ALL-PURPOSE BBQ SPICE RUB AND BBQ SAUCE
The BBQ spice mix is smokey, complex and has a little bit of heat without being too spicy. A lot of spice rubs will already contain salt and sugar. I prefer to season my food with salt and sugar separately and then use as much of the spice rub as I like without worrying about over or under seasoning my food. The barbecue sauce is a nice balance of salty, sweet, spicy and tangy and with a lot of complexity. The heat can be tweaked slightly based on the hot sauce you choose but I opted for Valentina’s which is a nice mild Mexican hot sauce that features plenty of Arbol chillies which adds to the smokiness to the sauce. Feel free to tweak recipe amounts to your tastes. If you like it sweet, up the sugar, tangier - more vinegar.
INGREDIENTS
SPICE RUB
- 40 g Smoked paprika
- 20 g Mustard seed
- 10 g Black peppercorn
- 10 g Coriander seed
- 10 g Garlic powder
- 10 g Onion powder
- 5 g Dried oregano
- 3 g Fennel seed
- 3 g Cumin seed
- 3 g Cayenne pepper
BBQ SAUCE
- 100 g Water
- 150 g Ketchup
- 40 g Carob syrup or molasses
- 40 g Worcestershire sauce
- 50 g Cider vinegar
- 35 g Dijon mustard
- 30 g Hot sauce
- 30 g Brown sugar
- 20 g Spice rub
- 1 Onion, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
METHOD
SPICE RUB
- Place the whole spices into a dry frying pan and palace over medium high heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.20 g Mustard seed, 10 g Black peppercorn, 10 g Coriander seed, 3 g Fennel seed, 3 g Cumin seed
- Add the ground spices and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the spices form the pan anndallow them to cool to room temperature before continuing.40 g Smoked paprika, 10 g Garlic powder, 10 g Onion powder, 3 g Cayenne pepper
- Place all of the spices into a spice grinder or blender and blitz into a powder.
- Store in an aiortight container in a cool, dry place away from light.
BBQ SAUCE
- Begin by placing a small pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the minced onion.1 Onion
- Cook for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally until the onions are softened and have taken on some light colour. While this is cooking, combine all of the liquid ingredients.100 g Water, 150 g Ketchup, 40 g Carob syrup or molasses, 40 g Worcestershire sauce, 50 g Cider vinegar, 35 g Dijon mustard, 30 g Hot sauce
- Add the minced garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.2 cloves Garlic
- Add the spice mix and cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.20 g Spice rub
- Add the combined wet ingredients and the sugar to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by about half..30 g Brown sugar
- Place the contents of the pot into a blender and blitz on high until smooth.
- Reserve in an airtight container in the fridge.
PRO TIPS
While this does make for an excellent spice rub for barbecued meats it’s pretty versatile - I like to use it for cooking beans, chillies, roast meats and vegetables, seasoning snacks like popcorn and roast nuts - the list goes on.
A tablespoon of barbecue sauce to a can of baked beans is a wonderfully lazy yet effective way of levelling up your next full English / bean on toat.