DTG Low Sodium Rub: Give Your <3 Some Love
There are hundreds [plus!] of fantastic dry rubs out there for just about everything (beef, chicken, fish, more) and ones to please every palate (sweet, smoky, spicy, more). I myself have an entire shelf of them and love the flavors they create requiring very little effort on my part. Only one caveat – the vast majority of the rubs are insanely high in sodium and contain other ingredients such as preservatives, etc. that you may not want to include in your diet. Yes, I know this is “rich” coming from a self-proclaimed craft brewhead…and moderation is still NOT in my vocabulary…but I never said balance wasn’t. 😉 So, I made this simple, sweet, peppery, slightly spicy and salt safe rub that works on pretty much every protein and/or veg and decided to name it DTG Low Sodium Rub because, yeah, that’s how un-creative I can be at times. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:*
- 3 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp dark roast coffee beans
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 2 tsp ground dark chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar [I prefer the flavor of brown sugar; however, the moisture in it makes the rub form into a block unless you add a brown sugar clay piece into the storage container**]
- 1 – 2 tbsp course sea or kosher salt; see more information below and make your own decision***
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes****; or more or less depending on desired heat
Place peppercorns and coffee beans in a “spice designated” coffee grinder (i.e., in my house I have three: one specifically for grinding spices, one for coffee, and one I use to craft with [e.g., make scented bath salts, etc.] – cross contamination is not pleasant; no need to buy and expensive one for spices).
Grind on fine setting until you don’t hear “chopping” anymore; about 3 minutes or so. Place ground pepper and coffee into a bowl and add next 8 ingredients.
Mix well. You can taste the rub at this point and adjust the blend to your preference (e.g., maybe you like it a little more spicy or prefer more garlic).
Place in airtight container. Use generously on all of your items prior to grilling/cooking. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes prior to your chosen cooking method. Cheers and remember to always have fun #inthekitchen!
TIPS:
*Most markets sell bulk spices, so you don’t have to buy a whole jar of each to make this rub. Just purchase the amount of each you need.
**If you don’t already have a brown sugar clay piece in your kitchen, now is as good of time as any. If not to preserve the loose texture of this rub, then simply to use while storing your brown sugar as it is intended.
***One of the most popular store bought steak seasoning brands in the U.S. has a whopping 180mg of sodium per tiny 1/4 tsp serving size. DTG Low Sodium Rub has only approximately 47mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp if you include 1 tbsp salt in the mix; or a still relatively reasonable ~94mg per 1/4 tsp if you choose to bump it up to 2 tbsp salt for the entire recipe. PLEASE NOTE: Be sure to contact your physician before making any changes to your diet, especially if you are under current treatment. [The author has no responsibility for any health effects, positive or negative, that might occur as a result of consuming any and all food/food related recipes.]
****Aleppo peppers (aka Halaby peppers) are common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Cuisine. There are often used as a less fiery substitute for crushed red peppers; however, I fell in love with them because of their fruity, tangy mild heat that comes on slow to the tongue and lingers a while. Crushed Aleppo Peppers can easily be found at most grocers/markets.
Where to buy::
Brown Sugar Bear [Brown Sugar Keeper]
Other “healthier” eating options:
