The definitive guide to the 5 primary RUB , and how to make them at home

What is Meat Rub?

Rub is a perfectly calibrated mix of spices that is used to flavor, add to, or tone down beef.

There are particular types of RUB, some more suitable for white meats, others capable of enhancing the intense flavor of red meats such as Fiorentina, Brisket or, to dare particular and refined cuts of meat, an impressive tomahawk. Many believe that it is enough to mix a few spices by eye, leave the meat to marinate overnight and you're done. Colossal mistake!

Spices are added aromas which, if poorly calibrated, risk compromising the balance of the meat and resulting in a taste that is too bright or, on the contrary, excessively light.

How do you create the perfect UBI?

To answer the question you first need to choose what type of meat you want to bring to the table: white meat? Red meat? With sauce? Grilled or BBQ?

Once you have clarified your ideas, you need to transform yourself into a little chemist and leave the experiments aside. If you don't want to buy our ready-made RUBs, we offer you a simple and effective guide to avoid jumbles and calibrate your home RUB to perfection.

How to make UBI at home?

If the UBI is done at random, then you need to move by eye and rely on hope while waiting for the result.

If, however, the RUB is made at home then the matter is completely different and much more effective, the anxiety can be left aside and from the pantry you need to take: spice grinder, scale and... spices!

The essentials

To create the perfect RUB, especially for beginners, it is important to choose ingredients capable of completing the taste and avoid acts of pure madness such as the use of little-known spices. Garlic powder, ground pepper and salt are the essential ingredients.

Home made basic RUB

Here are some ideas for creating simple and extremely useful Home Rubs to enhance the taste of white and red meat.

Texan perfume rub It is probably the easiest version, requiring very few selected ingredients: black pepper and kosher salt. The dose is 1:1, 2 tablespoons ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons kosher salt. The RUB enhances long and slow cooking in which smoking allows you to create a crunchy and super inviting crust.

Rub to the 3 elements

The ingredients are salt, black pepper and garlic. This explains the reason for the number 3. In a 2:2:1 proportion the recipe provides:

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

Easy, perhaps very easy, the 3-element RUB meets important cuts of meat such as Florentine or other more eccentric solutions such as porchetta. It prefers long, slow cooking to provide an inviting aroma and a compact taste.

Rub to the 4 elements

Add something and the balance - as if by magic - returns something completely different. Salt, black pepper, onion and garlic in a 2:2:1:1 ratio.

The recipe includes:

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

Excellent for slices to cook in a pan, quick cooking for a consistent and fragrant RUB.

RUB BBQ

When it comes to BBQ, you need to pay the utmost attention to prevent any griller from starting to turn up his nose. Now, the recipe chooses to be as general as possible to allow individuals to create their own version by adding or modifying the recipe and creating a homemade solution.

The ingredients are: 3 tablespoons of brown sugar 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

In addition to the spices, what catches the eye is the presence of sugar. In BBQ meat, the caramelization phase is essential, that moment in which the meat releases part of the juices it contains and creates that fantastic and delicious crust.

The recipe requires testing and balance in tastes, which is why the advice is to create a small quantity as a test and find the recipe that best reflects your tastes.

RUB for Beef

Beef requires a little more care than the white version, as just a little is enough to end up with a cut of meat lacking in juice and excessively dry.

The recipe includes:

• 4 tablespoons of salt
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of chilli

Simple and essential, it allows you to best enhance the flavor of the meat.

RUB for Pork

Pork is perhaps the most controversial meat to bring to the table. Many people immediately think of ribs, leaving out many other cuts of meat that convey the intense flavor of this particular meat.

The proposed rub lends itself to many Italian recipes and aims to add that extra touch that is often missing when bringing pork to the table - ribs excluded. The recipe is: 8 tablespoons of brown sugar 3 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon paprika powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon of rosemary powder

Sweet and salty just enough to make the bite complete and tell different experiences in one go.

Spicy RUB for meat

Spicy notes are fine, but sometimes a little more spicy is needed, so slightly spicy RUBs often manage to lift every type of meat - as well as morale!

The recipe includes:

• 4 tablespoons of salt
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons white pepper
• 2 tablespoons of spicy chili pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Too difficult to find the ingredients or too hot to prepare everything? Our Hot Beef RUB is here for you

RUB bison meat, buffalo, beef

An important RUB that comes from our American cousins, between Arizona, Patagonia and Mexico for real BBQ meats. Legend places it in the golden age, when the only way to cook bison meat was to place it over a lit ember.

The recipe includes:

• 4 tablespoons of salt
• 3 tablespoons ground mustard
• 3 tablespoons dried onions
• 2 tablespoons of spicy chili pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon Ancho chili pepper
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon dried aromatic herbs (parsley, coriander, caraway, thyme, marjoram, lovage, oregano, basil, chervil, tarragon)

Of course, we know that it's really a chemist's job to create this perfect mix! This is why it is more convenient to find it in our online shop.

Carne Genuina recommends

RUB are therefore an added ingredient which, if chosen carefully, allow you to add that extra flavor which is often lacking during cooking for various reasons. Carne Genuina chooses to offer several perfectly calibrated RUB capable of enriching the different cuts of meat offered in the shop.

The goal is to simplify the cooking phase and dedicate all your attention to the moment without (worrying) about having made a mistake with this or that ingredient.

To best apply UBI you need: Brush the meat - perhaps with some rosemary - with a little EVO oil so as to allow the preparation to cling as best as possible; Sprinkle all sides of the cut of meat without leaving any space, so as to make the taste uniform; Carry out the operation just before cooking if you have chosen to bypass the marinating phase.

Different RUB for different solutions, just choose! And, if you really don't want to create them at home, visit our section dedicated to UBI.