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Mighty Marinades and Robust Rubs

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Add big flavor to beef and pork with little time, effort and money.

Marinades and rubs are building blocks of great grilling. See how easy it is to put these quick-and-easy flavor enhancers to work, bumping up the “wow” factor in grill-bound chops, ribs, roasts and steaks.

CREATIVE TYPES: CREATE YOUR OWN MARINADES AND RUBS

Cookbooks and magazines are packed with very specific recipes for creating marinades and rubs, but you really don’t need a recipe at all to mix up your own flavor boosters. Preparing marinades and rubs is just a matter of blending ingredients in the right proportions. Here’s how it works:

DRY RUBS: You don’t need to be a math whiz to experiment with dry rubs—just follow the 8:3:1:1 rule.

To make 1 cup (or 16 tablespoons) of dry rub, you need:

  • 8 parts (or 8 tablespoons) kosher salt
  • 3 parts (or 3 tablespoons) brown sugar
  • 1 part (or 2½ tablespoons) binder*
  • 1 part (or 2½ tablespoons) chef’s choice flavorings**

*Binders are deep-color, medium-flavor spices that unite the flavors of salt and sugar. Choose from chili powder, cumin or paprika.

**Chef’s choice flavorings are the herbs and spices that give rubs their signature flavors. When choosing them, try to balance hot spices—such as pepper and ground chiles—with sweet spices—such as cinnamon, allspice and ginger.

To play it safe when choosing chef’s choice herbs, begin with herbs that are commonly used together, such as basil, rosemary and oregano; or sage, rosemary and thyme.

WET RUBS: To prepare a wet rub, simply place your dry rub in a small bowl and add enough canola oil to create a thick paste.

MARINADES: To create a marinade, follow the super-simple 2:1 rule, using 2 parts acid for 1 part oil. Once these two ingredients are combined, additional flavorings and their quantities are entirely up to you.

To make 1 cup of marinade, you need:

  • ⅔ cup acid*
  • ⅓ cup oil**
  • chef’s choice flavorings

*Acidic ingredients include vinegars of all types; citrus juice; red or white wine; plain yogurt or buttermilk; and soy sauce.

**Choose olive oil or canola oil.

The quantity of chef’s choice herbs is up to you, but most recipes generally call for about ¼ cup herbs for every cup of marinade.

CREATIVE-SCHMEATIVE? READY-TO-ROLL MARINADE AND RUB RECIPES

Making your own rubs and marinades is fun and economical. If you don’t want to experiment with making your own signature blends, try some of our favorites:

Asian-inspired Pork Rub
Combine 4 tablespoons kosher salt, 1½ tablespoons brown sugar, 4 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, and 1 teaspoon five-spice powder.

Asian-inspired Pork Marinade
Combine ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.

Italian-inspired Pork Rub
Combine 4 tablespoons kosher salt, 1½ tablespoons brown sugar, 4 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano and 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil.

Italian-inspired Pork Marinade
Combine ¾ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel, 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon minced shallot and 2 teaspoons ground black pepper.

Mexican-inspired Beef Rub
Combine 4 tablespoons kosher salt, 1½ tablespoons brown sugar, 4 teaspoons mild chili powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic.

Mexican-inspired Beef Marinade
Combine ½ cup cider vinegar, ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, ¼ cup canola oil, ⅓ cup chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon cumin and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Asian-inspired Beef Rub
Combine 4 tablespoons kosher salt, 1½ tablespoons brown sugar, 4 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground coriander,1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon ground five-spice powder.

Asian-inspired Beef Marinade
Combine ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup white wine, 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.