Meatheads magic dust
Many purists in that barbecue mecca named Memphis don’t like to smother their pigs with sauce. Instead they lay a dry “rub” on their ribs, a mixture of spices and herbs, and eat their slabs crunchy, sans sauce. There are restaurants that only serve “dry” ribs. No sauce in the joint.
Even if you like your pork “wet” a good rub can add flavor, texture, and color, and almost all barbecue chefs use one. Rubs are seasoning mixes and there are scores of recipes. Some cooks apply a rub just before cooking, some let it sit on the meat overnight as a sort of curing process. There is a reaction between the rub and the surface that helps form a nice crust, called bark, if the rub is on for at least two hours in the fridge.
There’s no need to buy rubs in the store. They’re easy to make. Here’s my recipe for a great all purpose rub. It’s great on all pork, chicken, turkey, salmon, and even popcorn. It is carefully formulated to flavor, color, and form the proper crust. People tell me I really ought to bottle and sell it. Nah. You can have it for free. It’s all here, nothing held back.
Recipe
Yield. Makes about 3 cups. I typically use about 1 tablespoon per side of a slab of St. Louis cut ribs, and a bit less for baby backs. Store the extra in a zipper bag or a glass jar with a tight lid.
Preparation time. 10 minutes to find everything and 5 minutes to assemble.
Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons ground rosemary
Optional. Add up to 2 tablespoons crushed dried chipotle, cayenne, chili powder, or other hot pepper. Be careful with this ingredient. Not everybody likes it as hot as you do! You can leave it out if you are serving to a large crowd that is bound to contain a few wimps, and serve pepper flakes on the side.
Thanx to amazingribs.com for this recipe