I'd just go ahead and use it like you would if it were pure salt or a dry brine. Boulangere is right--both wet and dry brines are too salty if you just taste them on their own, but they can do great things for meat.
A further word on the too saltiness. How did you determine that it was too salty? Did you rub something, cook it, and then decide the original rub was too salty? Or did you taste it before rubbing your product? Typically rubs are salty. In a rub or in a brine, salt (and sugar) both dissolve and trap water at the cellular level. Hence the time lapse. Tasting a brine or a rub will provoke anyone's gag reflex. Neither is intended to satisfy your immediate flavor palate; rather, both will enhance the end flavor and texture. Salt and sugar are greedy for water. Once dissolved at the cellular level, they retain water. As your meat rests in its brine, and then sears, water is retained, rather than being dropped into the coals.
The moral of the story: trust your rub, not its immediate taste.
I TOTALLY agree with Nancy's do not toss advice to use it as a concentrate on which to build another rub. It's all a science experiment. By the way, how did you determine that it was too salty?
I suggest you add a small portion of the overly salty stuff to the newly made unsalty batch and taste. Keep adding the overly salty stuff into the unsalty batch until you have reached the desired saltiness/flavor level.
It's up to you to decide what to do with the remainding salty batch. You can replicate the exercise again until you have used up all of the original salty batch.
Do not dump all of the new unsalted batch into the overly salty batch.
Let us know how it goes. I did the same thing and made a batch minus the salt like others have said. You should have seen the large amount of rub I ended up with. It was large to begin with. I put a lot of it in small mason jars, tied some cute twine around it, made a label and gifted it to friends like I did it on purpose. Lol
I agree with not tossing. Use it as if it's a "concentrate" so you can take a little of it and build another spice mix around it, omitting salt, the next times you're cooking. To use it up faste, cook big things like whole turkeys, racks of ribs, pots of chili etc and invite lots of friends over for parties. Freeze leftovers
I agree with cv, up until the recommendation to toss the mix.
There may be still be a way to get some use out of this too-salty spice rub.
use it sparingly on dishes which are heavy on milk, cream, or starch like pasta & potatoes, whether the recipes call for these elements or you add them.
Both dairy & starch will absorb or dilute the saltiness, allowing the other flavors to come through.
The only way to fix it is to make another large batch with no salt, then combine the two. You can't remove salt, pepper, and other similar sharp flavors.
You'll have to think about how much total rub you will have and whether or not you will use all of it in a timely manner before the flavors start to dissipate. You could try freezing the unused portion for later use, but it probably won't be the same.
Then think about how much the ingredients cost and make the call.
Personally, I'd just toss it and write it off as a cautionary tale/lesson.
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The moral of the story: trust your rub, not its immediate taste.
It's up to you to decide what to do with the remainding salty batch. You can replicate the exercise again until you have used up all of the original salty batch.
Do not dump all of the new unsalted batch into the overly salty batch.
Good luck.
There may be still be a way to get some use out of this too-salty spice rub.
use it sparingly on dishes which are heavy on milk, cream, or starch like pasta & potatoes, whether the recipes call for these elements or you add them.
Both dairy & starch will absorb or dilute the saltiness, allowing the other flavors to come through.
Voted the Best Reply!
You'll have to think about how much total rub you will have and whether or not you will use all of it in a timely manner before the flavors start to dissipate. You could try freezing the unused portion for later use, but it probably won't be the same.
Then think about how much the ingredients cost and make the call.
Personally, I'd just toss it and write it off as a cautionary tale/lesson.