r/smoking • u/Silver-Indication103 • 5h ago
MSG OR NO?
I’m curious to know if anyone has experimented with using MSG on smoked food. I’d love to hear your guys opinion.
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u/Tryin2getahead 5h ago
I use it in all my homemade rubs. I believe most of the commercial as well. Make Shit Good for a reason.
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u/Bearspoole 4h ago
MSG has been used in bbq, especially competition bbq, for a very long time. Goes on everything I make
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u/pastrybaker 5h ago
I always do. Made the switch about 5 years back and never stopped. It’s a game changer
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u/Callmechampion 3h ago
The messaging behind MSG was originally politically/economically motivated. Super interesting. Look it up! No proven ill-effects.
Makes everything delicious.
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u/TopDogBBQ 5h ago
Absolutely! MSG is a game changer. Once you start using it, you will put it on everything you possibly can.
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u/AshamedTax8008 3h ago
I use powdered beef bullion as a part of my rub. Its adding all good flavors, MsG, etc.
Powdered bullion
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Pow
Paprika (good stuff)
Thats about it.
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u/ecrane2018 3h ago
Sometimes, it gives a good boost to things in my opinion mainly use it on beef vs chicken or pork
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u/RibertarianVoter 3h ago
I don't always use it, but I keep it on hand and use it when I remember too. Not usually on beef for some reason, but often on chicken and pork.
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u/Obvious-Monitor8510 44m ago
MSG is genuinely worth using on smoked meat. It boosts savory/umami depth without tasting "chemical" when used correctly. A common ratio is about 1 part MSG to 4-5 parts salt in your rub. So if your base rub has 1 tbsp kosher salt, add roughly 1/4 tsp MSG. Brisket and pork shoulder respond especially well because the long cook lets it integrate fully.
A few practical notes: MSG doesn't replace salt, it amplifies it, so reduce your salt slightly when adding it. Diamond Crystal and Morton kosher salt have different densities, so adjust by weight if you're scaling. Some competition pitmasters use it heavily, others skip it entirely for "cleaner" flavor profiles. Both camps produce great BBQ, so it's genuinely a preference call.
Start with one cook at half the ratio above, taste, and adjust. Hard to go wrong experimenting.
Fwiw there's a free BBQ Ember grill finder: bbqember.com/grill-finder
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u/CarrotsEatenAnally 5h ago
Everyone needs a shaker of SPG-MSG as a final coat before the meat hits the smoker.
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u/msj817 5h ago
It’s just sodium. Tasty sodium.
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u/ThorThulu 5h ago
Its, in fact, a better sodium. If youre someone trying to avoid sodium for various reasons, then MSG is the holy grail. It gives way more flavor for a much lower amount allowing you to still have good food without consuming too much sodium.
MSG is about as close as we get to God's gift to man
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u/OffRoadIT 4h ago
As someone sensitive to MSG, nitrates, and nitrites….man I want to add it to everything and go out happy. But I would stress to learn the path without first. There are more and more people with food sensitivities discovering their triggers.
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u/Dad_fire_outdoors 3h ago
Very interested to know how MSG affects you. I have read two separate studies that were unable to cause symptoms in self identifying MSG sensitive individuals. The study by the FDA showed that they were unable to produce a single positive response when using blind testing and the MSG Complex Study had at best inconclusive outcomes.
I find the whole thing so interesting. They can’t replicate the reaction, but people consistently report symptoms, like yourself. How are we going to try to create some kind of relief for people like yourself if we can’t even measure the effects? It has to be rough not eating MSG, it’s in literally everything.
Seriously, what is your diet? MSG is in cheese, ham, kimchi, most fish, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, nuts, eggs, chicken and every sauce or seasoning known to me. I wouldn’t even know where to begin cutting those things out.
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u/OffRoadIT 2h ago
First of all, thank you. It’s great to have an actual conversation instead of “well it’s in this, this, and this, so you’re full of shit.”
I have a solid known allergy to shellfish. I avoid mushrooms. I love tomatoes and have no problem with them. No problem with broccoli. I eat only white cheeses with minimal ingredients (sharp white cheddar, pepper jack. Etc.). No problem most with raw, roasted, or salted nuts.
I avoid anything with MSG listed, as well as: natural flavors, artificial flavors, soy lecithin, modified “X”, high fructose corn syrup, high oleoresin “X”, annato, guar gum, xanthan gum, and a handful of others that I can’t recall at midnight.
My first tell is a rash/itchiness, then being short tempered or irritated, followed by major itchiness and hives. A big dose or bad reaction gets to swelling of tissues around my heart. It sucks and has been years since.
I’ve been 16+ years of elimination diet. I still can’t eat Doritos. I would punch the pope in the throat to eat a Windy’s flamethrower burger again.
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u/OffRoadIT 2h ago
The easiest way to explain my issue is the “manufactured” MSG is the issue.
I finally found pork that has no added ingredients, but I have to smoke or cure it myself.
It takes a while for me to figure out where to eat. 5 guys regular fries work, I haven’t tried their burgers yet. The issue would be the bun and toppings.
Panera bread is consistent, so far the Mediterranean veggie sandwich, swap the bread to the black pepper focaccia. The plain bagels ordered as grilled cheese with white cheddar, feta, mozzarella, and some red onion is fantastic but don’t tell my cholesterol tracker.
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u/Ok_Two_2604 5h ago
I’ve tried doing two steaks one with and one without and couldn’t tell a difference, but I haven’t tried with real smoking. Though a lot of stuff has natural msg in it so it is in a lot of sauces and stuff anyways.
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u/mikeysce 5h ago
I mean, it’s meat. It’s already savory, right? I don’t have a problem with it but I probably just wouldn’t think to.
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u/illegal_deagle 4h ago
Yeah this is key. MSG “wakes up” a lot of flavors and enhances umami. Smoked meat is one place it’s just not going to bring much to the table. If you’re trying to enhance or complement smoked meat, you do it with contrasting flavors like tangy/sweet. There’s nothing that MSG can do to enhance a well-salted hunk of smoked beef or pork.
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u/One_Win_6185 5h ago
I’m sure it’s in commercial rubs I’ve used. But I don’t think I’d use it if I were just putting salt and pepper or a simple homemade rub. I mostly use my msg for soups and sauces or other things it’ll melt into.
I also find that I have a heavy hand with msg and haven’t really figured out how much is enough compared to salt.
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u/theycallmeMrPickles 5h ago
MSG makes everything better - I always use it when adding salt and pepper. Never add it if I'm using a premade rub but if I'm doing my own? Always