SEASON FOR GRILLING, RUBS, MARINADES, & BRINES

I didn't know about rubs and brines until 
I started watching the cooking channels. 
I have collected several kinds of prepared 
grill seasoning for beef, pork, and chicken. 
I save money by purchasing them for 99c
at nearby close-out inventory stores. I use
prepared  grilling mixes and the convenient 
instant charcoal briquets when I need to do
quick grilling.

I have made some of the rubs and fancy 
marinades that I saw on the cooking T.V
channels. I even tried to brine once time.

I will feature some rub, marinade, 
and brine recipes that are  simple
and don't require any hard to find
or costly ingredients.  I don't use 
rubs and marinades unless I have 
plenty of time for scratch grilling.
This usually happens during the
week-end or a holiday.

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                                    RUBS
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NOTE:

All rubs can be mixed in a small
bowl.  Rubs enhance the flavor
of the meat and forms a very 
nice crust. It can dry out your 
meat if left on too long. I will
leave the rub on my chickens,
thin chops, and thin steaks no
longer than 30 minutes.  The
amount of rub you use depends
on your family's taste. Most of
the rub recipes will flavor about
3 pounds of beef or chicken.

 




ALL PURPOSE RUB

2 T  salt
2 T paprika
1/2 T cayenne pepper
1/2 T  black pepper
1  T onion powder
1  T garlic powder

 






MOROCCAN RUB 

2 tsp  lemon  pepper
1 tsp  onion powder
1 tsp  garlic powder
1 tsp  sea salt
1/2 tsp red  pepper
1 tsp  cinnamon
1 tsp  ground coriander
1 tsp  ground ginger
1 T brown sugar 

Tip: Enough rub for 3 pounds of beef,

chicken, or fish.

 











CURRY RUB

1 T sugar
1 T salt
1 T curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder 

 








STEAK RUB

1 T  salt
1/2 T Jane's Original Mixed Up Pepper*
1  T onion powder
1  T garlic powder

* I found this pepper at Food Lion
spice section.

 








BEEF BRISKET RUB
 
1 T brown sugar
2 T black pepper
1 T cumin
2 T chili powder
1 T paprika 
2 T allspice
1 T salt 

Tip: Enough dry rub for 10 pound beef brisket

 









PORK RUB #1

1 T paprika
1 T chili powder
1 T salt
2 T garlic powder
2 T onion powder
1/2 T black pepper
1/2 T cayenne pepper


PORK RUB #2

2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper 
1 T oil

Tips: Enough rub for 2 lb.
pork tenderloin. Coat both 
sides of the pork with the 
oil then sprinkle on the rub. 

 








CHICKEN RUB

2 T salt
1 T garlic powder
1 T black pepper
1 T onion powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme

 








 ANCHO CHILI RUB

2 T salt
2 T ancho chili powder
2 T brown sugar
1 T garlic powder
1 T cumin
1 tsp black pepper

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                           MARINADES

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There are some marinade basics that are 
good to know. You will need an acid which 
can be vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice. 
The acid is required to tenderize the meat.
I love to collect vinegars.  I get the store
brand white wine, red wine, and tarragon
vinegars from an organic food market.The
oil is should be a neutral vegetable oil, so
that it  will not over power the flavor of the
meat. The salty can be sea salt, soy sauce,
teriyaki, and worcestershire.  I have begun
to use kosher and sea salt instead of table 
salt.  The flavors in the marinade are onion, 
garlic, and herbs.   Some people like a kick
from  red (cayenne) pepper, hot sauce, hot
chile peppers like the jalapenos & pablanos.
Ancho and chipote chili powders useful also.

My pet peeve with cooking shows is they don't
show the cooks and chefs washing their hands 
before they start cooking.  They probably do it
but new cooks need to see it.   The practice of 
hand washing is a must in the kitchen.Newbies
may think that hand washing is not important 
since they don't see the popular TV celebrities 
doing it. 

IMPORTANT:  YOU NEVER SAVE OR REUSE MARINADE.  WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY
AFTER HANDLING RAW MEAT!!


ALL PURPOSE MARINADE

1 1/2  C  oil
1/2 C vinegar
2 T mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and 
pepper. Slowly add the oil and whisk until
well blended. Add onion and garlic and mix 
well. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.   

STEAK MARINADE #1

2 T mustard
1 minced garlic clove
1 C teriyaki sauce
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Add steak to a large lock and seal plastic 
bag. Mix marinade ingredients and pour 
over the steak.  Massage marinade into 
meat refrigerate 24 hours. Turn the bag
over periodically so both sides of steak
will be tenderized.

Tip:  Enough marinade for 3 steaks


 STEAK MARINADE #2

1 C Italian salad dressing,
1/2 T steak sauce
1/2 T worcestershire sauce,
1/2 T lemon juice

Add steak to a large lock and seal plastic 
bag. Mix marinade ingredients and pour 
over the steak.  Massage marinade into 
meat refrigerate 24 hours. Turn the bag
over periodically so both sides of steak
will be tenderized.

Tip:  Enough marinade for 3 steaks

CHICKEN MARINADE #1

1/2 C oil
1/2  C  vinegar

1 T Dijon  mustard
2 T  Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Kosher salt  or to taste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp  garlic powder

1 tsp  onion powder    


Add chicken to a large lock and seal plastic 
bag. Mix marinade ingredients and pour 
over the chicken.  Massage marinade into 
meat refrigerate 24 hours. Turn the bag
over periodically so both sides of chicken
will be tenderized.

Tip: Enough marinade for 3 chicken breast



CHICKEN MARINADE # 2

1/3 C  lemon juice 
1/3 C oil
2 T  honey 
1 tsp thyme 
1 tsp  black pepper
1/2 tsp  garlic powder 

1/2 tsp onion powder
 

Add chicken to a large lock and seal plastic 
bag.   Mix marinade ingredients and pour 
over the chicken.  Massage marinade into 
meat refrigerate 24 hours.   Turn the bag
over periodically so both sides of chicken
will be tenderized.

Tip: Enough marinade for 3 chicken breast


CHICKEN MARINADE # 3

1 C zesty Italian salad dressing
1/2  tsp oregano
salt & pepper to taste 




Add chicken to a large lock and seal plastic 
bag.   Mix marinade ingredients and pour 
over the chicken.  Massage marinade into 
meat refrigerate 24 hours.   Turn the bag
over periodically so both sides of chicken
will be tenderized.

Tip: Enough marinade for 3 chicken breast


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                                   BRINES
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I learned from watching chefs on TV that
preparing a brine for certain cuts of meat
is a good thing.  It is especially good for 
turkey since it can be dry and tasteless if 
cooked improperly.   Most of their brine 
solutions had equal amounts of salt and 
sugar. Kosher salt was used most of the
time since it has coarse grains than table
salt.  The sweetener ranged from white
sugar to various flavors of honey.  One
TV chef pointed out that it is possible to 
overdo the brining process.  He made a
suggestion-DO NOT LEAVE MEAT IN THE
BRINE MORE THAN 4-12 hours. The sugar
in the meat can cause it to burn easily as
you grill so, stay alert!!

 

TURKEY BRINE

2 qrts water

1/2 C kosher salt

1/2 C wild flower honey

2 tsp rosemary

2 tsp savory

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 large bay leaves

In large plastic container add all of the brine

ingredients.  Stir the brine until the has salt dissolved. Add the turkey and make sure it

is completely submerged in the brine.  Use

a heavy plate on top of the turkey if needed.  Refrigerate for 5-12 hours.

Remove turkey from brine. Discard the brine.

Pat the turkey skin dry with paper towels.This

will help turkey have crisp skin when smoking 

or grilling.

TIP: ENOUGH BRINE FOR 5 POUNDS TURKEY
BREAST, LEGS, OR THIGHS OR 4-5 POUNDS
OF CHICKEN 


Most of the time you see brine for poultry and
pork.  Large cuts of beef can also benefit from 
a brine.  I discovered that boneless beef roast required extra ingredients to make sure that it 
wasn't tasteless and tough. I only knew about
old method of covering the beef roast with can mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix. Then 
I saw a cooking show use a brine to insure that
their roast came out tender and juicy.

BEEF BRINE

1/4 C  sugar 1/4 C  salt 

2 peeled garlic cloves 

2 bay leaves

2 T  black pepper (or peppercorns)
4 C water

4 lb beef roast

In large plastic container add all of the brine

ingredients.  Stir the brine until the has salt 
dissolved.   Add the roast and make sure it

is completely submerged in the brine. Use

a heavy plate on top of the roast if needed.  Refrigerate 5-12 hours.Remove roast from 
the brine. Discard the brine. Beef is ready 
for grilling.