Dressed to Grill

J. Crew double crystal brulee necklace, TOMS red canvas wedges, Xenotees pet lobster tee, J. Crew striped shorts, TOMS sunglasses, Weber charcoal grill

Hurray for another Friday and 3 day weekend! Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, which means lots of grilling on the horizon! But around our house, once the weather gets warm, we John can’t help but break out the grill. And our Weber charcoal grill has already seen plenty of action this spring.

Hamburger print by lucileskitchen

One way to have a little more fun with grilling is to create a signature spice rub to use on meat or fish. We have several grilling cookbooks, so we’ve tried several concoctions over the years. In general, a spice rub is a combination of:

• Salty: Plain, kosher, sea, or flavored salts.
• Sweet: White, brown, or turbinado sugar; molasses; cinnamon; cloves; nutmeg.
• Spicy/hot: Black, chili, or cayenne pepper; red pepper flakes; chili powder.
• Herbal: Oregano, thyme, sage, fennel seeds, basil, bay leaves, dill, marjoram, parsley, rosemary.
• Earthy: Cumin, coriander, paprika, celery seed
• Sharp: Garlic, onion, mustard powder, mustard seed, tumeric

One of my favorite rubs is from the cookbook Dressed to Grill: Savvy Recipes for Girls Who Play with Fire by Karen Brooks, Reed Darmon, and Diane Morgan. One of my college roommates had a copy of the book and it “appeals to the way women cook today: fast and furious, with, of course, a healthy nod to low-fat ingredients.” The recipes have all sorts of sassy names, as you’ll see with this spice rub :)

Hot Girls Spice Rub
From Dressed to Grill: Savvy Recipes for Girls Who Play with Fire by Karen Brooks, Reed Darmon, and Diane Morgan.

Ingredients
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons each: paprika, dried thyme, and chili powder
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, stirring well to blend.

Store in an airtight container away from heat or light. The rub will keep for up to 6 months.

 Massage the rub into the meat or fish and let marinate:

• Shrimp and scallops: 15 minutes
• Chicken and thicker cuts of seafood: 30 – 60 minutes
• Pork chops or tenderloin: 45 – 60 minutes
• Beef or lamb: 1 hour
• Big or tough cuts of meat (racks of ribs, pork shoulders, turkeys): 2 – 8 hours

Refrigerate meat that is marinating for more than an hour.