We all have fond memories of great barbecues. It is hard to say no when one of our friends or a family member invites us to a barbecue. The thought of the food on the grill with the smoky aroma all around is admittedly hard to resist. The barbecue has been a traditional get together meal for decades and it will be here for many more.

There are many different methods for cooking a great barbecue meal. Some prefer to use a dry rub seasoning on the meat while grilling, others like to marinate the meat for a day or so before cooking it, some people enjoy adding wood chips to the grill for added smoke flavor, and some just like their food smothered in lots of barbecue sauce.

Traditional barbecue sauce is a blend of tomato sauce and vinegar. You can use ketchup in place of those two items. If you like, cider can be used either in place of or in addition to the vinegar. Then, the creativity really kicks in, flavors and spices are added to give each sauce its own distinctive taste.

For sweet barbecue sauces, brown sugar or honey are usually added. You can also use fruit or jelly to sweeten a sauce. To make it spicy, you can add any type of pepper or hot sauce that you like, cayenne will give it a milder flavor while you can really spice it up with something like Habanero sauce. Any combination of herbs and seasoning can be used in your barbecue sauce, garlic and onion powder are very common but for added flavor you can also use something like fresh cilantro. Another ingredient that is often put into a good barbecue sauce is smoke flavoring. This can be used in place of wood chips in the grill. Mustard is also used in the making of several barbecue recipes.

Marinades are also very popular. Try out several different methods with this as well. A good marinade can either be made by adding water to one of your barbecue sauce masterpieces or creating something entirely new. Try a soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame for something different. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Then, you just soak your meat in it overnight in the refrigerator to let it really soak in the flavors.

The key to making the perfect barbecue sauce is to make it the way you would like it to taste. Add any ingredients you like, switch them up and use a lot of variety. Try new things especially if you have a few favorite herbs or flavor preferences.

A good dry rub recipe is a combination of an assortment of herbs and spices that can that come together nicely. You can use dry rub for meat and chicken which is the most common method of using dry rub but it is also excellent on vegetables and casserole dishes too. Some people even put dry rub on their salad. You can put dry rub on just about anything to add a tantalizing boost to the flavor.

There are a few ways to use dry rub. The easiest way is to sinply sprinkle them on whatever you are cooking. Another really good way to use them is to add liquid such as oil to make a wet rub out of it. This is an excellent way to get the dry rub seasonings to sink into your meat when grilling it. The herbs ans spices will adhere to the meat ans the oil helps the flavors soak right in.

Briskets are often made by adding horseradish and mustard to the dry rub and oil. This is what gives briskets their unique flavor. If you love to grill things on the bbq then you really should have a batch of dry rub in the cupboard at all times. Remember to replenish your supply each time you have a barbeque party and you will always have it on hand.

Once you have tried a good dry rub, you may find it difficult to ever want to grill any other way. You can also use spicy hot dry rubs in place of hot peppers if that is the flavor you prefer, there is no limit to the ingredients that go int a dry rub recipe. Dry rubs give you the ability to try new seasoning flavors on things you may have never thought of before. Try adding it to the mayo or mustard for your next sandwich, you may be pleasantly surprised. Another use for dry rub that is really a perfect combination is salad dressing, you can take a plain dressing and give it a whole new taste sensation. An easy way to make a quick salad dressing is to add a few tablespoons of dry rub to sour cream and mayo or even yogurt.

Try it on baked potatoes or sprinkle it on hot fries to season them perfectly. Other side dishes can be made with dry rubs as well, add it to your rice while cooking it to get the flavors to soak right in while it is cooking.

The all time favorite way for using dry rubs is on bbq ribs of course. Once you have tried it, you will see why it is a favorite of so many. Try a few different dry rub mixes and you will soon come up with a couple of favorites that you will want to have on hand all the time.

South Of The Boarder Dry Rub BBQ Seasoning

Ingredients:

1/2 cup. Black Pepper
1/2 cup. Cayenne Pepper
1 cup. Dark Brown Sugar
3 tbsp. Salt
2 tbsp. Cumin
1 tbsp. Parsley Flakes

Instructions:

Add all of these ingredients in to a blender or food processer set on pulse 3 to 4 times till blended, pour in to a airtight container for storage for later after use.

Here is one more fantastic dry rub recipe-enjoy this New Orleans Style Rub

Recipe Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
5 Tbsp. paprika
3 Tbsp. salt

Recipe Instructions:

Combine all of these ingredients in a container with lid for storage sprinkle generously or hand rub, hold for 24 hours in your refrigerator covered with plastic wrap befor grilling or oven baking good for all protine food items.

Here is a sweet and smokeyMesquite Rib or Steak Rub Recipe

Recipe Ingredients:

1 16 oz. Seasoning Salt
1/4 cup. Paprika
2/3 cup. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
2 tsp. Ground Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Ground Cloves
1 tbsp. Dry Mesquite Flavored Seasoning Mix
2 tbsp. Garlic Salt
1 tbsp. Black Pepper
1 cup. Packed Brown Sugar

Recipe Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients shown above in to a food processer blend for one minute then pour contents from the food processer in to a airtight container, for storage put this dry rub into some place dry after use.

Dry Rub for Ribs

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups.  Granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups.  Brown Sugar
1/2    cup.  Salt
1/4    cup.  Black Pepper
1/4    cup.  Granulated Garlic
1/4    cup.  Paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:

Putting all these ingredients into a bowl. You need to mix this very well due to the fact that brown sugar will clump up if you let the rub sit in the bowl, the brown sugar can dry.
Before using the dry rub, mixing it well will insure proper blending.

BARBECUED DRY RUB FOR MEATS

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 c.    Kosher salt
1/3 c.    brown sugar
2 tbsp.   garlic powder
2 tbsp.   paprika
1 tbsp.   dried thyme
1 tsp.    cayenne pepper
1 tsp.    freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a small container blending thoroughly.  If reserving for later use, put your left over dry rub into airtight container for storage.  To use, apply heavily on all sides of meat and rub in well with fingers.  Refrigerate and let the meat stand forat least 2 hours or 4 hours to overnight for ribs and if you prefer to have the meat retain more of the flavors.