Dry Rub

Happy 4th of July to those of you in the USA!  I know we'll have the grill fired up, but then again, we almost always do in the summer.  It's relatively quick and keeps the heat and smells out of the house.  We used to buy Lysander's rubs to spice up our meat, but then Harris Teeter stopped carrying it.  That was really for the best, because that's when we tried our hand at making our own, and it's fantastic!  It’s great on chicken or pork, and my husband uses it when he smokes a pork shoulder or beef brisket.  We use the Basic Barbecue Rub recipe from How to Grill by Steven Raichlen.  He calls for coarse salt, but I prefer kosher salt; I don’t like biting into giant salt chunks (plus we always have a giant box of kosher in the pantry).

You will need 

¼ cup brown sugar ($.99 per 16oz, $.99/2.35 cups = $.42 x .25 cup = $.11)

¼ cup sweet (or smoked if you like) paprika ($11.99 per lb, $11.99 x .075lb = $.80)

3 Tbsp black pepper ($9.99 per lb, $9.99 x .05lb = $.50)

¼ cup kosher salt ($2.99 per 48oz, $2.99/94.42 Tbsp = $.03 x 4Tbsp = $.12)

2 tsp garlic powder ($6.99 per lb, $6.99 x .01555 = $.11)

2 tsp onion powder ($3.99 per 2.62oz, $3.99/2.62oz = $1.52 x .24888oz = $.38)

2 tsp celery seeds ($5.65 per 1.62oz, $5.65/19.62tsp = $.29 x 2 tsp = $.58)

1 tsp cayenne pepper ($3.79 per oz, $3.79/12.75tsp = $.29)

Phasing in bulk spices.  Glass baby food jars make great spice containers!

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, breaking up brown sugar clumps as needed.  Rub onto meat before grilling, baking, or smoking.

Aren't they pretty?

Mixed and ready to rub.

I was convinced I could just throw everything in a jar and shake it up a bit, but that does not work.  The sugar will never mix in properly.  Instead, use a funnel (or roll up a piece of paper) to transfer the rub into a jar after you’re done mixing.  This keeps very well, so feel free to make a double or triple batch!

Pre-smoked pork shoulder from the Organic Butcher... Check next week to see a picture of the pulled pork.  Mmm, delicious.

Try It

$2.89 for 5oz, or $.58/oz.

Buy It

$5.71 for 3.8oz of Lysander's Pork Meat Rub, or $1.50/oz.

Verdict

This is a very simple money saver that has a great flavor and is easily customized.  Try It!

NEXT WEEK: Baked Beans!