Dry Spice Rub

Dry Rub in Mason Jar

A few months ago, I was shopping at Sur la Table and I was offered a free one-year subscription to Bon Appetit magazine for spending over $50. 

I've been enjoying the gourmet mag coming in the mail monthly. In the annual grilling issue, I stumbled upon this super simple dry rub. It doesn't even have a formal recipe name. I shall call it the "7 Dry Rub" since it has seven tablespoons of ingredients. There are only four ingredients and it's in a 4:3:2:1 ratio. 

Original Bon Appetit Recipe:
4 Tbsp. Kosher Salt 
3  Tbsp. Brown Sugar 
2 Tbsp. Sweet Paprika 
1 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper 

I spooned the ingredients in a mason jar and shook it up to distribute the spices. The seven spoonfuls filled up a 1/2 pint container.


Salt - I used Argentinian sea salt that I bought at the Argentine meat market. Thanks, Ariel, for the recommendation.

Paprika - I've only heard of using paprika on deviled eggs, but I am discovering its use in marinade and rubs. I asked my husband to buy an organic one in a glass container at the market. I don't like the plastic containers because I feel like it makes herbs/spices go stale faster. 

Sugar - I used organic brown sugar that I bought from Trader Joe's. (Oh, the days when I used to live close to one!)

Cayenne- I used my organic pepper that I bought from Trader Joe's. 

My Results?

Very flavorful chicken. If you like a sweeter BBQ taste, you can adjust the recipe to add more sugar.

I used a generous amount of rub to coat both sides of the chicken to get a nice color. But, I felt like it tasted too salty after it was cooked. 

Next time, I'll either use less rub, or reduce the salt in the recipe to 3 tbsp. 

The good things is that I grilled with the chicken with the skin on (for more moisture) so when I peeled the salty skin off, the flesh inside was perfectly seasoned. 

Other Applications?

"You can use this simple formula to wake up the Beer-Can Chicken, add another layer of flavor to the Barbecued Chicken, or sass up plenty of things that aren't poultry, like pork, steak, or vegetables"

How far can it go?

According to BA, it's enough spice rub for two whole chickens.  You can double or triple the recipe and use it all summer.

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How would you use this dry rub? Comment below.