This would go with the thoughts that I was reading by a gentleman called Dan Gill, which I will quote him,"Dry rubs containing salt work just the same as brines except that there is no additional liquid to dilute meat juices. Herbs and spices applied to the surface stay there and contribute to flavor development during the cooking process. When applied to the moist surfaces of raw meat, salt attracts free moisture from the tissues and dissolves or dissociates into charged atoms of sodium (positive) and chlorine (negative), which can then penetrate tissues taking along water soluble flavorings. This process accelerates as meat warms, therefore meat can either be dry rubbed and refrigerated overnight or left out at room temperature for a few hours."
His article also seemed to think that this salt would not allow the growth of bacteria, if it was allowed to spend just a little time in the danger zone.