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Non-recipe Meat Rub:
I dried a harvest of jalapeno
& habanero peppers and wondered what I'd do with them all. This
led to the discovery of seasoning meats with a dry spice blend
rather than in a wet marinade.
I found a great seasoning
method was to grind the peppers finely and add other ingredients
to create a variety of dry meat rubs. I sacrificed my coffee mill
to the project, and now, experiment with different chile peppers
to create different spice blends.
To clean the mill between
uses, I grind up a few tablespoons of rice. You can add this to
a soup pot, or as a thickener for anything you would like a little
'kick' in.
Even in our small town grocery
stores, there are bulk bins of different dried chiles. A pound
may cost $6, but you only need a 'handful'.
Try this blend if you are
hesitant about the fiery chiles. One large dried Ancho pepper.
(These are the big poblano peppers used for Chile Rellenos, and
usually are milder than the rest of the chile clan.)
Remove the stem and seeds
to make them even milder. Grind finely Add 2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of brown sugar 1 teaspoon of dried garlic if desired.
Blend all and rub over
a steak before grilling. You can use as a dry marinade, adding
a little more just before putting the meat on the grill. Good
on chicken also. For pork, I'd add a little more sweetener and
probably leave the garlic out.
Actually, I don't use a
recipe. I have on hand different whole dried chiles and it depends
on what I grab first, usually.
Meat Rub Arsenal:
Powdered Worchestershire
'Sauce' makes a great addition to your meat rub.
Dry Chinese Mustard,
and other Oriental flavors such as Five-Spice Powder and
dry ginger. Cracked Black Peppercorns or rough cut pepper blend
(black pepper can be pretty spicy itself. I like the Hawaiian
pink and green peppercorns, and keep them in a pepper mill, grinding
out only what's needed for each recipe.)
There are also Malabar
Pepper, Lemon Pepper, and a wide assortment of flavored peppercorns.
Dry Paprika
Assorted Dried Herbs
Poultry Seasoning
Dried Chipotle Peppers
(smoked jalapenos) have more of a bite than the Ancho, and
a good 'upgrade' to try next. I like plain dried jalapenos so
much, I like to grind them very finely and keep separately to
sprinkle over just about anything. (We call it 'Texas Gunpowder'!)
But, they're a great addition to a meat rub also. (Try a little
on that cheese you just made!)
Habaneros are in
a class by themselves! The fieriness of these peppers have been
well described. I was introduced to them in Belize, and brought
seed back to plant in 1972. I've kept my strain fairly pure, and
believe they may be a little milder than the recent imports. (Of
course, it could just be my 'sweet' disposition affecting them!)
[see below]. Also called Scotch Bonnet because they look a little
like a tam-o-shanter hat.
In Belize, it's said that
you can tell a man's disposition by the heat of the peppers he
grows. (A mild mannered soul isn't supposed to be able to grow
the super hot ones.)
Even so, when I smoke Habaneros,
I have to evict the premises for the duration! No Habanero is
mild. Even used today in crime-fighting and 'mace' type protection
sprays. There are other even hotter chiles, many of the Oriental
types are 'off the scale' on the Scoville heat index. The Bird's
Eye peppers and many ornamentals also are as hot or hotter
than Habaneros.
The idea is to flavor meats,
not torch your guests. Create a blend you enjoy, then experiment
from there.
Cooked Chevon (goat meat)
has a richer taste than today's beef, and it might not take as
heavy of a rub as a steak.
Chicken is pretty bland
and really can stand more flavor than beef. Depending on your
'asides', may determine the ingredients in your meat rub. If you're
serving baked beans and cornbread, a smoky, sweeter rub will work
well on the meat. If you're having a "Hot Wing Burn-Out", then
bring on the heat!
Text
and images copyright 1998 Martha
Wells
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