General Purpose Rub v1.5

This is the second version of what I hope will be a stock barbecue seasoning that I can use as the base for a variety of recipes. For the code geeks out there, this is a “dot release” with a few little tweaks, but no major changes. I increased the sugar and salt, dialed down the lemon zest, added some thyme and chili powder, and bumped up the allspice.

3 tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar
2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried lemon or orange zest
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Combine everything in a shaker jar and stir to combine and break up any lumps. Makes about 2/3 cup.

The rub smells and tastes great, but the real test will be when it meets a rack of ribs. Soon, very soon…

6 thoughts on “General Purpose Rub v1.5”

    1. Well,the adjustment on the amount of lemon zest was kind of a bug fix ;). It was a bit much in the first version.

  1. random question – my husband and i are also doing WW. say you were to use this rub on some pork chops or chicken breast – no added oil to adhere the rub – then grill the meat – do you add any points for the rub? i normally don’t unless there’s a decent amount of sugar or some oil, but am curious how you calculate that!

    1. This recipe makes 2/3 cup total, and the 3 tablespoons of raw sugar is really the only ingredient that counts as far as WW is concerned. A tablespoon of regular sugar is 1 WW point. Raw sugar is a little less. So even if you’re using 2 tablespoons of rub per pound of chicken, there’s just not enough sugar per serving to really count. You’d have to use 3-4 tablespoons of the rub on 1 serving of chicken to merit a point.

      When I’m not using oil to help the rub stick, I usually just apply a little more rub than I normally would and let it sit on the meat until it’s natural moisture melts the rub into it. For something like ribs or butt, I might give them a thin slather of mustard to help things stick. For steaks, just a wee bit of Worcestershire sauce or beef base does the same thing.

      1. that is great advice, thanks!! i’ve done a lot of butterflying & roasting whole chickens with skin on – putting the rub between the skin and the meat, and then removing the skin after roasting. mustard and worcestershire are great ideas for porky or beefy meals. thanks so much!!

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