13 best dry rub for meat steaks

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Texas Q

The best way to barbecue is with a log fire, which is how it all began. In the early years, the only equipment needed was an ax and a shovel. Prospective barbecuers cleared trees along a stretch of open land, cut the branches into logs, and loaded the wood into a long pit several feet deep. They burned the logs down to smoldering coals and cooked their food over the smoky fire for a full night or longer, adding wood as necessary to maintain a steady, low temperature.

The rich smokiness you want in all barbecue should come from smoldering wood, not from fat or oil dripping on coals or hot metal. The difference is enormous, both in taste and in health risk. The smoke produced by burning fat contains benzopyrene, a carcinogen that sticks to food. The effect is almost unavoidable in grilling, but it isn’t a problem in barbecuing if you have a water reservoir or pan beneath the meat, an option with much of the equipment.

Barbecuing was the United States’ original and most popular form of outdoor cooking until grilling surged into the forefront after the Second World War. Equipment was a major reason for the shift. By the 1950s, factories were turning out basic, cheap grills faster than Formica, but those who wanted a barbecue smoker for home use had to make it for themselves.

That’s still a good option for some people, even with the solid commercial products available today. A lot of barbecue cook-off champions work on homemade equipment, sometimes expensively fabricated pits in special shapes ranging from armadillos to whiskey bottles.

LONE STAR RUBS AND SEASONINGS

When I first wrote about barbecue, lots of people didn’t understand what a dry rub was. I can remember demonstrating time and again how you would really rub a good quantity of these seasoning blends into the surface of your food, not just sprinkle a bit over like you might paprika on a deviled egg.

Seasoning mixtures can take the form of dry rubs, wet marinades, or a paste of herbs with garlic or onion and some oil, but for most serious Texas Q, you want to stay dry. A few more seasonings are included in the recipe section, ones that go best with a particular dish but without as broad an appeal as those here. While your barbecue cooks, you may want to use a liquid to help keep it moist. That’s where a mop comes in. Through judicious use of layers of flavor paired with smoke, you create the ultimate barbecue.

Slather It On

Lots of pitmasters and other barbecue cooks like to slather their meat or other protein in something that will stick firmly to the surface and also will help hold a dry rub on securely. The slather can help create a tender bark that still has a good chew to it. I don’t always find it a necessity, but I do like to use the technique on leaner cuts like bison or pork tenderloin.

Mustard, usually the yellow variety, is a popular choice, especially mixed with some dill pickle juice. Sometimes, I use soy sauce with a little Chinese oyster sauce mixed in for thickness and that deep umami quality. Mayonnaise can be used too, maybe with some chili powder mixed in.Or, mix up a combination that appeals to you.

PARTY STARTERS AND WHILE-YOU-WAIT SNACKS

When you’re barbecuing to kick off football season via TV or stadium tailgating, celebrating a day at the lake, or simply inviting the neighborhood over for your bigger barbecued treats, you need a solid collection of smoked little nibbles. Whether you prefer melting cheese, seafood, wings, or serious meat, there’s something here in this condensed collection of every style. These are all designed to fit on the pit for a brief time while you have a longer smoking project underway. Depending on the ease and speed of firing up your smoker though, you might want to cook up a few of them for an appetizer spread. In that case, I’d recommend adding a couple of non-smoked things, maybe as simple as some crisp vegetables and dip or some guacamole and chips.