Breast, Thigh, Loin (and Other Animal Body Parts) Rubs

Lil Bro was visiting this fall from Iowa. Arizona in October is way different from Iowa. When he arrived, the temp was 112°. Hot, even for Arizona, in October.

As a side note: We find sidewalk cooking in the summer time saves energy. I’ll have to share my “Scambled Eggs á la Cement” some day. Tasty once you get past picking out the grit. But a good powerwash of the sidewalk in advance keeps the grit down to a manageable level. And, with enough freshly-ground pepper, who knows if it’s grit or not!

But back to Lil Bro’s visit. Many things are revealed when you spend a month together. He is a closet foodie. Who knew? Tragically, he lost his wife in May. That’s been very hard, but he knows he is now in charge of his culinary life, and he has embraced that fully. He likes cooking and not just because he has to cook. He really, really likes it. DH was delighted there was someone else for me to talk food to.

So, Lil Bro spent time learning to read labels and comparing nutritional values. I taught him to measure and what a portion size looks like on the plate. We spent a couple of hours at a time in the grocery store and Bed Bath and Beyond’s kitchen area. In other words, we had a ball!

He wanted to show off some of his new-found knowledge, so Lil Bro and I put together some meat rubs for him to take back as gifts and for himself. Here are a few for you to try out:

Cocoa-Chili Rub (3.5-4# pork or chicken)

1 T cocoa-chili powder

1 T brown sugar

1 t basil or oregano

1 T evo

Mix together and spread on meat with fingers. Grill or roast.

Cocoa-Coffee Rub (1-2# beef, chicken, or pork)

2 T finely ground coffee beans or instant espresso

1 T unsweetened cocoa powder

½ t brown sugar

¼ t cinnamon

1 t evo

¼ t salt and pepper

Mix together and spread on meat with fingers. Grill or roast.

Lemon Zest Rub (1# fish)

1 T lemon zest

½ lemon, juiced

1 t honey

1 T tarragon

1 t evo

Mix together and slather on fish.Grill or bake.

Happy grilling (or roasting)!