Customizing Rubs And Sauces

We're in the full swing of barbecue season> That means delicious meats and veggies on the grill, sizzling with all sorts of flavor. How do they get to be so tasty ? Rubs and sauces but not just any rubs and sauce . Ones you make yourself.

Many novice grillers will ask what's the difference between a rub and a marinade. Rubs can be wet or dry an marinade is always composed of liquid materials. Rubs are usually just added just before grilling. Meats and veggie are usually marinated for a few hours before cooking. What makes a good rub?  A combination of sugar ,salt , herbs and spices. As for the sweet, brown sugar is always used.It gives the rub and meats a mellowed, earthy flavor. As for the salt. a good sea salt always works. The spices can be what you want. Many use paprika for kick and color . Cayenne can also be used, mainly for fire. You can add a lot or a little of this, depending on how you like heat. Cumin, a spice used mostly in Mexican and Indian cooking, can also be thrown in . Dried garlic and onions powders give a rub more flavor but use these sparingly. The flavors can be overwhelming in generous quantities. Are rubs different from meat to meat? Not really. What makes a good wet rub? Any liquid from an oil like avocado or olive to juices such as lemon or lime. This is combined with the other ingredients to make a paste to rub onto the meat. With these you can add minced garlic or freshly chopped onions.

A marinade is no different than a rub because it , too, flavors meat or vegetables.They're different, however in that not one marinade is for all meats and veggies.  A good steak one has Worcester sauce in it mixed with lemon juice and olive oil. It's spiced with dry parsley flakes, garlic powder and dried basil. You could add some hot sauce for kick if you want. As for chicken think sweet.  Soda such as Pepsi, Dr, Pepper or Coke can be used for this as it offers the perfect balance for  balsamic vinegar and soy sauce.Lime or lemon juice can be added for some zing . Crushed garlic and cumin give it more flavor and more of an unami taste. Orange juice is a must for  marinating chicken. You can use fresh squeezed or already juiced. Try it in a combo of olive oil and soy sauce. Chop in garlic if you want or onion for more flavor and sprinkle in rosemary and oregano. if it's a little to tart, then add a drop or two of wildflower honey to balance it out. Veggies can also benefit from a good marinade. Start off with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a quarter teaspoon of maple syrup or honey . These caramelize the veggies giving them a nice glossy finish. Garlic and onion powder can be added. Stir in a few hot pepper flakes for some zing.

Grilled meats and veggie always can benefit from a little more flavor and zest. Any good rub or marinade can do this. Try one or the other for a truly delicious barbecue.

Those Smoking Hams

 One of the joys of any Easter dinner is a smoked ham. The flavor is a perfect blend of earthy and sweet, a great foil for asparagus. Surprisingly you can make it at home.

Steven Raichlen, grill master extrordinaire and host of the very popular PBS show Project Fire wrote this article and how to in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Keep in mind if you do want to do this, you have a short window of time because curing does take six days and Easter is only ten days away. You could do this for small family gathering later on in the season. The method is for a wet cure  not a dry cure one. Dry cured hams are rubbed with salts and left to dry for several months , resulting in a tight satiny texture and complex flavor associated with prosciutto and the Spanish jamon serrano, the last costing up to $1000. Wet cured ham, soaks in a mix of water,  salt, and sodium nitrate. The last you can buy on line from the Sausage Maker or Hoosier Hill Farm. Then there's the equipment,  Use either a stockpot , bucket or even a three gallon resealable plastic bag. There's also a marinade injector which gets all the meat cured and juicy. Then there's the actual smoking You can use a kettle style grill or charcoal burning one with a lid. The wood chips are what make the flavor. Chef Raichlen recommends using apple or hickory.

What about the cut used? A shoulder ham is recommended simply because it's small and can accommodate a smaller gathering of people. This is the easiest to smoke and cure in a week . You can also do this to a pork loin (which Chef Raichlen offers a recipe for , complete with a cognac orange glaze). As for the brine he adds a spice bundle of cloves, allspice berries,bay leaves, lemon zest strips and whole black peppercorns. The actual brine is made from water, Morton Kosher salt, honey , dark brown sugar and Prague powder #1 , the sodium nitrate needed. The brine is first made and then the spice bundle is added. As this is all boiling , the ham is prepared ,its' exterior scored with a sharp knife. The ham is placed with the brine in the roasting pot.It's also injected with it and then placed in the fridge for at least three days. The meat will take on a pinkish hue after three days of brining and being injected. It's now ready to be smoked. Set the grill temp at 250 degrees Farenheit, and put it on indirect heat. Put the ham on the grate fat side up and cook until it's handsomely brown and cooked through. It'll take seven hours. Keep adding wood chips to produce a steady stream of steam. evenly rotate the meat so it's nicely browned all over. drape it loosely with foil if it's browning too much.

Home cured ham for Easter is a real treat. Any ambitious home chef can cook this and have a memorable holiday meal. It's a delicious treat perfect for the season.