"AYE, THERE'S THE RUB..." - EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN)

… Sure, that’s what Hamlet said when weighing whether it was “to be or not to be.”

But it’ll be a no-brainer for you this Fourth of July when firing up the grill for that backyard feast.

In culinary terms, a rub is a mixture of dried herbs and spices used to coat food before it is sauteed, broiled or grilled.

“I cannot say enough for herb and spice blends,” says Julie Sahni, author of Savoring Spices and Herbs (Morrow, 1996) and the creator of a line of commercial rubs.

The beauty of a rub is that it will keep in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place for at least three months. After that, it may lose some of its potency, but it won’t spoil. And, unlike a marinade, it doesn’t add fat to what you put it on.

Think of the possibilities these rubs offer cooks in a hurry or boaters looking for a quick flavor boost for that fresh-caught mahi-mahi or that not-so-fresh steak at the bottom of the icebox.

Using a rub to flavor grilled foods is nothing new. The Jamaicans have been doing it for centuries with their jerk seasonings.

And New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme popularized rubs through his blackened cooking, which is basically an herb-and-spice encrusted food cooked in a hot skillet until the herbs are burnt black.

But not everyone thinks blackening puts rubs to their best use.

“People who blacken fish and seafood might as well forget it,” says Melanie Barnard, author of Marinades, The Secret of Great Grilling (HarperPerennial, 1997).

“The flavor of the seafood is killed by the burnt taste of the blackened spices, which tend to be straight pepper,” she says.

You can buy all sorts of rubs in the supermarket spice aisle. But to ensure getting the best ingredients and no fillers such as flour, you may want to make your own.

Begin with the freshest dried herbs and spices you can find. You, like Sahni, may even want to grow and dry your own.

Sahni lives in New York where she can dry herbs outside. But for our more humid conditions, she recommends placing the herbs on a paper towel in the microwave and heating them on medium-low power until dried. Six to seven basil leaves take about 90 seconds; rosemary sprigs take about 20 seconds.

She stores the dried herbs in big jars on her kitchen counter until she’s ready to crumble them into a rub. “It looks like an apothecary shop in here,” she says in a telephone interview from her home in Brooklyn Heights.

When it comes to spices, the heavier ones such as cumin, mustard and coriander seeds need to be toasted before grinding or you could end up with indigestion and heartburn, Sahni says.

To toast them, place the spices in a dry skillet over medium-high heat and shake the pan. “Nothing will happen, and then you’ll see some smoke as the spices release their moisture,” Sahni says.

You don’t need to brown the spices unless you want a heavy, toasted flavor – you only need to see the smoke. If making small quantitities of rub, you can grind the toasted spices right away; larger quantities should be cooled before grinding.

You can grind the spices or whole leaf herbs in a coffee grinder reserved for that purpose, or in a spice grinder or mini food processor.

Be sure to grind them to a texture that is “nice on the palate,” Sahni says. “Finely grind them so they don’t leave particles in your mouth,” she adds. Also, the finer the grind, the easier it is to get the rub to stick to the meat, seafood and vegetables.

In a rub, Barnard combines sweet with spicy flavors. “This gives it a balance,” she says in a telephone interview from her home in New Canaan, Conn.

Sweet spices and herbs include ginger, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace and cardamom. Sharp ones are turmeric, cumin, paprika, cayenne, thyme, curry, black pepper, and paprika.

Sahni recommends you stay away from extremely strong flavorings such as tarragon or star anise. “These have distinct fragrances that don’t easily blend,” she says. If you use star anise on meat, it will taste sweet like anisette, she warns.

When making a rub, you want a “sophisticated combination” of flavors, Barnard says. By this she means one that enhances a food but doesn’t overwhelm it; one that has layer upon layer of flavor so you get a slightly singed taste on the outside then a mellow flavor within.

“Nothing in the mixture glares at you but you get all the flavors,” she says.

To coat food with a rub, you can either pat it into place, or, as Sahni does, place the meat, seafood or vegetables in a bowl. Lightly coat them with oil and then sprinkle and toss with the rub.

Or do as Chris Nealon does: Shake and bake. Nealon is corporate chef for six South Florida restaurants, including Aruba Beach Cafe in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Wildwood Grill in Boca Raton.

He places the rub in a small plastic bag, adds the food to be coated, seals the bag and shakes it.

You can cook the food as soon as you apply the rub or leave it in the refrigerator for three to four days, Sahni says. But unlike a marinade, the flavor of the rub will not intensify over time. Instead, it may weaken as its aromatics dissipate.

And the flavor of the rub rarely penetrates the food. Thus, the only way to get more of the herb and spice flavor is to make that piece of food thinner so there is proportionately more rub.

For example, instead of using a whole chicken breast, butterfly it so that there is more surface area to coat with rub. Instead of using a fish steak, use a fillet.

A rub not only adds flavor but, as it cooks, forms a crust of sorts to help keep the food moist.

When cooking, don’t use a rub on anything that will take more than 10 minutes to heat through. Otherwise, the rub will burn, Barnard says.

If you must use it on large cuts of food, use medium or indirect heat to cook it. That’s what Barnard’s sister, Mary Faso of Sunrise, does. Following her own or her sister’s recipes, Faso uses rubs on pork roasts because she likes the way the herbs and spices “melt into the layer of fat to flavor it well.”

Rubs not only make food taste good but also save time.

“If you spend a little time at the beginning making the blends, you have flavor waiting on the shelf for months,” Sahni says.

SPICE

TANDOORI RUB

A little sugar will make the rub caramelize on the food it coats to give an attractive browned appearance. And although you might turn up your nose at garlic powder, this is the time to use it.

The turmeric turns the food yellow and provides a peppery flavor. To get the same results you would from cooking food in the high heat of the traditional Indian tandoor oven, use a covered grill, medium heat, and an aluminum foil pan of water set in the coals or on the grill rack to add some humidity to the air. Try using this on 2 1/2 pounds chicken parts, 2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp or 2 1/2 pounds lamb chops.

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon garlic powder

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Place in a tightly covered container and store up to 1 month in a cool dry place. Smear the rub onto the surface of the food to be grilled and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours before grilling. Makes about 3 tablespoons.

Per (1-tablespoon) serving: 14 calories, .5 gram protein, .5 gram fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, no milligrams cholesterol, 791 milligrams sodium, 26 percent calories from fat.

Recipe from Marinades, The Secret of Great Grilling (HarperCollins, 1997) by Melanie Barnard.

SPICE

SIX-SHOOTER SPICE RUB

Try this on T-bone steaks. If you want to serve it up cowboy-style, use 1-pound steaks and rub each with 1/2 tablespoon rub; let sit 30 minutes. Coat the steaks lightly with oil and then pan-saute or grill these. Cut the steaks into

1/2-inch-thick slices. Each 1 pound steak serves two.

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika

1 tablespoon dried marjoram

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh-ground black pepper

To make rub: Combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, marjoram, dry mustard and pepper in a small bowl and stir until blended. Store in a tightly covered container for up to 1 month. Makes about 1/3 cup.

Per (1 tablespoon) serving: 19 calories, 1 gram protein, 1 gram fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, no milligrams cholesterol, 19 milligrams sodium, 44 percent calories from fat.

Recipe from Steak Lover’s Cookbook (Workman, 1997) by William Rice.

SPICE

BARBECUE SPICE BLEND

This can be added to ketchup to make a barbecue sauce. Or use it as a dry rub for grilled fish, chicken or butterflied leg of lamb.

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons powdered dry mustard

2 teaspoons ground cayenne

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground dried sage

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and transfer to an airtight container. May be stored in a cool dry place for up to 3 months; the pungent aroma begins to diminish after 3 weeks. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Per (1 tablespoon) serving: 18 calories, 1 gram protein, 1 gram fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, no milligrams cholesterol, 4 milligrams sodium, 43 percent calories from fat.

Recipe from Savoring Spices and Herbs (Morrow, 1996) by Julie Sahni.

ENTREE

GRILLED WHOLE CHICKEN WITH MIDDLE EASTERN SPICE RUB

For grilling chickens, use a covered grill at moderate heat, so the birds cook evenly without flare-ups. As with roast chicken, it’s important to pierce the thickest part of the thigh and check that the juices run clear, meaning the chicken is well-done. For grilling chicken pieces, you can use the same spice rub.

1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, giblets removed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place chicken on plate. Combine cumin, turmeric, pepper and salt in small bowl and mix. Rub spice mixture into chicken, both inside and out. Wash hands immediately, so turmeric won’t stain your fingers.

Preheat covered gas grill for indirect heat, according to manufacturer’s instructions, and set at medium (350-375 degrees). If using charcoal grill, heat coals until covered with gray ash and have only a hint of red. Then move coals to edge of grill and place drip pan in grill’s center. If grill grate is adjustable, set it about 6 inches above coals.

Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Set chicken on rack in area that is not directly over heat source, with breast of chicken facing up. Cover and grill 45 to 60 minutes. To check if chicken is done, pierce thickest part of thigh near bone. Juices that run from meat should be clear and meat should no longer be pink. Transfer to clean platter. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 319 calories, 34 grams protein, 19 grams fat, 1 gram carbohydrates, 134 milligrams cholesterol, 251 milligrams sodium, 53 percent calories from fat.

For Grilled Chicken Pieces: Use 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken thighs, drumsticks or breast pieces with skin and bones. Rub spice mixture over chicken pieces. Grill as above, taking total of 20 minutes for breasts or 30 to 35 minutes for thighs or drumsticks, turning pieces over half.

Recipe from Faye Levy of the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.