Rib Rub

Everyone has to have their secret rub for barbecue, right? Except, I don't see how keeping it a secret makes any sense, since I'd just as soon we all shared and had better food as a result. So, here's how I do ribs. I made up the rub as a conglomeration of Alton Brown's recipe, plus one used by a (sort of) relative, plus just what I thought would work well.

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup table salt
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 1/2 T paprika
1 t dry mustard
1 t onion powder
fresh ground pepper
1/2 t thyme leaves
dash of coriander
1 t cayenne pepper (more or less to taste, probably more... :-) )

Shake it all together to blend well. When the time comes to eat:

Take a slab of ribs and put a drizzle of canola oil on each side. Put a generous portion of rub on each side and work it in with the oil. Some people advocate mixing rub with oil to make a paste; I don't like doing it that way, but whatever fits your fancy. Let the ribs sit (in the fridge) with the rub for an hour or so. Then, fire up the smoker and smoke the ribs for 3-4 hours at around 225 F. The meat should be pulling back from the bone, nice and tender but not too dry. Let the ribs sit for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, fire up the grill and let it warm up to about 450F. Turn the heat down to medium direct and grill the ribs for about 3 minutes per side, just enough to carmelize the outside and put a bit of a crust on the ribs. You don't need any sauce with these. The rub and the smoke make an excellent flavor combination, and the crust makes a really nice texture contrast. Yum. As much as I prefer wine with a meal, these go absolutely excellent with a good beer. Sorry, Professor Bainbridge.

Also, you can use all paprika with no chili powder (i.e. 3 T paprika), mix in some garlic powder, and douse chicken wings with the rub. Let them stand for about an hour in the fridge, then grill right about 400F for 10-15 minutes per side, depending on how done you like them.

At some point, I'll dig up a good recipe for sauce, and we'll have another rib post, using a glaze instead of a rub. I can't wait.