Rubs

Lesson

Rubs are a mixture of spices you can use on chicken, steak, and chops when grillin’, smoking, or barbecuing. Anyone can make a decent rub. It’s simple, and you can tailor it to suit your tastes.

Flavorful rub ingredients

The basic elements of a good rub are a pinch of a flavored pepper (like lemon or citrus) and a pinch of salt, with paprika thrown in for color. A complex rub may contain 12 to 15 spices, but we think 6 to 7 is enough—any more and the individual flavors get lost.

To create a rub, start with the basic elements and add small amounts of other herbs from the list below. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Great additions to a basic rub:

• Garlic granules: Imparts more flavor than garlic powder.
• Alternatives to garlic: Onion powder, granulated onion, onion flakes, dried chives, dried shallots, and green onion powder.
• A pinch of cumin, nutmeg, ground cloves, or cinnamon: All go very well with chicken.
• A pinch of cayenne: Livens up rubs without overheating them.
• Dry mustard: Imparts a tangy taste.
• Smoked mesquite powder: Use only a tiny amount; it can overpower everything else.
• Sugars: Honey granules, raw sugar, or brown sugar are better than white sugar.
• Green herbs: Basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, savory, rosemary, dill, and marjoram add nice, fresh-from-the-garden flavors.
• Chile peppers: Chipotle, habanero, chile powder, jalapeno, poblano, ancho, and dried Anaheim red, green, or yellow peppers add a nice fire. Use sparingly.
• Finely chopped or dried citrus zest: Zest of limes, lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and mandarin oranges add an exotic tropical flavor.
• Exotic spices: Anise, fenugreek, turmeric, marjoram, cardamom, and coriander are strong but add a mysterious touch.

Using this list of ingredients, you can develop one rub for chicken, another for steak, and yet another for chops.

Ready to make your own? Check out our rub recipes!

Tips for using rubs

1. Applying a rub is simple, right? You just rub it on. Well, not quite. You sprinkle it on and gently pat the rub on the food. But asking for someone’s “sprinkle and pat” recipe sounds silly, so we’ll stick with rub.
2. Anoint the food with olive oil, grillin’ spray, or another liquid of choice, making sure the surface of the food is well moistened. Then sprinkle on your rub.
3. Squirt prepared mustard all over the meat, massage it into the flesh, and then scatter rub all over the flesh. The mustard holds the rub in place, and the acid in the mustard starts to tenderize the meat.
4. If you’re cooking chicken with the skin on, add the rub to skin, then reach under the skin with a gloved finger and insert rub directly on the meat. Sprinkle it inside the body cavity as well.

After applying the rub, let it sit for at least 4 hours or overnight if you have time.