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The smoky char and crispy skin on a batch of succulent grilled chicken thighs is to die for, but sometimes the mere thought of firing up the grill can feel like a mission. Once you’ve set up the grates and lit the coals, there’s also the small matter of preparing meats and veggies with marinades, seasonings, and glazes. The good news is that you can make this process a whole lot easier with Bobby Flay’s time-saving tip for flavorful grilling all season. All you need to do is make a big batch of your favorite dry spice rub to keep in your pantry so it’s always ready to go when you are.
As dry spices have a long shelf life, simply combine them in the right ratios and set them aside so you don’t have to make a new mixture every time you want to grill. Our 3-ingredient spice rub recipe is a great place to start if you’re looking for an all-purpose blend. A simple mixture of earthy smoked paprika, caramelly brown sugar, and aromatic garlic powder, it can be stored away safely for up to a month. Just make sure to decant your homemade rub into an airtight container to maximize its shelf life. These Serenita spice seasoning containers are both airtight and waterproof. Plus, they come with a mini spoon so you can scoop out as much dry rub as you need and massage it into steaks, fish fillets, drumsticks and more. Or go for something larger and vintage, like this 32-ounce patterned glass jar with a lid.
Homemade dry rubs are customizable and cheap
While you could use store-bought dry rubs, it’s often cheaper to make a big batch of your own if you’re a grill enthusiast. Moreover, a homemade spice blend can be personalized to your tastes with different dry herbs, less chili, or a dash more salt. You could even make several blends to suit the flavors and textures of different meats or vegan-friendly ingredients, like tofu or less well-known seitan. For instance, this house-blend five-spice powder is perfect on grilled lamb and pork while a lighter spice rub made of oregano and paprika would be perfect for chicken thighs or tofu kebabs. Or make a punchier all-purpose spice blend for summer with plenty of personality and aroma that includes coriander, cumin, celery, yellow mustard, and fennel seeds mixed with paprika, salt, and pepper, heated then ground. Better yet it should keep well for up to six months.
Just one word of advice — give your container a shake to redistribute the spices evenly before sprinkling your rub over a ribeye or massaging into cubes of paneer and chopped peppers to make vegetarian-friendly skewers. And if the weather isn’t playing ball? You can use the same dry rub to make a spatchcocked chicken or slow roasted leg of lamb in the oven until the sun comes out.
