Strength is found in a multitude of environments, from the physical, to the emotional, and in the most unexpected of places. The measure of strength is ever changing and fluid, depending on the situation, person, place, or thing that is being tested. Bedrock over time is reduced to a pebble, while a humble ant lifts a blade of grass hundreds of times its own weight. In the end, it is all about perspective when facing the adversaries that challenge you. A hundred broken cookies, overly crisped or under seasoned trials can tempt a person to deface their favorite spatula or dream of using the chef’s knife to delicately debone a chicken like Dexter carves his unfortunate victims. When the stars align and you NAIL the challenge you’ve set yourself, the things you thought were failures are transformed into the raggedy stepping stone path to victory.

This past year has been a testament to adaptation, triumphs, and acceptance in my own abilities, how far they go, and how much farther they can stretch. In terms of cooking, the past few years have allowed me to move from a pretty good home cook and novice baker to a more seasoned, experienced, and adaptable chef in the kitchen. I pitted myself against fresh cilantro and piecrust and came out on top, though admittedly they still aren’t my absolute favorite items of all time. However, I recently realized some of the things that I have found most successful and integrated into my go-to meals are seasoning mixes I have created and not shared. These guys are pretty instrumental in ensuring successfully flavorful, delicious dinners with a minimum of fuss or frustration.

This spice rub is my go-to and has been on repeat for the past year since I came up with it. It’s a great base for a marinade, dry rub, and I found I actually prefer chicken with this BBQ spice rub over a chicken dipped in a traditional BBQ sauce. It is a perfect balance for sweet, spicy, smoky heat that is incredibly reminiscent of a BBQ Kettle Chip seasoning. For myself, I love a good bite of heat, so there is a full tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper incorporated in this mix. It sounds like quite a bit, however depending on how you choose to utilize the spice mix will determine the final heat level of the dish. If you are heat sensitive or have those that tend to shy away from spicier foods, you can definitely decrease the Cayenne Pepper down to 1/4 Tsp. The use of both Smoked and Sweet Paprika helps balance savory and a subtle smoky depth to the meat, while the addition of Cumin lends a subtle earthiness that only Cumin brings to the table. The surprise ingredient, which I feel adds that something extra to make you go “hmmm…what is this?” Is the sneaky little spice of Nutmeg. This spice just ties everything together in a beautiful way and the end result is not your typical, out of the spice aisle BBQ rub.

There are a few ways that this All Purpose BBQ Spice Rub has been utilized and on repeat in my kitchen. Here are a few examples of my absolute favorite applications for incredibly delicious meals.

For a “Set it and Forget it” style BBQ pulled Chicken or pork (for you pork eaters!) I take a few tablespoons of this rub and season 2 pounds of the chosen meat with it. I’ll lay the protein on a thin layer of finely diced onion (1/2 onion, or you can increase it to a full onion if using more than 2 pounds of meat), a little chopped garlic (2 cloves garlic), and then add a cup of BBQ sauce on top in the CrockPot. I then will set it on high for 3 hours or low for 6 to 7 hours, and shred. With chicken, I have found a mix of both breast and thigh meat yields the best result in terms of tender, moist chicken that is melt in your mouth.
I love taking bone in, skin on chicken thighs and using 1/2 of the spice rub to generously season them, to create incredible oven baked BBQ chicken. This method I learned about from Deb Pearlman from Smitten Kitchen, essentially for 4 pounds of chicken thighs you bake them in a foil packet on a baking sheet and rack at 300 F for roughly 90 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, you broil it for 5-7 minutes to finish crisping up the skin. The low and slow method will bring your mouth some of the juiciest, most tender BBQ chicken that does not need a BBQ sauce to complement it if you do not want it.
I love to take 1/4 cup of this rub and generously season a 4-6 pound whole chicken, allowing it to sit in the fridge loosely covered overnight to allow the spices to really penetrate through the meat before roasting it at 500 F for roughly 50 minutes. I will take out the backbone of the whole chicken, a technique called spatchcocking, so the bird lies flat and all the meat roasts evenly. The bird lays flat over a baking rack nestled in a foil lined baking sheet. A half hour before throwing that bird into the oven, I let it warm up a bit on the counter while the oven preheats to ensure the meat isn’t frigid and tense from the cold fridge before hitting the scorching oven. I rub 2 Tbsp Olive Oil and generously sprinkle with kosher salt just before putting it in the oven. Once the bird is cooked, I let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, covered loosely with foil, before even contemplating carving.
Taking boneless, skinless chicken (either breast or thigh meat) and generously seasoning both sides with a little extra salt and pepper before searing in a hot pan creates a gorgeous spice crust on the chicken. The trick for this method is to make sure the bottom of the pan is oiled well, the pan is already hot, and to NOT TOUCH THE CHICKEN on the first side for 3-4 minutes. If the meat does not easily lift up and look crusted well, do not flip. For chicken thighs, I find they cook well between 3-4 minutes per side (sometimes a little longer if the piece of chicken thigh is a bit thicker), while chicken breasts take 6-7 minutes per side UNLESS you’ve butterflied them already. I also let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute through the meat and not just drain out.
Sometimes, I will toss a Tbsp of this rub with 2 Tbsp Olive Oil and a few cubed sweet potatoes, half a a diced onion, and some extra salt. Roast at 425 F until fork tender, occasionally stirring the potatoes and flipping them so they evenly brown.

There are a hundred other applications you could use this rub for - think taking an Alfredo sauce and throwing a couple teaspoons into it in the beginning of the process for a BBQ Alfredo. Or you can take a bunch of your favorite vegetables and cut them large and in charge, toss with Olive Oil, Salt, and some of this BBQ rub and grill them for beautiful grilled BBQ veggies. And of course you cannot forget the traditional smoking preparations of traditional BBQ meats. The challenge of discovering new, and fantastical ways to utilize this BBQ Rub are endless.

All Purpose BBQ Spice Rub

This spice rub is extremely easy to mix together, and makes just over a Cup of seasoning. I store extra seasoning in little glass mason jars, which are fantastic because they are airtight and have the added bonus of looking pretty in your pantry. If I know I am going to be using a good chunk of the seasoning in one go, I will sometimes make a double batch.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
3 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
3/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
2 Tbsp Coarse Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all spices until thoroughly blended.
Store in an airtight container.