When grilling meat, the most important choice you make is the type and cut of meat for your chosen method of cooking. The second most important decision is whether to go a wet or dry rub. A dry rub is an excellent choice for flavoring already tender or moist cuts of meat.
Next time you are in the store, read the label of the ready made marinades. You’re likely to find recognizable spices but also things like: silicon dioxide, maltodextrin and corn syrup solids. Now I am sure these things are important to the shelf life of a dry rub but why pay extra for it? You can make your own dry rubs for cheaper and they do not contain weird stuff that you’ve paid extra for.
When making your dry rub, expect some trial and error. I remember one of our first rubs I made, I got too excited about cumin, which my family did not appreciate!
Always make a double batch. That way, after you have cooked with one batch, you can adjust anything that is to strong or to weak and you have some left to test out next time. Just do not forget to write it down!
Choosing your spices doesn’t have to be difficult either. Do you already have a favorite ready made rub? If so, look at at the label and use those ingredients as a base. You can also play with your taste buds: savory, sweet, Asian, Korean to name a few…
This is a base rub recipe that you can start with and if you do not have, or like an ingredient: it is okay to leave it out of the rub.
Great Homemade Dry Rub for Pork Ribs
- 1 tsp each of: white pepper, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- 1 tbsp each of: kosher salt, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, and smoked salt.
- 2 tbsp of brown sugar.
- Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly & store in an airtight container.
The opportunities for mixing and matching ingredients for dry rubs is limited only by your imagination and your taste buds.
Lyn’s Secret 11 Spice Rub