Grilling - Part 1 - Rubs

It's that time of the year again... Grilling Season!  I love to grill and love to try different rubs and marinades so I'm doing a two part post giving you suggestions for both.  I'll also give you a couple tips that hopefully you'll find helpful.

Rubs are seasoning blends applied to the surface of roasts, steaks and burgers.  They add flavor but don't tenderize.

Dry rubs consist of herbs, spices and other dry seasonings.

Paste-type rubs, which are perfect for roasts, contain small amounts of wet ingredients, such as oil, crushed garlic or mustard.

They can be applied just before cooking or up to two hours in advance, just remember to refrigerate until cooking time.  The rubs below are specifically for beef but I'm game to try them on chicken and pork.  Each should make enough rub for 2 - 4 steaks, depending on how heavy you want to flavor your steak.

Dry BBQ Rub
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

Smoky Paprika Rub
2 Tbsp. smoked or Spanish paprika
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

Espresso Rub
2 Tbsp. finely ground espresso coffee beans
1 Tbsp. garlic pepper
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ancho chili powder

Ancho-Chocolate Citrus Rub
1 Tbsp. ground ancho chili powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. freshly grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mustard-Peppercorn Rub
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
1 Tbsp. mixed black, white, green and pink peppercorns or black peppercorns, cracked
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt

Lemon-Pepper Rub
2 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3 large cloves garlic, crushed

Simply combine the ingredients and apply evenly to all sides.  Cook beef to desired doneness.