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Spice Rubs And Pastes (21 Recipes, 2 Articles)

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Dry rubs are a mix of spices and dried herbs and they are rubbed into the meat before cooking. They come in a wide range of flavors. There are barbecue rubs, chili powder (yes chili powder is a spice blend), curries, jerk seasoning, sate, Old Bay, and many more.

Pastes, wet rubs, and slathers come in two classes: Water based and oil based. Most are just dry rubs mixed with water or oil. They have the advantage of sticking better and can be layered on thick. Most herbs and spices dissolve well in water. Oil has the advantage of helping keep food from sticking to the grates.

Rubs are part art and part science. The art is creating a blend of harmonious flavors that will complement the meat or veggie. The science is knowing how they will change when subjected to heat and knowing that there should be no salt in a rub. And since most commercial rubs can be up to 50% salt, you need to make your own rubs. Better, and a heckuva lot cheaper. You can buy pre-mixed rubs, but they are easy to make yourself, and a lot cheaper since most commercial rubs are loaded with salt. Every good barbecue cook should have a few signature house rubs to brag on. Just steal our recipes.

rubs

The Science Of Rubs

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Herb & spice rubs and blends are a great way to bring major flavor to food. But there is a science and art to making and using them.
Memphis dust dry rub

Meathead’s World Famous Memphis Dust Rub Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This popular Memphis dust bbq dry rub recipe is the only seasoning blend you'll ever need for pork, chicken, fish, beef, and veggies. The rub is based on Memphis style BBQ, where ribs are served "dry," letting the seasoning and smoked shine by skipping the sauce.
Rendezvous BBQ dry rub

Memphis Dry Rub Recipe, Rendezvous-Style

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

In Memphis it is common for barbecue joints to offer their ribs "dry", without sauce, just a liberal sprinkling of spices and herbs before and after the ribs are smoked. The most revered dry ribs are served at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous. This recipe is closer to their famous seasoning rub than they are handing out.
Cow Crust BBQ dry rub on a steak

Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow Crust: The Perfect Beef Dry Rub Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Before hitting the smoker or grill with a steak or other beef cut, take it over the top with this delicious wet rub seasoning paste. Packed with herbs, chiles, and other seasonings then blended with oil, this paste is sure to become your go-to for adding flavor to beef.
BBQ rub being sprinkled on to meat

Big Bad Beef Dry Rub Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This flavorful beef dry rub recipe is perfect for seasoning brisket, beef ribs, steak, and more. In Texas, many barbecue joints use plain old salt and pepper, called Dalmatian rub. But beef brisket and beef ribs can handle, and benefit from, a more potent mix of spices. You can make this beef rub in advance and store it.
chicken roasting on a grill rack

Simon & Garfunkel Spice Rub For Poultry Recipe

With “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,” as the song goes, this herb blend goes on everything. Try it on chicken, turkey, potatoes, grilled asparagus, eggs, pork, you name it.
pastrami rub raw

A Pastrami Rub Recipe That Rivals New York’s Famed Katz’s Deli

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Pastrami depends heavily on the spice blend applied to the cured corned beef. But the distinctive combination of coriander, black pepper, and other spices works wonders on goose or duck breast, on pork belly, on beef short ribs to name a few options. After much research and trial and error, here's my approximation of Katz's pastrami rub recipe.
grilled leg of lamb

Dolly’s Rub Is The Only One You Ever Need For Lamb

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This wonderful spice rub is perfect when looking to amp up the flavor for smoked and grilled lamb. Use it as a dry rub seasoning for lamb or mutton prior to cooking or add liquid to make a flavorful paste for the meat. It also works well as a dry brine, ensuring deep flavor penetration and maximum moisture.
A bowl of chili garnished with sour cream

Homemade Chili Powder: Head And Shoulders Above The Rest

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Here's a simple recipe for chili powder that stands head and shoulders above anything you can buy in a jar. Make your own signature spice blend featuring your own selection of various ground chile peppers, herbs and spices! Add a pleasant kick and additional depth of flavor to countless dishes.
Cajun rub

Cajun Seasoning Rub Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This spice blend features classic Louisiana flavors like cayenne and allspice, perfect for making andouille sausage, jambalaya, gumbo, and blackened fish. It is also good rubbed on barbecued meats and mixed into burgers.
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creole seasoning

Creole Seasoning Rub Recipe

By:

Dave Joachim

This recipe for spicy Creole seasoning is perfect for gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish etoufee. It also works well rubbed on pork, chicken and turkey.
metal teaspoon heaped with spices

A Cluckin’ Great Poultry Seasoning Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This is an easy all-purpose spice mix for chicken, turkey, and pork. They sell it in bottles, but you can make it and modify it yourself easily.
Field of herbs

Here’s The Best Italian Seasoning You’ve Ever Used

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Add a taste of Italy to virtually any dish with this tested recipe for a flavorful Italian herb and spice blend. This seasoning blend is great to keep on hand for pizzas, meatball sandwiches, red sauces, and so much more.
rub flavors a piece of fish

The Only Fish Rub Recipe You’ll Ever Need

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This Marietta's fish rub recipe is a delicious blend of herbs designed to make BBQ and grilled fish shine. Whatever fish is your pleasure, this flavor enhancing herb mix is not the only fish rub in the ocean, but it is sure to become your favorite after giving it a try.
five spices in five containers

Chinese Five Spice Powder Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This simple to make but flavor packed recipe for five spice powder will be your go-to seasoning whenever you want to add an Asian accent to any dish. Five Spice Powder is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppercorns. Further amplify the rub by adding ginger, nutmeg, and/or licorice.
wasabi powder

This Mustard Wasabi Rub Will Open Your Nostrils

By:

Dave Joachim

With wasabi powder, mustard powder, ginger, cayenne, and black pepper, this Japanese wasabi rub recipe will open up your nostrils. Try it with fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, pork, and vegetables.
garam masala spices on a black board, waiting to be combined

Garam Masala Recipe: Cornerstone Rub Of India

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Based on the popular Indian spice blend, this Garam Masala recipe is a complex blend of flavors including sweet, pungent, spicy hot, and savory. Garam Masala is found in numerous Indian foods including chicken, marinades, and more; but it's most often used as a final sprinkling before serving, a sort of dry sauce.
a white bowl filled with ras el hanout spiced meat

Ras El Hanout Spice Mix

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Ras el Hanout is a spice mix often used as a rub for meats, especially lamb and goat in North Africa and the Middle East.
pickling spices including cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, on a black background

Pickling Spice Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This is an all-purpose spice mix for home made pickles, from cucumber pickles to Colorful Pickled Eggs Recipe, corned beef, even pickled pigs feet. Foods are often simmered in pickling spices and water, such as pork chops, sauerbraten, and corned beef and cabbage. You can adjust these ingredients to your taste.
Plated breadcrumb crusted chicken

Herbed Breadcrumb Crust Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This delicious recipe for herbed breadcrumbs is not only simple to make, it's also an great way to add a flavorful crust to countless dishes. This is a great basic herbed breadcrumb blend for use on a rack of lamb, chicken parts, pork chops, veal cutlets, fish, mushrooms, cauliflower, shrimp, zucchini, or others.
Pesto in a jar

The Only Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe You’ll Ever Need

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Pesto is one of the world's great and most versatile sauces, and this tested recipe is sure to become your new favorite. Pesto is a classic on pasta, but it also makes a superb when tossed with potatoes, spread on crostini, tossed with grilled shrimp, blended with butter for steaks, and so much more.
A spoon dips into a pale green spread

Charmoula Herb Paste Will Have You Eating Like An Egyptian

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Packed full of flavor, charmoula (a.k.a. chermoula) is an North African herb paste used as a marinade, sauce, relish, dip, and spread. While there are countless variations of charmoula, this delicious recipe marries olive oil, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, aromatics, and spices to create a multi-purpose paste.
Harrisa

Bring The Heat With Fiery Harissa Hot Pepper Paste

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

If made properly, harissa is a very deep, rich, complex paste, much more interesting than any bottled hot sauce. You can buy it, but it is easy to make with this recipe. Use it on everything from fajitas to stews, soups, couscous, fish, and meats. It's great mixed in to mayonnaise, ketchup, and BBQ sauce.

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Published On: 2/18/2019 Last Modified: 4/24/2023

 

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