If you love to cook and explore the tastes of the world, you’ll no doubt have a drawer full of little bottles of herbs and spices. I know — I’m one of those people and my collection of little jars numbers in the dozens.
Having all these herbs and spices on hand presents yet another opportunity to mess around in the kitchen. With summer barbecue season kicking into high gear, you can use that collection of tastes, and perhaps add a few others, to make a dry rub you can use to wonderfully flavour meat, poultry, fish and vegetables cooked outdoors (or inside, for that matter).
Dry rubs are a blend of dried herbs, spices and perhaps dried vegetables, such as garlic powder, formulated to enhance the taste of the food it’s rubbed on.
Dry rubs also give the food you’re cooking a beautiful crust and can help seal in the juices of cooked meats.
To make the rub adhere, oil, or perhaps mustard, can be brushed onto the food before the rub is applied. But many cooks find it sufficient to simply rub the flavour mix directly onto and into the surface of the food.
When applying a rub, remember that dried herbs and spices, because they are dried, have a very concentrated taste and therefore will make your rubs intensely flavoured.
If you are cooking a large piece of meat, such as a thick beef brisket or pork shoulder roast, you can thickly apply the rub because once the meat is sliced, only a small portion of the exterior will have that flavoured coating.
But if what you are coating is a single portion — perhaps a fish fillet or a thin chicken breast — it’s best to apply the rub with a lighter hand. If you overdo it, you can obliterate the taste of the actual food, especially if it’s a mild tasting item such as chicken.
You can apply a rub just before you cook the food, making it a great and quick way to add fine flavour.
You can also apply a rub many hours in advance. If you do, the flavour of the herbs and spices will develop, becoming more pronounced and permeating the food.
I whisked together three types of dry rubs to try — barbecue rub, four-chili rub and Mediterranean-style rub. Each recipe provides suggestions on how to use them.
I hope these blends rub you the right way!
Barbecue Rub
Sprinkle and rub this all-purpose, flavour-enhancing blend onto steaks, chops, ribs, chicken, fish and just about anything else you cook on the grill. You can also add and use it to flavour burger and meatloaf mixes and baked beans.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: About 3/4 cup
1/4 cup chili powder
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
4 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp each onion and garlic powder
Combine all ingredients in a tight-sealing jar. Store away from sunlight and moisture in a cool room temperature place until needed.
Four-Chili Rub
Three types of chili powder and cayenne pepper anchor this quick-to-mix rub. This southern-style seasoning can be sprinkled and rubbed onto such things as chicken, fish, prawns, steak and ribs. You can also use it to flavour the foods used in Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes, such as tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, mole and meat or vegetarian chilies.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: 2/3 cup
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
2 tsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
12 tsp cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a tight-sealing jar. Store away from sunlight and moisture in a cool room temperature place until needed.
Mediterranean-style Rub
This aromatic seasoning can be used to flavour such things as lamb roasts, grilled, butterflied lamb leg and lamb chops.
It can also be used to flavour pork chops, barbecue whole chicken or chicken pieces, and meat, chicken and seafood kebabs. Lastly, you could also try it on grilled vegetables and fish, such as salmon.
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: About 1/2 cup
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried mint
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp fennel seed, lightly crushed (see Note)
Combine all ingredients in a tight-sealing jar. Store away from sunlight and moisture in a cool room temperature place until needed.
Note: You can lightly crush the fennel seeds in a spice or coffee grinder. Or, you could simple set them on a cutting board and press on them with the bottom of a heavy skillet and crush them that way.
Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
