Thoughts on BBQ Rubs, Marinades and Methods

BBQ rubs and marinades can help take a cheap, tough piece of eat and make it really tasty. I think it’s a good bet to figure that meat prices are only going to go up. It’s definitely worth your while to figure out the tricks for using rubs and marinades to take advantage of the cheaper cuts. In some cultures, the recipe for making a spice rub and how to cook with it are passed from mother to daughter and every family will have a slightly different recipe. We’re all family here right?  No matter, my recipe isn’t secret anyway.
There are sooo many ways of mixing up a rub or marinade, I’m tempted to tell you that there’s no wrong way.  I’ll refrain though, because I’ve seen my sister in the kitchen, and I’m betting she could find a wrong way.  So, instead I’ll tell you some of the methods I follow, so you too can explore the many right ways of doing it.
First, thoughts on the dry rub. It’s a bit of a misnomer, because it goes on dry, but 6 hours later, things will be all gooey and delicious. (Calamity Chemistry – the salt triggers osmosis, drawing water out of the meat while simultaneously pulling the salt in.) It can also be more of a paste, if you add in minced garlic or onions.  My dry rub is more of a paste. I like to use ziplock bags to apply the rub and hold everything together while the magic happens.  A good big ziplock can hold a whole rack of pork ribs + rub, if you quarter them. I like to let things sit for at least 6 hours with that dry rub , some argue 12 is a minimum.  Dry rubs can be good for prime cuts of meat, as well as the cheap ones.  As a dry rub won’t penetrate like a marinade, so the prime cuts of meat retain their delicious natural flavor. If you don’t like the sound of my rub, here are 10 different ones. Thinking in terms of ratios for a few key ingredients will help you tweak the recipes for your tastes. Ratio of salt to sugar, and ratio of chili powder to cumin powder. Those 4 tastes make up the 4 axis of a rub recipe, and where the end result lands in terms of sweet versus savory versus spicy, is determined by those ratios. A higher ratio of salt works best in rubs for beef, fish, and wild game, while those with more sugar are better suited for pork.  I like my chili ratio to be just a touch more than the cumin, but hubby would prefer it if I toned it down by putting less chili than cumin.
Dry Rub:

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt (Equal parts brown sugar and salt.)
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

If you don’t like to chop, you can blender the mix. Apply it liberally all over the pork ribs, either get your hands dirty or toss everything vigorously in a ziplock.  I like to get my hands dirty, massaging everything in and getting all the nooks and crannies, then I have a kitchen helper hold open the ziplock so I can dump everything in the bag.  As long as the rub makes contact with the meat, I’m sure any way is fine.  Let that sit for at least 6 hours. Then, if it’s a prime cut, you can go straight to cooking. If it’s a tough cut that needs more flavorizing, move onto the marinade.
Most marinades contain salty, sweet, acidic and spicy ingredients.  So again, those are the ratios to watch out for, if you are making your own marinade, make sure you have all 4 flavors accounted for.  Salty can be done with salt or with soy sauce. Sweet can be sugar, honey, or fruit in nature.  Acidity can be some lemon/lime juice, wine or a vinegar, there are a ton of different vinegars out there if you move past the large bottles of white distilled and apple cider. Spicy can mean any type of pepper, fresh or powdered, whatever is available. Allow a half cup of marinade for each pound of meat, make sure you have enough to completely cover things.  Modern culinary science has figured out that marinades don’t do as much “tenderizing” as they are traditionally thought to do. Instead, it’s understood that they may tenderize the outer layer of meat, but mainly they just add a ton of flavor. This increases saliva which helps break things down quicker, and gives the diner something to think about instead of dwelling on the meat’s level of tenderness.
Marinade:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 3 tbs tomato sauce
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

I boil the marinade ingredients together for 10-15 minutes, then pour on top of the ribs. Let sit for 30min – 2 hours, then cook at 350 for 1.5-2 hours. (If you’re cooking them in a solar cooker, I’d plan on cooking them for an entire afternoon.)
Give it a try!  There’s no need for expensive pre-made stuff. It’s all basically salt and sugar. Have some fun with it.
– Calamity Jane