A Spice Rub or Dry Rub is a mixture of herbs and spices blended to produce a powder seasoning which you apply to food, either before or after cooking to enhance it, giving your food a more in-depth flavour & heat.

Why should I use a rub?

It makes everything very tasty! Also a marinade is so important for meats going on the BBQ, it really locks in that flavour and moisture, while preventing the ‘smoke flavour’ from becoming too over powering.

How do I use it?

Lay your chosen meat or fish in a dish and sprinkle over your rub and ‘pat’ each side, covering all the surface. Its an easy as that. Then you can either cook right away or leave to marinate in the fridge for a while.

Why use a dry marinade and not a wet one?

Using a dry marinade gives you better control, you get a better ‘stick’ to your meat and overall coverage, without it slipping down the sides. Also you can use as little or as much as you need. You can of course use Smokey’s rubs wet by mixing with a few teaspoons of water or olive oil to make a paste. You can even mix our Spice Rubs with yoghurt, melted butter or honey, to convert into a ‘sticky’ or wet marinade. The ideal thing about Smokeys dry rubs, is you know exactly what is in the pack. Some mass produced shop brought wet marinades are full of oil and sugar. This way you are safe in the knowledge you know exactly what is going in your family’s tummy.

Do any of the rubs contain sugar or salt?

Yes they do, some of our rubs contain a little sugar for caramelisation. They are also already seasoned, so there is no need to add any extra salt, if you do

n’t wish to. Rubs are a recipe in a pack, quick and easy to use, ideal for both the busy home cook and budding connoisseur.

Other than meat and fish, what else are they good for?

 Oh so many things. Keep reading below for just a few ideas…

Even More uses for our rubs…

– Ideal for flavouring soups, curries & stir-fries.

– Use as a fajita seasoning; also ideal for tacos, burritos & enchiladas

– Stir into your pasta sauces or add to stir frys for spice and flavour

– Mix a little rub into bread or pizza dough before baking

– Sprinkle on your pizza as a seasoning before or after cooking

– Spice up your roast potatoes, wedges & baked sweet potatoes

– Sprinkle a little over salads and use in salad dressings

– Spice up your chilli con carne and stews, ideal for one pot cooking

Is a BBQ rub still ok if it has clumped together?

We know that often people keep their spices in the cupboard next to the cooker as it’s convenient when you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen. From experience this isn’t the best place to keep them as the humid, damp warm temperatures can cause your spices to clump/stick together. Don’t worry your BBQ rub will be perfectly fine to use. Just give it a shake to break up the clumps. Many companies use anti-caking agents such as silicone dioxide to stop this happening, but we like to keep things as natural as possible and not use E numbers or chemical agents. Spices last years in the cupboard and in our opinion never really go out of date. Spices will naturally loose flavour over the years so we recommend using our rubs within approx 10 months.