Tatonka Dust is a unique blend of worcestershire powder, soy sauce powder and a charcoal seasoning base mixed with onion, garlic, peppers, salts and other spices. The unique blend certainly gives it a unique flavor profile (and color).
My preference for BBQ rub is a Kansas City-style. This is certainly not that, and that becomes obvious when you see the black mixture in the bottle.
Depending on where you live, it's not widely available. I ordered mine from the company's website. More on that later.
This rub was highly endorsed by people's whose opinions I respect. I've heard it's great on anything and everything, and while I'm not a fan of "makes everything better" rubs, the chatter on Tatonka Dust was deafening. There's no way I was going to overlook it.
Feedback was most high on beef, so the initial test was on two thick-cut ribeye steaks. A third ribeye was not dusted for head-to-head comparison.
Following a light dusting, 30 minute rest and 20 minutes on the Weber, one thing became apparent; I didn't use enough.
I found Tatonka Dust marginally enhanced the char flavor of the meat, and gave the natural beef flavor a slight boost. Otherwise, it was hard to tell it was even there.
After the test, one of the company's owners told me via Facebook that was exactly what the rub was designed to do.
I grill over hickory logs and get a lot of char naturally. Also, we have a good butcher in my hometown, so we rarely get a cut of meat that needs the help. Even still, the rub did give the natural flavor a little jolt.
If you grill on propane, get you a bottle of this stuff; the biggest one they make. You'll have everyone convinced your meat is wood-fired. The naturalness of the flavor in this rub is amazing.
If you buy a high quality cut and cook over coals or wood, you might not be overwhelmed by the flavor, and that's by design.
MY RATING:
OFFICIAL RUB REVIEW:
If you're wanting to improve the taste of lower quality cuts of beef, this is a one way ticket to flavor town. If you're looking for something more familiar, a-la KCBS, keep looking.
WHY DIDN'T IT GET 5 STARS? The char and flavors in this rub taste surprisingly natural, but with a little fire control and better meat selection, you should be able to get those yourself. I didn't taste a lot of the other flavors in the rub, or they weren't as obvious as I would have liked.
BANG FOR THE BUCK: A 6-ounce bottle from the website is nearly $11. That's expensive. Add in shipping, and you're around $17. The company does sell it in bigger bottles and bags and the more you buy, the cheaper it gets (per ounce/pound). Still, when you use it, you'll want to use a heavy dose, so it might not go very far. If you live somewhere where you can get your hands on it for $11, it's well worth it.
