Chandler Homes and BBQ – My Favorite Rub

About 5 years ago I built a lovely BBQ in my back yard. It features a 42” gas grill, a side burner that can cook a turkey, a small fridge, room for my trusty Weber, and seating for seven including the cook. Of course that meant that we needed to do some new things when it came to grilling. I could not stand idly by with these great tools and not make some use out of them. I had experimented with some store bought rubs in the past, but never really was satisfied with the results. I picked up a few books to give me a start with ideas to improve the rubbin results. Over time I have come to use this recipe as my basic red meat rub. My most recent venture with this rub was grilling eight Tri-tips for a graduation party we had that served forty people. I received several compliments and of course requests for “the secret” to making this meat dish such a flavorful affair. So here goes. This recipe by the way will create enough rub for about 18-20 tri-tips. For my family that is about a one year supply. If you grill less often then feel free to cut the recipe in half. Just store you’re left over rub in a sealed container, preferably glass, where you keep your other spices (ie in a cupboard, not on the counter).

My Favorite Rub
A touch over ¼ cup of course sea salt
½ cup (packed) golden brown cane sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon chili powder
½ cup paprika
2 tablespoons garlic power
1 tablespoon onion powder
About 1/3 cup of ground pepper
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
About a teaspoon of celery seeds
Mix this whole thing together, being certain to make the cane sugar smooth and part of the mix.

Rubbin to Please. Now, some of you may think that taking some rub and sprinkling it on your meat is the way to go. I have a very different method. I do my best to rub the entire exterior of the meat with a slim coating of the rub. My fingers get nasty red from rubbing each piece of meat thoroughly before I place it in a plastic zip lock bag, press as much air out as possible, and zip it tight. The meat will remain in the fridge (by the BBQ of course) for a couple of hours waiting for the appropriate time to put it to flame. If you give this method a try you will see that the rub has almost become an outer shell on the meat by the time you are ready to cook. And that folks is why the combination of this rub and this method will yield some terrific result.

Have fun.
Your Chandler Realty Resource and Dedicated Griller