Dad’s Spice Rub

There was no shortage of Father’s Day gift ideas this year, but in the end, I still opted to go the homemade route for my father’s gift. I mixed up a batch of one of his favorite spice rubs, all packed up in a convenient shaker and ready to go to the grill. It’s a pretty versatile combination of salt, pepper and spices, including cumin, coriander and paprika, and works well on chicken, pork, steak, ribs and all kinds of veggies.

Unlike some spice rubs that are pepper-based, this one has a good amount of salt in it and whatever you choose to grill will not need any additional seasoning once it is served. If you’re wary of salty foods, keep in mind that there is a purpose to the saltiness. With this rub, you’ll end up with meat that goes amazingly well with all kinds of barbecue sauces and dips because the salt of the rub cuts easily through both sweet and spicy sauces for a perfectly balanced dish.

This recipe makes a big batch, so try to get some sort of container to keep it in. I like a shaker, because it makes it easy to access, but a large ziplock bag will work in a pinch.

Dad’s Spice Rub
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsp + 2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp + 1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp + 1 tsp paprika

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Rub on meats and/or veggies prior to grilling.
Store in a medium-sized shaker.