Everyone loves a
barbecue--just the anticipation of a cookout brings a smile to the face and a
lift of the spirit. To us, food just tastes better when it's cooked (and eaten)
outside.
The first ingredients
in a barbecue recipe are those for the marinade, which adds flavor to meat,
poultry, fish, and vegetables. And, this is where a person on a low-fat diet
can run into trouble, because most marinades are generally oil-based and high
in fat grams. I've found that dry rubs or dry marinades, those made without any
fat, that are rubbed directly into the food work especially well and gives us
options for a variety of flavors and degrees of hotness in our barbecued food.
During the summer
when you're more likely to barbecue or grill several times a week, you can make
up large batches of the dry rubs or dry marinades and store them in tightly
sealed glass jars, away from heat and light.
I find that
transferring my rub to a shaker just before use makes it easier to apply. I
shake the rub over the entire surface of the meat to be cooked, using a
generous amount at first and then, as it starts to get moist and adhere, I add
more. I don't think it's necessary to "rub" it in. I find that it
only results in uneven distribution, and it stains your hands.
When using the rub or
dry marinade with meat or poultry, you can rub it on up to 24 hours before
cooking allowing the rub to soak into the meat, almost forming a crust. Wrap
the meat loosely in butcher paper or in a zip lock bag and leave in the fridge
until a couple of hours before cooking time. Even an hour before will add some
flavor.
Fish and vegetables
only need an hour to absorb the flavors.
Fruits need but ten
to fifteen minutes.
Rubs are also better
than marinades for large pieces of meat such as briskets and pork butts. For
cuts such as these, the internal and external fat melts through the meat during
cooking keeping it moist.
When using a rub on
chicken, be sure to rub it on and under the skin.
Rub ingredients vary
depending on the meats for which they are intended. Most rubs contain paprika,
black pepper, ground chili, and garlic powder. Salt and sugar are common,
although some feel that salt dries the meat by drawing out moisture, and that
sugar can burn during cooking.
You can also purchase
dry rubs or marinades in the spice section of most grocery stores. Look for
those marked "Cajun," Jamaican Jerk," "Mexican
Seasoning," "Lemon Pepper," and so forth. Here, you'll need to
read the labels, as some will tend to be high in sodium. Select those that are
lower in sodium.
Making Rubs Tips page
1
I love rubs! This
great inspiration from the barbecue industry is so useful not only with low and
slow cooking, but also in grilling and saute. The
spicy crust provides a great flavor contrast to the interior, which is largely
unaffected and maintains the pure taste of the unadorned ingredient, except in
slow cooking with smoke. In that situation, the smoke becomes part of the
flavor. Rubs produce more intensely flavored dishes since rubs are composed of
spices undiluted by liquids and since they adhere to the surface of foods
better than marinades. Finally, there is no need to plan for soaking time in
the marinade. Put the spices onto the meat and throw it on the grill.
Curry and Chili powder
are combinations of spices which, when combined form a flavor marriage superior
and very different from any of the single ingredients. This same marriage of
flavors is what we achieve with a great rub. Most of you have been creating
rubs for many years and some of you have wonderful ones.
What makes a great
rub? Perfectly caramelized sweet, which causes the meat to have a beautiful
color rich taste that explodes in the mouth and of course, tender and flavorful
meat. Those of you who have created successful rubs often tell me that it was
an accident.
Knowing how to
combine many flavors and aromas to achieve a simple result and, knowing when
not to combine flavors, will make the difference between a good and great cook.
So many more flavor combinations are possible. We have never had the variety of
spices or the knowledge of world cuisines that we have today.
I wish there were
clear cut rules for combining herbs and spices to come up with wonderful taste.
There aren't. Recently, I heard a cooking school teacher commenting on how
often, in combining spices, we get an uninteresting muddle because we use too
many herbs and/or spices. She suggested a rule of only using two or, at most,
three herbs in any one dish. Oh, I thought, what a great rule until I remembered
Herb's de Province, that wonderful blend of 5 to 12 different herbs that has
been the backbone of cooking of Province for more than a hundred years. This is
no short cut. One has to know not only how each ingredient taste but also how
they react together. Garlic on shrimp is very different from garlic on steak.
In some cases, combining even two herbs or two spices may be hazardous. Nutmeg
and mace are so close that combining them would be counter productive in most
cases. Tarragon and basil are too similar in flavor and to different in aroma
to combine successfully.
Making Rubs Tips page 2
The
following is a chart of flavor intensifies on a scale of
"1000"
being the strongest flavor and "0" being no flavor.
|
900 Cayenne Pepper 800 Mustard Powder(wet) 700 Pickling Spices 600 Cloves 500 Bay Leaf 475 Ginger 450 Black Pepper 400 Cinnamon 390 White Pepper 380 Star Anise 360 Nutmeg 340 Mace 320 Caraway Seed 300 Celery Seed |
290 Cumin Seed 280 Fennel Seed 260 Curry Powder Blend 250 Allspice 240 Mustard Seed 230 Coriander Seed 220 Turmeric 150 Peppermint 125 Cardamom 115 Tarragon 100 Spearmint 95 Rosemary 95 Dill Weed 90 Poppy Seed |
90 Oregano 85 Thyme 85 Marjoram 80 Sage 75 Parsley 70 Sweet Basil 65 Summer Savory 65 Anise Seed 60 Chervil 60 Onion 50 Paprika 40 Saffron 25 Sesame Seed |