Being from Kansas City, there's been one thing that's been instilled in me early. Dry Rub. We put it on anything that is bound for heat and sometimes more than that just for fun. It's more than salt and pepper and can take a plain cut of meat from meh to mouthwatering. It's easy to make and makes all the difference to your meat!
What You Need
Ingredients
2 cups brown sugar (see notes below)
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1/4 cup granulated onion
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup cumin
1/8 cup ancho or chipotle
1/4 cup mustard powder
1/8 cup cayenne pepper
Equipment
Whisk (optional)
Large Bowl
Zip Top Bag
Plastic Wrap (for meat prep)
Instructions
1. Gather Ingredients
Since there's no oven or complicated procedure involved in the making of this rub, the assembly of everything is key. Forgetting one ingredient can make things taste a little off, so make sure everyone (spice wise rather) is in attendance!
2. Measure
Measure ingredients into prep bowls. We usually mix them into smaller bowls before adding them to the large bowl, just in case we measure incorrectly it's easier to rectify.
3. Mix
Add all spices to your large bowl and add brown sugar. Combine with a whisk, or toss all ingredients into a large zip top bag and shake, shake, shake!
4. To Use
Rub your mixture into the piece of meat which you'll be using. We suggest this rub on anything that once had legs. Don't be afraid of it getting messy, that's a given, just get it in all nooks and crannies incuding bony or fatty parts.
5. Wrap In Plastic
Wrap your meat in plastic for at least an hour, up to a day and let things mingle. Although you can grill, broil or bake things immediately, the longer the rub sits on the meat the more flavor will develop further into it. This can keep up to 72 hours if needs be, but is best right around the 24 hour mark! Enjoy!
Additional Notes:
There are as many dry rubs out there as there are hairs on your head. This is just a base mixture to get you started. If you like different things, feel free to adjust it to suit your tastes. You can also play around with the types of sugar in the mixture combining brown, white, turbinado and more!
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(Images: Sarah Rae Trover)
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this is great!
ok. I have to admit I am not a great cook, but I do like to try new things.
I would like to give this a try but I have a question, I notice chipotle and cayenne pepper in there. Does this make it a really spicy taste? I have a five year old who likes a little spicy but not over the top.
I never thought to put my meat and rub in a bag! Usually I have the stuff all over the place and even up my nose by the time I'm done. I know that wasn't exactly what the directions called for, but that's what I'm going to do next time!
I put everything in the bag and shake it up and rub it without getting my hands all gross. Then pop it in the fridge.
houseofduck - You can leave them out entirely, but honestly, they impart flavor but not FLAAAVOR (if you catch the meaning of that). You won't bite into your steak and be able to list off the exact spices, they more blend and impart taste, but no spicy heat!
I've always wanted to try a dry rub but when they show it on TV they always rush through it as if everyone already knows how. The pics were great - I feel confident in my ability to try it after this. Thanks!
yum
Can I omit the sugar, do you know? Will it still be yummy?
Sugar is almost half of the quantity so omitting it would probably be a mistake if you use the same technique. That amount of rub without the sugar would be seriously overpowering.
If you want it without as much spice I'd use ancho instead of chipotle and replace the cayenne with a generic chili powder or something like guajillo powder if you can find it (or just cut the cayenne in half).