MSG Lets talk

[Big Poppa]

OK MSG to me is the best example of what is more important...perception or reality?
Especially in California MSG is about as bad of substance that you can put into your food...I dont know one person who doesnt believe that they are allergic to it or believe it is even a carcinogen.

Now in talking to the scientist at the rub place that blends and packages BPS stuff he says that if everyone was allergic to it they would have had a reaction to it while breast feeding as mother milk is loaded with glutamates.

This isnt to argue or expose or anything like that....just discuss it. Someone I know very well would not try something that I had cooked because they believed that it had msg in it and that it would trigger their migranes. That was fine...the same person wouldnt try a new sauce because of the ingredients. That person loves ranch dressing....you know the powder mix and you add the buttermilk? Guess what? the third ingredient was MSG. No headaches from the salad dressings....

I used some smokin guns hot at a friends house...the whole house is allergic to MSG. I hadnt read the label...it has msg. Everybody had seconds... nobody got sick or anything...happy happy....the guy bought some smokin guns hot due to popular request and then sent it back to me due to the diet restrictions of his group and the presence of MSG.

I know Scooter really does have issues with it and many do...On another thread Sis n law says she misses this rub made in slo....I reminded her that it was almost all MSG and then salt Pepper and garlic in that order. Then Tbone looked at one of his favorites and MSG was the second ingredient....

So I think that the allergies to MSG may be overblown but it doesnt matter if people have an aversion to it you cant argue with it. Thats why none of my stuff has it....it is a marketing disaster to use it...Same with Gluten...oh thats another conversation

I think that I like Gluten....string me up in the hipster popular culture gallows!

 

[jimsbarbecue]

One seasoning I use a lot is the Susie Q's Santa Maria seasoning. Which BP you may want to stock! It is available with or without MSG. I have used both type. But only buy the without MSG as we didn't see much difference.
Go into a Smart and final or RD and you will find Accent seasoning in large containers. To me that means a lot of places you and I buy prepared food is using MSG as Accent is 100% MSG. I have spices with and without MSG but will always buy a without MSG version if available.

 

[sparky]

I haven't ordered head country until you got it without msg. No msg in my house.

 

[gwapogorilla]

My wife is from the Philippines, so MSG goes into some of the food she makes. I also make a homemade Filipino longanisa sausage, and put MSG in it. As I understand it, it is derived from beets....yep, the vegetable.
I agree with you BP, most people hear something negative about anything, and it sticks to their brains like glue. I have talked to people that will not use a Smoke daddy, because they read somewhere, that burning aluminum may cause Alzheimer's. Others still will only buy gas grills because burning charcoal and wood deposits carcinogens on your food.
Glad I didn't listen to that one too.

 

[TentHunter]

I can only speak for myself, but for years I had horrible reactions including migraines, severe nausea & heart palpitations from certain foods. At the time neither I nor the doctors had any idea it was L-Glutamate or a condition called excitotoxicity; all I knew was that if I ate these foods I got sick, so I learned what to avoid.

But you also have to remember that I have many allergies including Sulfa/Sulfates (I used to get 4 allergy shots per week), and there's a direct link to Sulfa allergies and sensitivity to L-glutamates (including MSG).

The list of ingredients I now have to avoid is long and includes other things (such as Autolyzed Yeast). That's why I am so grateful that Jessie takes the time to list ingredients on the products sold at BPS!

 

[tbone]

For me (whole family actually), msg has always been a bad word but one we all live with. We know it enhances the flavor of food (much like salt), but have been told it's bad (much like salt). We don't necessarily know why, only that it's bad.

We still go out for chinese and order straight off the menu. We will still use our "Johny's" rub because we like it. No headaches or allergies.

Still, when told there's msg, we cringe. Wish I knew why.

tbone

 

[firehouse_bbq]

My rubs do not contain MSG. However, there isa greek seasoning I like and use a lot, and it has MSG in it. My wife does not like me using it because it has MSG, however I have never had any issues with it. Lots of rub have or have had MSG in them.

 

[scooter]

BP, is sounds like that rub scientist is insinuating that naturally occuring glutamates and MSG are one in the same thing? There is a difference between naturally occuring glutamates and MSG and in that difference lies the reactions some people have while digesting MSG (manufactured glutamate).
In overly simplified terms, MSG is simply a neurotransmitter that when it crosses your taste buds sends a message to your brain that what you're eating is more delicious than what it would have tasted without the MSG. Therein lies the issue I had with MSG in BBQ competitions. It seemed to me that when a comp team adds MSG to their meat and I taste it, the MSG is telling me the chic/rib/pork/brisket tastes better than it really does. It seemed like a cheat to me as MSG is not a herb or seasoning, it's a tasteless neurotransmitter . It's use is so prevalent in the comp world that any team that doesn't use MSG is putting themselves at a disadvantage. Maybe a small disadvantage but a disadvantage none the less and in the world of comp BBQ where less than 1 point can decide the difference between GC and RGC any advantage, real or imagined, can make the difference in trophy size!
In the last year I've experimented with rubs with MSG and have not had any issues myself or from Mrs scooter.
Me and the Mrs used to get real thirsty after eating Chinese food (she would also get headaches) but haven't for a long time because the Chinese restaurants we go to advertise "No MSG" but I figure that probably just means No "Added" MSG. So either they've removed all usage of MSG from the kitchen, or, they are not adding any and the amount that is occuring in some of the ingredients they cook with is so small that it doesn't cause me or my wife issues. I'm thinking realistically that it must be the later of the two.
I can only imagine how much MSG I ingest judging a comp (rubs, injections, sauces) and I've had no ill effects from any of the 15 or so comps I've judged.
At any rate, I don't have an issue with MSG in rubs anymore as I've been using them and have had no issues and none reported to me by those who scarf up my BBQ experiments.

 

[Big Poppa]

Great I just remember on another forum with plowboys.

On the comp front we use no msg. In talking to the rub people Plowboys used a trace amount and not by choice it was in the seasoning salt
that he used in blending the original yardbird....He was able to get it out and no drop in comp results as the amount was very small.

WE dont inject brisket with phosphates either and maybe thats why we are inconsistent with brisket. There is a flavor and aftertaste that I hate with the two big injection mixes. Brisket is so tweaked on the comp circuit that the flavor profile is very manufactured. We came in 119 in brisket..if we hit #50 we would have been 13th overall...

What you are saying in your post is basically my point....most people think they have issues and really dont in moderation. That was the point of the scientist....

But keep in mind folds out there who really do I am not questioning

 

[TentHunter]

Scooter's right, there is a HUGE difference between naturally occurring glutamates and MSG. They are NOT the same.

Manufactured L-glutamate works because it excites neurons without having to be digested. It has an immediate reaction as soon as it hits your taste buds, whereas naturally occurring glutamate has to be absorbed into the body and reacts slowly. Any L-Glutamate combined with salt (a mono-sodium) is now Mono-Sodium Glutamate (hence the name).

It's not just MSG that's appearing in foods, but also other manufactured glutamates such as Autolyzed Yeast Extract (and others). Its basically MSG without the salt. These L-glutamates can be added to food and legally have a "No MSG" label.

My point? If you only think you're sensitive to it, then you're most likely consuming some form of it without realizing. If you really are sensitive to the stuff then you just have to be educated about it, that's all.

 

[scooter]

yep, yardbird was the first rub I bought that contained MSG. I was pretty naive back then about its use in bbq rubs as you read in that thread. It amazes me how many rubs I purchased before yardbirds which had no msg in them.
as for injections, I can easily and quickly identify any usage of a certain meat guys injection product in a comp entry. it has a very salty jerky like flavor and also gives the meat a slimy or oily texture depending on how concentrated the pitmaster was with the product. I can also identify the same taste and texture in some pork entries. The slimy texture is what puts me off the most.

tent: it's amazing how difficult it can be to discuss msg without being scientists. the discussion won't get far before we're using words that require a dictionary to understand

 

[Big Poppa]

its great that we can discuss this on some forums it would have blown up already!

 

[FLBentRider]

I try to stay away from it, I don't like the way I feel when I've had it in larger quantities, ie, Chinese take-out.

 

[HoDeDo]

I like to call that texture "Mealy". I'm not a fan of it either, so I dont inject my meat with it. I don't have any affinity for or against MSG. I dont make rub decisions based on it either. I think moderation is key.

I would say it is prevalent in comp cooking, but only to the extent that alot of products utilize it. (products that were around for reasons other than comp BBQ). There are a few folks who use alot of it... i.e. sprinkling accent on the back of slices prior to turn-in etc. But I dont think that is the majority of cooks. I can count more cooks I know that are not doing that, than are doing it...

Having said all that, Great thread, and lots of good discussion on it!

 

[Thom Emery]

Love me some MSG
If you do not want to eat MSG stay away from the judging tables ;0)