Yep a piece of dried spaghetti for me, shorter than the width of the cube of meat, but long enough to sit snugly in the bend. If not using a baiting needle push the hook through cube of meat "bend first", followed by the shank, until said bend starts to appear at other end.
A blade of grass works too, and doesn't spook the fish at all, but I have this theory that chub and barbel like dried pasta. Might just be a confidence thing.