amplifying their flavor. The sugar acts as a crust as it caramelizes over the high heat of the grill, sealing the juices in place so the meat remains perfectly moist.

Don’t think about salt and sugar in terms as black and white as “use it every time” or “don’t go anywhere near it.” Instead, consider them as ingredients just like any other. Use enough to deliver optimum flavor and indulge with caution. You will find that many companies have spice blends that are heavy on either salt or sugar because they are inexpensive filler ingredients, which is a “smart business decision” and doesn’t really keep the customer in mind. You want good food, not okay food with a lot of cut corners and cheap quality ingredients. The salt and sugar in this blend are carefully balanced by a menagerie of other spices for a full-bodied flavor, uncompromised by an excess of any ingredient.

What’s the Story of Our Smoky Molasses?

Sometimes a single ingredient is all it takes to get inspired for a new blend. High quality granulated molasses was that ingredient. When coming up with Bourbon Molasses, the desire for a good seasoning blend for chicken with some smokiness, some heat, and then a hint of citrus was the driving force. For this blend, we kept all those elements and incorporated a different salt which gives a good smoky flavor all its own.

Our granulated molasses is sourced from New Orleans. This domestic molasses is different from imported molasses because it has a shorter ripening time. Our Granulated Molasses has the most flavor and one of the lowest sugar profiles possible of any molasses.

Smoky Molasses took a while to perfect because we wanted something that would be close to the Bourbon Molasses rub. Hickory Salt really stepped up and helped us make something delicious out of a bad situation. This salt gives the blend a good personality which compliments the smokiness of the roasted garlic and toasted onion.

What’s in it?

Smoky Molasses is hand blended from granulated molasses, demerara sugar, orange, smoked Hickory salt, garlic, onion, chipotle, paprika and red bell pepper.

Flavor Profile

This has a noticeable, yet somewhat subdued sweetness followed by a smooth earthiness from the garlic and onion. You’ll pick up a bit of heat that hits the back of your throat with some lingering citrus notes. If you like the citrus flavor, you can squeeze an orange over your meat once you’ve finished seasoning it, but before you grill or smoke it. The fresh citrus will give a little extra boost to the citrus notes in the blend, highlighting more of that light flavor.

Where to Use

This blend can be used to create your own Smoky Molasses Rub BBQ Sauce. It has a nice depth of flavor, and that sauce can be used on chicken or pork. Using Smoky Molasses Rub is great for meats of all kinds because it helps tenderize the meat but also helps seal in the juiciness of the meat because of the caramelization of the molasses sugars forming a crust on the meat.

Try using it on smoked brisket, chicken, ribs, or even a tuna sandwich. Add some to ground burger meat working it in as you shape the meat. Not so into meat? This blend tastes incredible on tofu as well. Mix it in with sour cream for an interesting chip dip, like some of our customers have suggested! Sprinkle on popcorn or use on roasted or grilled veggies for a unique twist of flavor.

Helpful Hints

For how much of this rub you want to use, one tablespoon of dry rub per pound of chicken, beef, or pork is a good starting point. If you are using it on fish, start with half of a tablespoon. In general, you should be using less of a blend than you think you would need to start out with because our blends are extremely flavorful. You can always add more if you want more flavor, but you can never get rid of the flavor if you have over seasoned the meat.

If you season meat with this blend, you can let them sit in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours before cooking it to allow time for the meat to absorb the flavors. For fish, we recommend giving it a full 30 minutes before cooking to let the fish absorb the blend.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Smoky Molasses is one of our most popular blends. It is perfect for specialty barbecue sauce recipes, especially for our customers who manufacture their own sauces for specialty shops. This is a great blend for makers of marinated meat products as well. Buying in bulk is perfect for our customers who want a unique flavor for their meat. It’s a “secret ingredient” blend for serious grill masters, especially those who love cooking meat enough to make a business out of it. Though it is a pre-made blend, this fits right in with the dedication to quality and incredible taste that barbecue masters have, because it has been perfected specifically for flavor and use on the grill. It would be beneficial in bulk for barbecue restaurants, since it adds a convenience factor as the blend is already optimized for barbecuing settings. It also makes for excellent product in specialty spice shops, food markets, and olive oil shops.

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