Give it a Rub

HRinFL

I have been experimenting with making a barbeque rub for pork, be it ribs/pulled/sliced, but am not totally satisfied with my attempts thus far. The last one was okay, but I am just not happy with the end result. I would also like to make a good rub for chicken before I add my kickin' sauce to it. Anybody out there have a recipe they want to share?

TN HR

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-24-05 AT 10:40AM (CST)[/font][br][br]I think rubs are sort of like good soup recipes. There really isn't a recipe and you just add what you have on-hand, have a craving for and the level of heat or type of flavor you're after.

A good all-around general rub, spice, and just about universal season mix I use is as follows. Forgive me for not having measurments, I just add what feels right. Experiment until you tweak it to yur liking:

Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Dried Thyme
Dried Oregano
Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Black Pepper
Tiny bit of Dried Basil
Tiny bit of dried Cilantro
Wee bit of Old Bay
Wee bit of brown sugar

This is very similar to what Emeril refers to as Essence, so feel free to BAM! away on soups, dishes, etc. It makes a good rub on pork and chicken. The brown sugar and paprika give it a nice color whether roasted, grilled, or baked.

Enjoy!

Gene

HRinFL

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-24-05 AT 10:54AM (CST)[/font][br][br]I have not tried using Old Bay. When it comes to the brown sugar, do you use the light or dark? I haven't used brown sugar, instead using cane sugar (sugar in the raw). That may be part of the trouble I am having. I use the cane sugar in my sauce and liked the flavor in that, but it may not be the right choice for the rub.

TN HR

Definately use the dark brown sugar. You will find that this may do the trick. Old Bay can be very pungent, so only use tiny bits of it. When done right, the mixture of spices will create an unmistaekable aroma in your kitchen, yard, wherever and an explosion of flavors in your mouth.

LivindonSouth

The recipe posted above is almost identical to the really cheap commercial recipe I buy at the place where I shop. Why in the world would I buy and mix all that stuff when I can buy it in a plastic jug much, much cheaper. All the time you spend purchasing and mixing should be spent drinking beer and shaking the commercial product out of the plastic jug.

HRinFL

To say I am disappointed would be an understatement! Don, I was sure that you would appreciate the fine art and science of developing a good rub!

It's the satisfaction you get when people ask you what you used on the meat and eat until they are stuffed. The discussion with others on what they use, what they tried/failed with. Hearing the conversation come to a screetching halt at the table because people are too busy smacking their lips together to complete words. People standing by the grill or smoker eagerly waiting for you to plate dinner because the smell is driving them crazy. It is all worth the effort and expense.

LivindonSouth

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-27-05 AT 01:18PM (CST)[/font][br][br]That's precisely why I pour up the commercial rub in a plastic bottle with no label. I do the same with BBQ sauce and with an empty jug with a peanut oil label on it. Creativity need not necessarily be restricted to the kitchen cabinet.

(edit) But, speaking of dark brown sugar, absolutely no other is acceptable in baked beans. I have my grandmother's recipe that is almost a hundred years old.

TN HR

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-28-05 AT 07:24AM (CST)[/font][br][br]'Why in the world would I buy and mix all that stuff when I can buy it in a plastic jug much, much cheaper'

For the same reason that you don't serve Hungry Man TV dinners even though they contain the same ingredients that you might use in the home-made version of the dish.

The quantities, freshness, even how course or fine the dried herbs (if you don't believe that one, try it with oregano) are all play into the flavor.

Besides, 99.9% of all store bought spices of any sort contain, at minimum, anti-caking agents and most of them contain MSG.

Gene