What’s never too much of a good thing? Anything having to do with backyard barbecue. Firing up the family grill is more than just about making dinner—it’s the ceremony, festivity and the highly anticipated results that bring people together all summer long. Try this no-fail dry rub recipe guaranteed to deliver a juicy, flavorful dish while making you the talk of the outdoor kitchen.
Knockout Dry Rub Recipe
[Makes about 2 ½ cups]MATERIALS:
½ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup kosher salt
¼ cup paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Sugar in the Raw
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together all the ingredients and stir well to combine. Pour into a large jar or bottle and, using twine or rope, affix a few stick of honey to the bottle for gifting.
HOW TO USE THE RUB
Follow these steps to make the recipe yourself. Or bottle it up and give it as a crowd-pleasing home-made gift. Be sure to copy down these directions onto a notecard and include it with your gift!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- 1 bottle of rub
- 1 ½ cups orange or apple juice
- 4–5 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
- 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
DIRECTIONS:
About 30 minutes before they go on the grill/in the oven, massage the rub onto the ribs. Use about ⅔ on the meaty side and ⅓ on the boney side. Set aside to marinate.
Over a high flame on the grill, cook the ribs bone-side down until they are nicely caramelized. Alternatively, in the oven, cook at 450˚F for about 25 minutes; or under a broiler, cook for 15–20 minutes.
Flip over the ribs and grill the other side. This should take about 10–15 more minutes.
Carefully remove the ribs from the grill and place them on a large sheet of foil, bone-side down. Bring the sides of the foil up to form a bowl. Drizzle the honey over the ribs and pour in the juice. Wrap the foil around to close, and cook on the cold side of the grill (or in the oven at 325˚F) for 1 hour.
The ribs are done when they are tender and most of the juice has been cooked off.
Transfer the cooked ribs to a medium-hot grill. Brush with BBQ sauce and flip for a just a few minutes.
Cut into pieces and serve.
Mix It Up
Try these variations on the dry rub recipe to suit your grill master’s preferences:
Buffalo-Style Rub
To the basic recipe, add 1 tablespoon lemon pepper and increase the cayenne to 1 teaspoon.
Jerk Chicken Rub
To the above recipe, add ¼ cup ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Want more outdoor entertaining ideas? Check out this post on a Designing the Best Outdoor Space.
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