I love rubbing my meat. Help me take it to next the next level.
September 6, 2010 9:31 AM Subscribe
I love rubbing my meat. Help me take it to next the next level.
A friend recently recommended I try rubs instead of marinating. One pork tenderloin rubbed, seared and roasted, and I was convinced. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, so a BBQ is not possible.
What are your favorite rubs for various meats?
What do I need to know to make my own rubs?
Anything technique-wise that would be helpful to know?
Help me be a master rubber!
A friend recently recommended I try rubs instead of marinating. One pork tenderloin rubbed, seared and roasted, and I was convinced. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, so a BBQ is not possible.
What are your favorite rubs for various meats?
What do I need to know to make my own rubs?
Anything technique-wise that would be helpful to know?
Help me be a master rubber!
Well, if you consider chicken a meat (and I don't), you might be interested in dry poaching. This is the method I have started to use to get flavor into chicken for stuff like taco meat, rather than slicing it first and pan-frying (as it tends to get dry and blah doing that). I know it says to "sprinkle" the seasonings onto the chicken, but I have had great results rubbing my seasoning mixtures onto the chicken. The dry poach technique is great, though, because it forces all the flavor in and doesn't let the juices out.
posted by phunniemee at 9:36 AM on September 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 9:36 AM on September 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
I would only brine if you are using a cut that doesn't have a whole lot of fat. The idea behind a brine is to not only impart flavor, but also to help keep the meat moist while cooking. This isn't needed as much if the meat has fat. That being said, brining is excellent for whole birds/pork loin.
As for rubs, here's the results from chowhound.com's search for meat rubs.
There are ALOT of results here.
As for making your own rubs, just remember that a rub is something to help enhance the flavor of the meat, not to drown it out, which is the case with alot of rubs I've seen/tasted.
Also, a rub should be added right before the thing goes in the pan/on the grill. If you put it on and let it sit, it will draw out the moisture from the meat and sort of cake on the meat.
Also, one of my favorite ingredients to use in rubs is smoked paprika. I LOVE the flavor.
posted by TheBones at 9:43 AM on September 6, 2010
As for rubs, here's the results from chowhound.com's search for meat rubs.
There are ALOT of results here.
As for making your own rubs, just remember that a rub is something to help enhance the flavor of the meat, not to drown it out, which is the case with alot of rubs I've seen/tasted.
Also, a rub should be added right before the thing goes in the pan/on the grill. If you put it on and let it sit, it will draw out the moisture from the meat and sort of cake on the meat.
Also, one of my favorite ingredients to use in rubs is smoked paprika. I LOVE the flavor.
posted by TheBones at 9:43 AM on September 6, 2010
One of the best things you can do when you rub, is actually after the cooking - cook it about 90% of the way to how you'd like it "done," then take it off, and sprinkle a little bit more of whatever you used for the original rub on top of it. Cover quickly with foil and let the meat cook itself the last 10% of the way for a minute or two.
posted by allkindsoftime at 9:49 AM on September 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by allkindsoftime at 9:49 AM on September 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill
Partially readable through Google Books. (Click on the "Preview this book" button on the right.)
posted by XMLicious at 9:52 AM on September 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Partially readable through Google Books. (Click on the "Preview this book" button on the right.)
posted by XMLicious at 9:52 AM on September 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Alton Brown's Who Loves Ya Babyback Ribs? has both a general purpose rub recipe as well as a technique for prepare ribs in your oven. While this isn't BBQ ribs (that requires smoking) they are none the less delicious. Also, the rub recipe is pretty versatile as you can substitute other ingredients as you see fit. It is also given in terms of proportions so it is easy to make up as little as you need. I recommend this approach so you don't waste rub as it does loose its potency over time.
posted by mmascolino at 11:02 AM on September 6, 2010
posted by mmascolino at 11:02 AM on September 6, 2010
This is a recipe from an out -of-print Barbecue Sauce Cookbook. The Scott in the title is chef Scott Peacock. I really love this on steak. Yes it is a lot of ingredients but it will give you tasty, savory meat.
Scott's South-Meets-South-of-France Rub
Makes about 7 tablespoons
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
1 teaspoon cracked black peppers
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 small bay leaf, finely crumbled
4 cloves garlic, minced to a paste
Combine ingredients. Refrigerate unused rub up to several weeks.
Rub on leg of lamb before grilling, smoking, or roasting. Also good with chicken, beef, and pork.
posted by pointystick at 11:17 AM on September 6, 2010
Scott's South-Meets-South-of-France Rub
Makes about 7 tablespoons
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
1 teaspoon cracked black peppers
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 small bay leaf, finely crumbled
4 cloves garlic, minced to a paste
Combine ingredients. Refrigerate unused rub up to several weeks.
Rub on leg of lamb before grilling, smoking, or roasting. Also good with chicken, beef, and pork.
posted by pointystick at 11:17 AM on September 6, 2010
Mefite heyho has an excellent rub recipe here, which I am going to try when my vegetarian girlfriend next goes out of town!
posted by rtha at 11:35 AM on September 6, 2010
posted by rtha at 11:35 AM on September 6, 2010
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c. paprika
1/4 c. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. kosher salt
It's dead simple and tastes fantastic on pork or chicken.
posted by BZArcher at 12:02 PM on September 6, 2010
1/4 c. paprika
1/4 c. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. kosher salt
It's dead simple and tastes fantastic on pork or chicken.
posted by BZArcher at 12:02 PM on September 6, 2010
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posted by notyou at 9:34 AM on September 6, 2010 [2 favorites]