Soaking in buttermilk before smoking

Not sure about beef or pork... But it works great with chicken and fish..

What’s the reason that buttermilk would work over milk? Buttermilk is just milk that’s had the fat removed to make butter right? Would soaking in milk not do the same thing? Only difference would be flavor right?

If you are doing $70 OP that’s a lot of racks. I wouldn’t ever experiment with that many, maybe do one rack with and the rest without and see how it goes.

I have been using mayo as a binder in competitions BBQ over mustard for a long time. Mustard is salty and the rubs and sauces we use also have a high salt content. To be able to eliminate mustard as a degree of salt has helped in the finish.

Butter milk holds an acidic value in the 4 range while whole milk is more of the 6.5 to neutral area. This acidic content is why so many use butter milk as a marinade base for a ton of dishes out there.

8 hours isn't much time for any marinade to work especially a mildly acidic buttermilk however. If you are serious about letting one work most dishes are going to need that 24 hours enzyme breakdown process. Any less and all you are really doing is coating and cooking.

Besides Buttermilk's acidity, it also contains protease, an enzyme that breaks down protein.

Most of the experiments I've seen using buttermilk with beef have the protein soaking for extended periods of time (3-7 days) before the beef is rendered tender.

Personally, unless you plan on vacuum sealing it, you're going to waste a lot of buttermilk for very little return.

I usually need to shower after smoking a cigar.
Never tried soaking in buttermilk first.

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Is there a reason to break down the proteins before a long, low temp cook?

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Not one that makes any sense, but I guess one perspective is that the acids present in buttermilk denature the proteins which increases their ability to retain moisture. Additionally, the enzymes help breakdown muscle fibers to make the meat more tender.

The reason I say this doesn't make sense is because most meats that are utilized for long, low temp cooks typically have high concentrations of collagen which lend to the moisture (juiciness) which is broken down over the duration of cook, making the meat tender.

Seems like a waste of buttermilk and time.

Alton Brown’s alt

Nah good info, thx!