Rubs & Spices
Santa Maria Style BBQ for the rest of us
Retailer “Suzie Q’s” is trying to bring a little of the Santa Maria Style BBQ to everyone with their line up of seasonings, rubs, and wood chips.
The roots of Santa Maria Style Barbeque extend back to the mid 1800s, when vast ranches unfolded across the foothills of the valley. Ranchers would host Spanish-style barbeques each spring using indigenous ingredients. In the early 1900s, the “style” of the local barbeque was further refined by local social clubs, as well as the many European ranchers who settled the area.
Traditional Santa Maria Style Barbeque begins with top-block sirloin or tri- tip—a cut discovered in the Santa Maria Valley. The beef is seasoned with a special garlic, salt and pepper mixture, then grilled over coals of red oak—native to the region. The meat is accompanied by pinquito beans— small pink beans that are indigenous to the valley—as well as bread, salsa and dessert often featuring fresh strawberries.
At their website you can find everything you need to host your own Santa Maria style BBQ at home. From beans to wood chips!
Read More... 
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Mrs. Dash No Salt Grilling Marinades
Mrs. Dash, famous for their salt free, MSG free, seasonings, has introduced a new line of marinades and seasonings aimed squarely at you, the health conscious griller. This line of 10-Minute Marinades is available in four flavors – Zesty Garlic Herb, Mesquite Grille, Lemon Herb Peppercorn, and Southwestern Chipotle. Personally, I think the Chipotle is the stand out, though the Southwest label is a it redundant. I mean, am I supposed to not confuse this with the “Midwest Chipotle”?
All of the marinades are of course salt and MSG free. They’ve also got a new line of “Grilling Blends”, special combinations of spices for Steak, Chicken, and Hamburgers and a “Mesquite” bbq simulation. Might want to look for these in your next trip to the grocery store.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
McCormick Introduces Flavored Peppers
The spice mongers at McCormick have introduced a new line of pepper flavors that go beyond the simple “lemon pepper”, the old standby. The two new flavors, Smokehouse, and Worcestershire, are available now. The Smokehouse variety is infused with applewood smoke flavor, and you can probably guess what the Worcestershire taste likes!
They are of course both delicious on steaks and burgers, but lend some zip to other items like fries and baked potatoes. The smoked flavor in particular is delicious on chicken. Try this recipe….
Mix 3 tablespoons each oil and water, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons each McCormick Worcestershire Pepper and Minced Onions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 pound steak; coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Broil or grill until desired doneness. Sprinkle with additional Worcestershire Pepper before serving.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Country Bob’s “All Purpose” Sauce
It was 1968 when Country Bob Edson perfected his steak sauce recipe and he called it an All Purpose Sauce because it was more than just a steak sauce. Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce has remained the flagship item since 1982 when Country Bob, Inc. was established. They offer customers a variety of different steak sauce or All Purpose Sauce, Barbeque Sauce, and Seasoning Salts and will anywhere in the world.
You can check out all of the offerings on their website. The BBQ Sauce is great, and the spicy hot sauce will add a kick to just about anything!
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Everything Should Taste Like Bacon!
We all love the taste of bacon, and now there’s an easy way to baconify just about anything. Yes friends, Bacon Salt is upon us and it’s as delicious as it sounds. Bacon salt, which incidentally is zero calorie, vegetarian and kosher, is a magic new seasoning that adds the salty, porky taste of bacon to all your favorite foods.
I recently received samples of all three varieties – hickory, peppered, and original, and have been putting them through their paces the last few days. So far I’ve found it to be good stuff. I’ve tried it on hamburgers, spinach salad, soup, breakfast tacos, and grilled cheese sandwiches. The only thing it turns out not to be good in was coffee (not suprisingly). By far the most unexpected goodness I discovered was “bacon popcorn”.
Notably interesting is that the guys behind this great invention funded the company on prize money from Americas Home Videos. Only in America, I’m so proud…. (sniff).
Seriously, this is good stuff. I’m bringing some to the office, nothing makes left overs and cheap microwave dinners palatable like a little bacon. You can buy some for yourself on their web site.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Rod’s Rub - A Flavor for Everyone
Rod Brown, ex-professional hockey player and ex-police officer is now making an interesting collection of tasty rubs, for sale at their website RodsRub.com. It’s great to see more and more small shops making their rubs and seasonings available. I’ve tried several of the flavors and they are great! Good on all sorts of grilled foods, but especially chicken breasts. Easy way to spice up a quick dinner is to season plain old chicken with their Citrus Tang or Sweet Mesquite flavors.
You can get creative too of course, try the original on popcorn or back potatoes! There’s a few flavors not listed on their site yet that they sent me to try. Steak Out (for steaks obviously) and “In the Black” for creating blackened chicken or fish.
If you are looking to add a little zip to your next cook out, try Rods Rub.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Seasoned skewers season from the inside out
You may be familiar with the technique of using sprigs of rosemary as skewers to add flavor to scallops, well here’s a product that expands on that idea. These wood skewers are infused with flavored oils that season while they cook.
The skewers come in a wide variety of flavors; Citrus Rosemary, Garlic Herb, Honey Bourbon, Indian Mango Curry, Mexican Fiesta and Thai Coconut Lime.
Via MySecretPantry.com
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[1] |
Chocolate Divas Offer Chocolate Grill Rubs
The small company Chocolate Divas is offering a new line of chocolate grilling rubs that can add an interesting twist to your cooking. If you think chocolate seems an unlikely seasoning for use on the grill, remember that chocolate in its usual candy form is sweetened, but in its natural form has a slightly bitter, exotic flavor that nicely complements the smokey flavor of grilled meats.
The company offers several varieties of rubs, ranging from $4.95 to $7.95 a day. Here’s a few examples from their website:
- Orange Chocolate Chicken Rub – A subtle mix of orange peel and roasted cacao nibs (coca beans), combine with the rare selection of herbs and seasonings.
- Cocoa Fennel Burger Mix – Natural fennel and onion crown a seasoning blend of sweet paprika, cocoa and herbs.
- Kickin’ Chocolate Beef Rub – Red and cayenne peppers mixed with chocolate and tossed with herbs and seasonings … it’s a chocolate grilling rub even a man will love.
As you can see they have a variety of rubs for beef, chicken and pork. I haven’t tried any myself, but I’m going to try to get my hands on some so I can do some reviews and tell you my favorites.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
A Simple, Cheap Rub Recipe for Crowds
There’s lots of nice, fancy rub recipes out there with all sorts of exotic spices. Don’t get me wrong, these have their place for certain. Sometimes however, like when cooking for 100 people, you’ll want to opt for something cheaper and more convenient to make in big batches.
One good general purpose rub recipe I can recommend calls for equal parts of salt, ground black pepper, paprika and brown sugar. Follow this recipe you can easily create a giant tub of rub, for a crowd or for long term usage. Two cups of each, two quarts of each, doesn’t matter. It won’t last forever, but it should be fine for six to eight months if kept in an airtight container. The ingredients here are cheap, and not too volatile.
| Permalink | Comments[0] |
2006 Chile Calendar
Holiday seasons coming up, and the perennial favorite, the niche calendar, is poised to begin making its appearance. If you have someone on your list who likes things hot and spicy, you could do worse that the Peppa Heads’s Chile calendar.
This calendar first and foremost features pretty pepper pictures (Say that 10 times fast) but it also includes a number of pepper related recipes. The pictures all come from the author’s own (extensive) pepper garden.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Sparky & Spike’s Tangy Pepper Relish
I tried out a new pepper relish the other day, Sparky & Spike’s Tangy Pepper Relish. It’s good stuff! It’s a chunky blend of red and green peppers, including enough jalepeno to give it a nice kick. But it’s got a soft side too. Brown sugar, mustard, and garlic flavors give it a unique flavor.
I tried this out the other night on some chicken, which sounded like a good place to start. I grilled some chicken breasts then dollaped them with some of the relish that had been heated in a sauce pan. Really good, and really easy. Next I’d like to try this stuff on a burger, or bratwurst.
| Permalink | Comments[0] |
Try Char Crust rub for the perfect char
If like me you like your steaks charred on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside, I suggest you try out the Char Crust rub. It’s been around forever, originating in a Chicago steakhouse in the 1950’s. It gives your steaks (and chickens as well) a delicious crusty exterior every time.
It comes in several flavors, including my favorite Original Hickory Grilled (perfect for steaks) and Roasted Garlic Peppercorn which goes great with chicken. Just rub a little on the meat before grilling over direct heat.
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
The hot sauce festival was hot
As if there was any doubt, the hot sauce festival was pretty dang hot. As I mentioned in a previous post, this weekend was the 15th annual Hot Sauce Festival in downtown Austin. Very crowded and hot, but definitely Austin. Good music, reasonable beer prices, free hot sauce, quite the bargain.
I tried a lot of different salsas, grilling sauces, spice rubs, and other spicy foods. For grilling, I recommend the Austin Spice Company’s “Smoky Hill Barbeque Salsa and Grilling Glaze”, which you can order from their website. It can be used either as dip, or like you would a barbecue sauce. Tasty!
I also bought some roast garlic sea salt from Spiceburst Gourmet Spices. This stuff will go great on grilled ribeyes.
| Permalink | Comments[0] |
It’s Hatch chili time again
It’s that special time of year when the Hatch chilies of New Mexico have their brief few weeks in the sun. If you aren’t familiar with this particular variety of chili, let me explain. “Hatch” chilies are in actuality a variety of the common New Mexico green chili. These particular chilies are harvested in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico for only a few weeks out of the year. The Mesilla Valley lies in the southern part of the state, running from Las Cruces north about forty miles to the small town of Hatch, from where the chilies get their name.
These chilies are grown nowhere else in the world, and connoisseurs consider this one of the finest. They are large (for chilies), about 6 to 7 inches long, with a distinctively robust and earthy flavor not found in any other chili. There are several varieties, the mild “A-8” and the hotter “Big Jim” are the ones you typically find here in Austin.
Continue reading “It’s Hatch chili time again”
|
Read More...
|
Permalink | Comments[0] |
Spicy chocolate rub recipe
Chocolate’s good for more than just dessert. The cacao bean, the source of chocolate’s powers, has been used in savory dishes since its discovery. Mexican moles for example will often include unsweetened chocolate in their ingredients list. The earthy acidic flavor of unsweetened chocolate can add interest to many types of meat.
Here’s a recipe for a spicy rub made with unsweetened cocoa powder that goes great on pork, lamb, or chicken. Just give them a good coating of the rub before grilling. This rub works especially well with kabobs, which give you more surface area and thus more chance to enjoy the chocolate rub’s flavors. Simply combine the ingredients together in food processor or spice grinder until the red peppers have been ground fine. This will keep several months in an airtight container.
- 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes, chopped fine
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
| Permalink | Comments[0] |
