Rubs don’t have to be “rubbed†onto meat. A simply dredging or sprinkling will do just fine, but that being said, any rubbing will help the spices to penetrate the meat better in most cases.
I never purchase pre-made spice mixes from the store. I always get greater satisfaction from making my own and having them stored in labeled Mason jars.
I would like to share some of my favourite recipes with you because barbecue season is well under way.
Take the time to start stocking miscellaneous individual dried spices and herbs like the ingredients mentioned in the recipes below, and start trying different combinations yourself.
Smoked paprika comes in both sweet and hot varieties and it is far superior to just regular paprika. I prefer the sweet (mild) variety because I would rather control the amount of spiciness with ground cayenne pepper instead.
Beef Rub
4 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tbsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper, optional
Greek Rub
4 tsp dried oregano
4 tsp granulated onion (or onion powder)
4 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
4 tsp dried parsley
4 tsp dried rosemary
4 tsp white sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
Chilli Rub
2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tbsp granulated garlic (or powder)
1 tbsp Mexican chilli powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin