Holidays are always a great reason to cook and Labor Day was no different. I’ve been experimenting with different tastes and flavors. Recently, I have started using my own rub on my barbecued meat. It’s been a hit so I thought I will share it with you all.

I like a sweet but spicy taste to my barbecue. Sure I can just bake my sauce on my meat but I wanted to try something new. After watching  several hundred episodes of Pitmasters on Discovery (Thanks to my hubby) I decided to try my hand at a dry rub mix.

A dry rub is real simple; combine various dry spices to sprinkle or marinate meat with. The meats that I choose for the grill today were ribs and hamburgers but dry rubs are also great with other meats including chicken.

There are several things you should think about before you make your rub:

What taste? My taste – sweet with a kick

What smell? My smell – tangy honey

What sides? My sides- collard greens, green beans, mac-n-cheese and baked beans

My rub includes, 2 1/2 cups of season salt, 2 cups of Cajun spice, 1 1/2 cups of meat tenderizer, 2 cups of onion powder, 2 cups of garlic salt, 1/2 cup of ground nutmeg, 1 cup of ground red pepper and the most important ingredient 4 cups of light brown sugar. These measurements are based on one serving or 2lbs of meat. Feel free to go a little heavy on some over others. I truly like to eyeball my rub but at least this will start you off on the good foot.

Once you get your rub like you like to see it or smell it, be sure to mix it well, no lumps! You can either season your meat or just go for it with the rub only.

Spread your rub on your meat and then place it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. This helps for the seasonings to penatrate the meat and it will also create a nice even seasoned crust around the meat. Once you it has been in the fridge for the alotted time, bring it out and then WHAM put it on the grill, in the skillet or stick it in the oven.

Remember, learn your spices and smell them for the flavors you are looking for. I highly suggest you choose different seasonings for seafood, but that’s just my suggestion. Enjoy my take on a dry rub and let me know how your rub comes out!