BBQ Spice Rub
When we were back in Ohio for my mom’s memorial service, my dad gifted us with a small charcoal grill. We purchased some Wicked Good charcoal at the local co-op and grilles some country ribs given to us by Cari at Ridge Pond Herbals. I mixed up a BBQ rub and we grilled up these lovelies. Mr Chiots said it was the kind of meal you think about long after it’s gone. We tried the rub again a few weeks later on a venison backstrap and it was once again AMAZING. After giving some of the venison to a few friends, they all asked for the recipe. Since adding it to the blog is the best way to keep track of these things, here it is. Use it, change it, love it.
BBQ SPICE PASTE
1 Tablespoon of fresh garlic paste* (or sub 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 Tablespoon of fresh onion paste* (or sub 1/2 teaspoon onion powder)
2 tablespoons coarsely ground salt (like kosher)
2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1 canned chipotle pepper smashed with a knife (or 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar (I use Sucanat instead)
3 pounds of meat (chicken, venison, beef, pork, turkey)
Stout (optional)
*I use my microplane citrus zester to grate garlic/onions very finely. You could also dice and smash on the cutting board with the salt. You want it to be a paste.
Mix all ingredients minus stout or beer in a small bowl. Rub on whatever meat you are going to be grilling. Let sit in fridge 4-6 hours or overnight. If you are using beer/stout, pour over meat after rubbing in spices but before putting in fridge. Remove from fridge an hour before grilling. Grill over good hardwood charcoal. If you’ve never taken the step to buy real hardwood charcoal, do it NOW! It makes such a huge difference in taste. We have tried a few and Wicked Good is our favorite, though it can be difficult to find. Generally small, local butcher shops carry good hardwood charcoal.
We enjoyed the venison sliced thinly like lunchmeat. It was great warm the first night and phenomenal cold (we were both glad to have enough to eat for lunches every day this week). I’m already planning what kind of meat we will be using this mix on and grilling in a week or two.
Do you use a gas or charcoal grill? What’s your favorite item to grill?
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Tithonia ‘Torch’ Seeds
I grew tithonia a few years ago for the very first time, my garden hasn’t been without it since. Even though I’m not a huge fan of orange flowers, I grow these. Tithonia provides a very important source of late season food for pollinators, particularly migrating monarchs.
Not only are these plants great for pollinators, they’re tough plants, thriving in poor, dry soil. Mine are blooming like crazy in the less than stellar side of the garden. They also grow fairly tall, making them a really nice border around the vegetable patch. I use them as a wind break since they grow to about 5 feet tall.
Every time I’m in the garden, there are monarchs on the tithonia and the echinacea. Both very important plants to have in our gardens for pollinators. If you are interested in growing these for monarchs, hummingbirds, and bees, I’m saving loads of seeds and they will be part of my seed launch this winter.
What’s your favorite beneficial plant for monarchs and other pollinators?
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Squirreling Away for Winter
It’s been a busy week and weekend. My evenings are filled with harvesting and preserving. The apples, tomatoes, beans, and peppers are coming in like mad. Green beans are blanched and frozen, peppers are chopped and frozen. Both things are frozen on cookie sheets and put into freezer bags to be scooped out in quantities needed.
The tomatoes are being put up in a few different ways. ‘Principe Borghese’ are dried in the sun dried tomato fashion. Some tomatoes are canned crushed for winter cooking, others are turned into conserve. Right now I’ve only finished up a batch of crushed tomatoes. Stay tuned for various posts this week about all the other things I’m making with all the garden bounty (including recipes for a few tried and true favorites). While this season seems a bit frantic, it will all be worth it in the dead of winter. When snow is deep on the garden, we can enjoy chili made with homegrown poblanos, tomatoes, and onions. There’s nothing better (and saves more money) than shopping in your freezer and pantry!
What are you preserving from your garden?
