Using Spice Rubs To Flavor Meat

A spice rub is a blend of spices that is rubbed on meat before cooking. It is usually a combination of spices, herbs and seasonings that adds a lot of flavoring to food. You can either purchase spice rubs or make your own from combining various spices. A spice rub not only adds to the taste of food put it can also add to the presentation. A spice rub will often give the outside of meat a different color while cooking.

After washing off the meat, you will rub the meat down with the spice blend. The rule of thumb is to use 2 tablespoons of spice rub for each pound of meat. The easiest way is to rub the meat with your hands making sure you get the spice rub into all the crevices of the meat. You may even want to pierce the meat with a knife a liitle and try to get the spices in the holes. After your done rubbing down the meat, it is a good idea to seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavor sets in. Make sure you take off the plastic wrap before grilling or roasting the meat.

What Kind Of Spice Rubs?

There are so many different kinds of spices available that you can create a huge assortment of spice rubs or you can also buy spices that are already blended for the rub.

Barbeque rubs are very popular because they add a special taste to grilled meats. You can use cajun rubs for a New Oreans flavor and there are Asian rubs if you are cooking chinese. You can really create or find a spice rub for just about any International taste.

If you choose to make your own spice rubs, you can store them 2 to 3 months in an airtight container.

If you want to make the tastiest steak you will probably every bite into, try Montreal steak seasoning. I like to use strip steaks, sirloin, porterhouse or rib eye steaks. Before cooking rub your steaks with Montreal steak seasoning, sprinkle on some meat tenderizer and some garlic power. Put them on a plate and seal with plastic wrap for at least one hour, but it can be done longer than that.

After unwrapping, place the steaks on the grill and cook to your desired doneness level. I prefer mine medium but the rest of my family likes their steaks medium rare. When you bite into your steak it will be the juciest, best tasting steak you ever had.

You can also apply this method to beef roasts, the difference being is that you are oven roasting the meat rather than grilling. Cook the roast as you normally would simply apply the Montreal steak seasoning prior to cooking.

If you want to make a spice rub at home you will be able to combine spices to get the flavor that you like. It simply takes some experimentation in mixing various spices and seasonings together. Don't be afraid to try different combinations of spices to find one you like.

In the basic spice rub you want to go for a mix of salty, sweet, and spicy. First mix your salt and sugar. You can try garlic salt and brown sugar for a great base and then add your spices like paprika to give it some color and you also add pepper, chili powder and onion power. You can also add some oregano for a different taste.

You can try a base of sea salt and white sugar and then add dry mustard and pepper to get a rub that would be great on pork.

There are many combinations you can try with spices and seasoning to come up with a great tasting rub. The trick is to try varied subsitutions. Once you find a favorite, make a larger quanity and store in an air-tight container. If you are looking to be really organized then tape the combination of spices on the jar with the meat you prefer cooking it with. Enjoy!