How to Use Rubs

What is a Rub?

A ‘ Rub ’ or ‘Dry Rub ’ is a mixture of spices (sometimes with herbs) combined to produce a dry rub which you apply to food to enhance and/or spice it up.

How to apply Rubs to your food

Pat meat or fish dry (whole poultry dry inside and out) before applying the Rub. Firmly rub each side of each piece of meat or fish with the rub (sprinkle inside and rub the outside for poultry), then leave for 10 to 15 minutes or even longer, before cooking. Brush off any surplus ‘rub’ prior to grilling or roasting.

Tip; before you start, you can mist a little water or vegetable/olive oil onto your fish/meat and then apply your rub. This will help your rub to stick. You want to make sure that you cover both sides of the fish or meat to lock in your seasonings. Once your meat, fish or poultry has been seasoned with the dry rub, wait for fifteen minutes to an hour, then bake, fry, roast or grill it.

Flexibility

Each food rub is generally applicable to a particular type of meat, but not exclusively. We all have different taste preferences, so you may prefer to use the Steak rub on another cut or type of meat, or fish even, why not – it’s all about flavouring food to your individual taste.

Leave in the fridge overnight

If you would like to intensify the flavour of your food even further, then you can place the rubbed meat or fish in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge overnight for cooking the following day.

Freezing ‘rubbed’ food

You can also freeze rubbed food, providing you adhere to any food warnings that would
normally apply to safely freezing food in general.

Turn a dry rub into a wet – or sticky rub

You can mix the Dry Rub with olive oil, yoghurt or butter, even honey, to convert into a ‘wet’ or ‘sticky’ rub to apply on to the meat or fish you’re preparing. Experiment and use your imagination, cooking should be fun.

Skin on skin off?

If you’re cooking anything with a skin, such as chicken, then you may wish to leave the skin on. If so try to ensure that you get the rub underneath the skin as far as possible as the skin can provide a barrier to the full infusion of the rub into the meat.

Vegetables too

Try sprinkling over accompaniments to your meat or fish, e.g., vegetables infused with rub mixture in this way then roasted,
are delicious.