There are basically 3 ways of adding that mouthwatering flavor to your outdoor grilling:

• "rubbing" with dry or wet rubs
• coating & basting with a sauce
• marinating in a liquid of spices & seasonings

A rub is a mixture of spices and/or herbs, that seals in the flavors of the meat (or vegetables) as it grills, forming a savory crust. Rubs are especially good for large pieces of meat that have long cooking times since they don't sear or burn as much as marinades.

A rub can be as simple as crushed black pepper or as elaborate as a curry rub. Its purpose is to add intense flavor to the meat without excessive moisture.

A paste is a rub with a small amount of liquid added to the mixture to bind it. Water, beer, or oil is usually used; other liquids often used are vinegar, cider vinegar, wine, or fruit juice. Generally speaking, rubs are used more with meat & poultry and pastes more with seafood.

Formulating Your Rub
There are two schools of thought concerning the use of sugar in a rub.

• Some consider the two base ingredients for most rubs to be sugar (white sugar or brown sugar or turbinado sugar) and salt (sea salt, kosher, table salt or a flavored salt such as garlic salt). The proportion of salt should be great enough to trigger osmosis & begin to draw the moisture from the surface of the meat and the proportion of sugar should not be excessive because it will caramelize & burn during grilling, leaving a bitter taste. However, since sugar contributes to osmosis, it is an important component and shouldn't be eliminated.
• However, others feel that sugar should not be used in any rub for grilling meats since the sugar will burn long before the meat is ready.

Popular spices and seasonings to build your rub include: basil, crushed bay leaf, course black pepper, Cayenne Pepper, chile powder, cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin or cumin seeds, garlic (fresh or powder or minced), ginger, lemon pepper, marjoram, ground mustard, dried oregano, paprika, parsley flakes, crushed red pepper, rosemary, sesame seeds, tarragon, thyme.

Use fresh ingredients! Buy your spices & seasonings - such as black pepper, cumin, and garlic - in whole form and grind them yourself using a spice mill or a mortar and pestle to make the rubs. The trick is not to grind the mixture too finely; otherwise, the herbs & spices will release too much of their essential oils, which is caused by friction & the heat of the grinder motor.

Be sure to record your creation! You don't want to come up with an aware winning rub only to forget what was in it.

A rub should be stored in a small jar with a tight seal and kept in a cool, dry cupboard. Label the jar & note the date - all should be used within 3 months. A rub should be stored in a small jar with a tight seal and kept in a cool, dry cupboard. Label the jar & note the date - all should be used within 3 months.

A good starting base for your dry rub to use on meat or poultry would be: ¼ cup salt (sea salt, kosher salt or table salt), 2 tablespoons of mild paprika (this will give your rub some color!), 1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly ground black pepper. Then you can add ½ teaspoon each of any of the herbs & spices you want such as cayenne, chile powder, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, sage, and thyme. Add 1-to-2 tablespoons of brown sugar if you are cooking at low temperatures. This is a standard dry rub for meat or poultry.

To get you started on your moist rub (paste), pound one-half dozen cloves of garlic into a mash along with one teaspoon of salt. Then add the spices & seasonings that you want. Following are some seasoning & spice combinations to get you started on your own rubs & pastes.

• Poultry: Rosemary & thyme; Marjoram, garlic powder & onion powder;
• Beef: Ginger, dry mustard & garlic powder; Chile powder, cinnamon & oregano
• Pork: Caraway seed, red pepper & paprika; Thyme, dry mustard & sage
• Fish & Seafood: Cumin & oregano: Tarragon, thyme, parsley flakes & garlic powder
• Potatoes: Dill & parsley flakes