Let’s face it – dads love to grill! Applying a dry rub, paste or marinade is a great way to enhance the flavor of meat, fish or poultry. So give the special grilling enthusiast in your life some great seasonings to help him create the perfect meal!
DRY RUBS are a combination of spices that are massaged into food before cooking. Along with enhancing the taste of your food, rubs also seal in flavor and form a savory crust. Apply a rub thoroughly and evenly. If cooking chicken or other poultry, spread seasoning both under and over the skin. When working with vegetables, coat them first with a bit of oil to help the rub adhere. After coating, wrap the food in plastic and refrigerate to help them absorb the flavors. Fish fillets and shrimp should be refrigerated for at least 30-45 minutes before cooking and big cuts of meat should be refrigerated overnight. Two cups of dry rub is usually enough to flavor a couple of briskets or a half a dozen slabs of ribs.
Sweet Sensation Rub
These spices match the sweetness and succulence of tender cuts of pork, such as tenderloin or rib roast. Yields about 1 cup.
- ¼ cup ground allspice
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup onion powder
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Mix spices thoroughly in a bowl. Store covered in a cool, dark pantry.
PASTES are a wet version of a rub - a combination of spices bound together by a liquid or fat. They add both flavor and moisture and work best on lean meats or delicate fish or seafood. Pastes should be thick enough to adhere to food but thin enough to smear, and, like rubs, massage them into every surface and then refrigerate to let the flavors soak in. Pastes with fresh herbs lose their potency after a few days, but others can keep for several weeks when refrigerated.
Thunder Paste
Superb on chicken and shrimp.
- 1 small onion, chunked
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 teaspoons ground anise seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine the paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until the onion is finely chopped and a thick puree forms. Refrigerate the paste, covered, for up to 2 weeks.
MARINADES are a combination of acid, oil and spices used to bathe food before cooking. They are a great way to complement and enrich the food’s natural flavor. Marinate right before cooking and do not reuse with other raw foods. If you plan on using a leftover marinade to mop or baste, or as part of a sauce, boil it first to kill any harmful bacteria. Aluminum can react with acids, so marinate your food in glass, stainless steel or plastic. Two cups of marinade will flavor about 2 lbs of meat.
Red-Eye Marinade
Great for pork or beef. Makes about 3 cups.
- 2 cups strong brewed coffee
- 1 medium onion, chunked
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup dark unsulphured molasses
Blend all ingredients in the blender. The marinade is best the day it is made.
Reference:
Jamison, Cheryl Alters, and Bill Jamison. Smoke and Spice Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue on Your Charcoal Grill, Water Smoker, or Wood Burning Pit. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 1994.