Rachel's super-delicious spice rub

[rachelmanija]

I use this on chicken and lamb before grilling, broiling, baking, or roasting, though it's probably good on other meat as well. It's also excellent on roast vegetables. Most recent use: a mixture of chopped roasted turnips, sweet potatoes, and onions, tossed with the spice mixture and olive oil. Spice-rubbed chicken on top of that. Truly fantastic.

To use: Rub liberally on to meat or toss with vegetables before roasting. I like to pull the skin off chicken thighs, apply the rub to the meat, then replace the skins and apply it to the skin. Roast skin-up for spicy crisp skin.

Ingredients:

Brown sugar.

Powdered ginger. Slightly less ginger than sugar.

Cumin. Maybe a fourth or fifth as much cumin as the sugar. (ie, much less cumin.)

Salt and pepper. About as much or less than the amount of cumin.

Mix thoroughly. Taste. Adjust seasonings accordingly.

If you have your own super-delicious spice mixture, please share in comments!

Comments

[machineplay.livejournal.com]

That sounds so good. On sweet potatoes fries: raw sugar, salt, paprika, and black pepper all crushed up in the mortar and pestle into a fine powder. Garlic and onion powder if desired. On steak (rub on hours before) or on pasta, something like pesto: in a big mortar, bang up garlic, black peppercorns, and handfuls of whatever green herbs are in the garden (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc), add olive oil to make a paste; if you're out of green herbs you can use dried + parsley from the store, but it's not as yummy.

[benbenberi.livejournal.com]

I have a couple go-to spice mixtures:

1. is just like yours, only with less sugar and a bunch of chopped or crushed garlic added. (I like those frozen garlic cubes they sell at Trader Joes.)

2. Chopped/crushed garlic + grated fresh ginger (or those frozen ginger cubes) + fresh lime juice + optional ancho chile (powdered or dry crumbled/chopped) - great on beef, lamb, chicken, roast veg, etc.

3. Chopped garlic, copious chopped fresh cilantro and/or parsley (or those frozen cilantro and parsley cubes), chopped rosemary, salt & pepper, and a lot of fresh lemon juice & olive oil. Great on chicken & veg, also works as a salad dressing if you adjust the proportions

4. Equal parts ground cinnamon & ground cumin, pref. pan-toasted, plus pepper and garlic. Esp. good on lamb, also good on just about anything else.

[smtfhw.livejournal.com]

Sounds excellent - I'd maybe turn it into a marinade by adding ketjap manis I think and a soupcon of olive oil...

[threewalls.livejournal.com]

Equal parts: soy sauce, cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, (English) mustard, sugar/maple syrup/golden syrup. This makes a paste that is particularly good on fish fillets to be grilled.

[chomiji]

What cho rubs on hunks of beef (like, flank steak):

1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

20-30 grindings black pepper (to taste)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

[optional] 1 rounded teaspoon dried sweet basil, crushed

What cho rubs on chicken:

1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar

1 finely chopped clove garlic

20 grindings black pepper (to taste)

5 grindings white pepper

1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed

½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

That sounds damn tasty!

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

So trying that tonight with the veg and meat suggested.